The Philistines were a people of Aegean origin who settled on the southern coast of Palestine about the same time as did the Israelites. According to biblical tradition (Deuteronomy 2:23, Jeremiah 47:4), the Philistines came from Caphtor (possibly Crete, although there is no archaeological evidence of Philistine life there). The first records of the Philistines are inscriptions and reliefs in the mortuary temple of Ramses III at Madinat Habu. They were memorialized as one of the “Sea Peoples” that invaded Egypt after ravaging Anatolia, Cyprus and Syria. Egypt repulsed the Philistines, and they settled—possibly with Egypt’s permission—on the coastal plain of the Gaza strip and northward. Evidence suggests that they intermixed with the native Canaanite (Hittite) population or at least adopted some of their gods. The lack of written records from the Philistines themselves is a frustration to archeologists. Even their very language is a matter of debate to this day.
Certain misinformation now commonly believed states that the Roman renaming of Judea as “Syro-Palestine” (after the Jewish revolt of 135 AD) began the use of the name “Palestine.” However, the Greek historian Herodotus writing 500 years earlier said that the region was “called” Palestine by the Persian conquerors.
The Philistines are the enemies of the David and Goliath epic (1 Samuel 17:52). In 2 Kings 1:2-16, their god is referred to mockingly as Baalzebub, meaning, “Lord of the Flies.” (King Ahaziah of Israel sends messengers to inquire of Baalzebub after an injury, prompting a sharp rebuke from the prophet Elijah.) During the period of the Judges, the Philistines would perennially raid the tribe of Dan and steal their harvest. They kept their neighbors weak by not permitting blacksmiths. They oppressed God’s people, worshipped false gods like Dagon (1 Samuel 5), and were often used as an instrument of discipline when Israel strayed (Judges 13:1, 1 Samuel 4).
Archeological evidence shows that they suffered a decline as God promised in Amos 1:6-8 (CSB), “The LORD says: ‘I will not relent from punishing Gaza…because they exiled a whole community, handing them over to Edom. Therefore, I will send fire against the walls of Gaza, and it will consume its citadels. I will cut off the ruler from Ashdod, and the one who wields the scepter from Ashkelon. I will also turn my hand against Ekron (today known as Tel Migne), and the remainder of the Philistines will perish.’ The Lord GOD has spoken.” (See also the prophecies of Philistine destruction in Jeremiah 25:20, Zephaniah 2:4, Zechariah 9:5,7.)
