Philistines (Easton)

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(Genesis 10:14 , RSV; but in A.V., 'Philistim'), a tribe allied to the Phoenicians. They were a branch of the primitive race which spread over the whole district of the Lebanon and the valley of the Jordan, and Crete and other Mediterranean islands. Some suppose them to have been a branch of the"> StudyL ı ght .org Plug in, Turn on and Be En light ened! Not Yet a Member? Click to Sign Up Now! --> --> Bible Study Tools Lang uage Tools Study Lib rary Hist orical Writings Pas toral Resources Per sonal Resources Site Resources Lectionary Calendar Saturday, June 6th, 2026 the Week of Proper 4 / Ordinary 9 video advertismenet advertisement advertisement advertisement Attention! Take your personal ministry to the Next Level by helping StudyLight build churches and supporting pastors in Uganda. Click here to join the effort! Home » Bible Dictionaries » Easton's Bible Dictionary » Letter P Bible Dictionaries Philistines Easton's Bible Dictionary Search for… Enter query below: or A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z Prev Entry Philistia Next Entry Phinehas Resource Toolbox Print Article Additional Links Concordances Nave Topical Bible Philistines Thompson Chain Reference Philistines Treasury of Biblical Knowledge Philistines Torrey Topical Textbook Philistines, the Dictionaries American Tract Society Philistines Bridgeway Bible Dictionary Philistia, Philistines Easton's Bible Dictionary Philistines Holman Bible Dictionary Philistines, the Hitchcock Bible Names Philistines Hastings' BibleDictionary Philistines Lords of the Philistines Morrish Bible Dictionary Philistines 1910 New Catholic Dictionary Philistines Hawker's Poor Man's Dictionary Philistines Smith Bible Dictionary Philistines Webster Dictionary Philistinism Philistine Encyclopedias 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica Philistines International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Lords of the Philistines Philistines Philistines, Lords of the (only first 3 shown) Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia Philistines McClintock and Strong's Bible Encyclopedia Philistine The Nuttall Encyclopedia Philistine Philistines The Catholic Encyclopedia Philistines The Jewish Encyclopedia Philistines Lexicons פְּלֶשֶׁת פְּלִשְׁתִּי ( Genesis 10:14 , RSV; but in A.V., "Philistim"), a tribe allied to the Phoenicians. They were a branch of the primitive race which spread over the whole district of the Lebanon and the valley of the Jordan, and Crete and other Mediterranean islands. Some suppose them to have been a branch of the Rephaim ( 2 Samuel 21:16-22 ). In the time of Abraham they inhabited the south-west of Judea, Abimelech of Gerar being their king ( Genesis 21:32,34 ; 26:1 ). They are, however, not noticed among the Canaanitish tribes mentioned in the Pentateuch. They are spoken of by ( Amos 9:7 ) and ( Jeremiah 47:4 ) as from Caphtor, i.e., probably Crete, or, as some think, the Delta of Egypt. In the whole record from Exodus to Samuel they are represented as inhabiting the tract of country which lay between Judea and Egypt ( Exodus 13:17 ; 15:14,15 ; Joshua 13:3 ; 1 Samuel 4 ). This powerful tribe made frequent incursions against the Hebrews. There was almost perpetual war between them. They sometimes held the tribes, especially the southern tribes, in degrading servitude ( Judges 15:11 ; 1 Samuel 13:19-22 ); at other times they were defeated with great slaughter ( 1 Samuel 14:1-47 ; 17 ). These hostilities did not cease till the time of Hezekiah ( 2 Kings 18:8 ), when they were entirely subdued. They still, however, occupied their territory, and always showed their old hatred to Israel ( Ezekiel 25:15-17 ). They were finally conquered by the Romans. The Philistines are called Pulsata or Pulista on the Egyptian monuments; the land of the Philistines (Philistia) being termed Palastu and Pilista in the Assyrian inscriptions. They occupied the five cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath, in the south-western corner of Canaan, which belonged to Egypt up to the closing days of the Nineteenth Dynasty. The occupation took place during the reign of Rameses III. of the Twentieth Dynasty. The Philistines had formed part of the great naval confederacy which attacked Egypt, but were eventually repulsed by that Pharaoh, who, however, could not dislodge them from their settlements in Palestine. As they did not enter Palestine till the time of the Exodus, the use of the name Philistines in Genesis 26:1 must be proleptic. Indeed the country was properly Gerar, as in ch. 20. They are called Allophyli, "foreigners," in the Septuagint, and in the Books of Samuel they are spoken of as uncircumcised. It would therefore appear that they were not of the Semitic race, though after their establishment in Canaan they adopted the Semitic language of the country. We learn from the Old Testament that they came from Caphtor, usually supposed to be Crete. From Philistia the name of the land of the Philistines came to be extended to the whole of "Palestine." Many scholars identify the Philistines with the Pelethites of 2 Samuel 8:18 .

Source

• part_of source-manifest/easton — Easton's Bible Dictionary (PD)