Philistines



The Philistines ( /ˈfɪlɨstiːnz/ ,  /ˈfɪlɨstaɪnz/ ,  /fɨˈlɪstɨnz/, or  /fɨˈlɪst<span style="border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;" title="/iː/ long 'e' in 'bead'">iːnz/ ;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[1]  Hebrew: <span class="script-hebrew" dir="rtl" style="font-size:16px;font-family:Alef,'SBLHebrew',David;">פְּלִשְׁתִּים , Plištim), Pleshet or Peleset, were a people who as part of the Sea Peoples appeared in the southern coastal area of Canaan at the beginning of the Iron Age (circa 1175 BC), most probably from the Aegean region. According to the Bible, they ruled the five city-states (the "Philistine Pentapolis") of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod,Ekron and Gath, from Wadi Gaza in the south to the Yarqon River in the north, but with no fixed border to the east.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Fahlbusch_and_Bromiley.2C_p._185_2-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[2]  The Bible paints them as the Kingdom of Israel's most dangerous enemy.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Fahlbusch_and_Bromiley.2C_p._185_2-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[2]  Originating somewhere in the Aegean,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[3]  their population was around 25,000 in the 12th century BC, rising to a peak of 30,000 in the 11th century BC, of which the Aegean element was not more than half the total, and perhaps much less.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[4]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px;">Nothing is known for certain about the original language or languages of the Philistines; however, they were not part of the SemiticCanaanite population.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Fahlbusch_and_Bromiley.2C_p._185_2-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[2]  There is some limited evidence in favour of the assumption that the Philistines were Indo-European-speakerseither from Greece and/or Luwian speakers from the coast of Asia Minor. Philistine-related words found in the Bible are not Semitic and can in some cases, with reservations, be traced back to Proto-Indo-European roots.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Rabin_1963_113.E2.80.93139_5-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[5]  By the beginning of the first millennium BC, they had adopted the general Canaanite language of the region.

Villainy
The Philistines were enemies with the Isrealis. They worshiped Pagan Idols, slavedrivers, tempters, tyrants and enemy soldiers. Idols like Baal, Astarte and Dagon who are false gods. They harmed and killed innocent men, women and children in cold blood.

Known Philistines

 * Army of Philistines


 * Deliah; who tempted Samson to his death.
 * Goliath; a Philistine giant soldier who was killed by David the future king.