Palestinians or Philistines? A Historical and Biblical Analysis

It is doubtless that we live in a time in which we are continually surrounded and even bombarded with misinformation, fake news, and lies masquerading as truths. This phenomenon does not limit its manifestation only to politics, socio-economic issues, or education, but has also penetrated the church—the very body of Christ. Primarily, this trend continues to permeate the church not only due to the widespread ignorance that has infiltrated social media and the internet at large but also due to a lack of biblical knowledge among Christian laity and the absence of sound teaching among Bible teachers and preachers. This phenomenon is what has led me to write this article.

There is no other time in which people seek to learn more about what the Bible teaches than in a time of adversity and uncertainty. We see even those who do not believe in the Bible anxious to find out if the Bible contains any prophecies that might help them figure out what is next. Even unbelievers seek to discern the faintest thread of light in the word of God!

One of the most contentious issues of our modern day is that of the land of Israel. When it comes to the land’s history, the ethnic groups that lived in it, and its religious and political significance, views and emotions abound. Therefore, it is not my intention to make any political statement or advocate for one group’s right to the ownership of the land over the other groups. Though I have my own views on this issue, this is not what this article is about. Make no mistake, I do recognize that this article might be a cause of contention or agitation to some people. Though this is not my intention, that is to be expected. I intend, however, to lay before you simple historical facts that cannot and should not be denied or distorted. Whether these facts lead to one group’s right of ownership over the others is a different discussion for a different day. But it is not why I am writing this article.

To most people in the West the history of the ancient Near East (part of what is known today as the Middle East) is not something that is readily taught in schools or universities (unless of course in a time of crisis). Conspicuously absent is the role of the church in disseminating true knowledge when it comes to issues like this, especially as it has become a “political” issue! This leaves most non-specialized knowledge seekers in the West captive to erroneous information and altered history that has been “tailored” to fit certain agendas.

In this article I seek to shine the light of true biblical knowledge to help discern truths from lies. With uncertainty gripping the world at large and especially with the violence arising from the ancient Near East region (known to us today as the Middle East) this article seeks to answer this pivotal question: Are today’s Palestinians the descendants of the biblical Philistines? If not, who were the Philistines of the Old Testament and who are the Palestinians of our modern day? To answer these questions and more, we embark on this brief journey.

To trace the history and the identity of the Philistines, we will first begin by exploring their mention in the Bible and then move on to the historical records of Egypt and Assyria.

The Biblical Mentions of the Philistines

The Bible identifies the Philistines as the descendants of Casluhim (Genesis 10:13–14). According to the biblical genealogy, Casluhim was the son of Mizraim.? Mizraim is the father of the Egyptians; his name is Egypt’s name in Hebrew to this day. This makes Casluhim the grandson of Ham and the great-grandson of Noah. From later biblical accounts we learn that Casluhim and Caphtorim—another son of Mizraim—went and settled in the island of Caphtor, modern-day Crete, which was named after him. This is spelled out in the prophecy of Amos: “‘Are you not like the Ethiopians to me, O people of Israel?’ says the LORD. ‘Did I not bring up Israel from the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor and the Syrians from Kir?’” (Amos 9:7. See also Jeremiah 47:4).

When we examine the biblical text, we find the first use of the term “the Philistines” in the Bible in the book of Genesis—in particular in the narrative of Abraham’s covenant with Abimelech, king of Gerar. In this account we read that the two men “made a covenant at Beer-sheba: then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines” (Genesis 21:32). In Genesis we find additional references to the Philistines, their land, or their king in the days of Isaac (see Genesis 26:1, 8, 14, 15, 18). Famously in the narrative of the exodus from Egypt, we read that the LORD led the Israelites away from the way of the land of the Philistines (Exodus 13:17). Later in Exodus, the LORD promises to establish the borders of the Israelites from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines (that is, the sea by the land where the Philistines lived). Elsewhere in the Bible this sea is called “the Great Sea”—known to us today as the Mediterranean Sea (Exodus 23:31).

You will see later in this article that we do not have any historical records of the Philistines prior to the 12th century BC (that is, centuries after the time of Abraham and Isaac). Therefore, many claim that since the Philistines did not migrate to Canaan until the 12th century BC, then the Bible is wrong in referring to them in the days of Abraham and Isaac centuries earlier. This is the conclusion of the hasty and unlearned! A more careful and keen look at the biblical text and the historical evidence shows otherwise.

There are a few different ways we can address this. First, it is quite possible that these early mentions of the Philistines are anachronistic, that is, reworded/edited at a later time in the history of the Israelites using terminology/names that were familiar to the Israelites at the time. Examples of these later edits are plenteous in the Bible. For example, in the account of Esau (centuries before Israel’s first king Saul was crowned) we read, “These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before any king reigned over the Israelites” (Genesis 36:31). At the time Moses wrote Genesis there were no kings reigning over Israel; in fact, Israel was not even a nation yet. Thus this language is clearly anachronistic.

Alternatively, it is also possible that as far back as the time of Abraham and Isaac there were scattered groups of the Philistines living across the land of Canaan. For one, migrations rarely happen over a generation or two (think about immigration from Europe to North America since its discovery and until our modern day). Thus it is possible that the Philistines began their migration eastward at the time of Abraham. Second, we know that some Philistines were fighting in the Egyptian army as mercenaries prior to their mass migration to the coastal plains of Canaan. This suggests that they had moved to Canaan in smaller groups much earlier. Third, we also know that their campaign against Ramses III was via sea and land, which suggests that they had settled by the eastern border of Egypt at an earlier time (see the discussion below).

In support of this view we must notice the textual differences between the Bible’s description of the Philistines at the time of Abraham and Isaac and that at the time of Joshua and the judges onwards. For example, the Bible refers to Abimelech as the “king of the Philistines” (Genesis 26:1, 8). The Philistines at the time of Samson and David had no one king over them. This suggests that at the time of Abraham and Isaac they were a united group. In contrast the later Philistines lived in five different cities, featuring separate city-state governments with no one king reigning over them but were governed by five lords (Joshua 13:3). Second, the Philistines of Abraham and Isaac were generally peaceful seeking to live along side other groups in the land (Genesis 21:22–26). The Philistines of Samson and David were quite violent seeking to control the surrounding territories. Even more importantly, Gerar—the epicenter of the Philistines’ presence at the time of Abraham and Isaac—was not included in the five cities of the later Philistines (see Joshua 13:3). Thus, it is clear that the earlier Philistines were a distinct group from the later one although both groups likely migrated from the eastern Mediterranean westward to Canaan.

After their mention in Genesis at the time of Abraham and Isaac and their brief reference in Exodus, the Bible is devoid of any mention of “the Philistines” until we arrive to the book of Joshua where we read the LORD’s command to Joshua concerning the land that still remained to be conquered calling it the borders (or region) of the Philistines (Joshua 3:12, 13). Starting with the book of Judges onwards the Philistines take a more visible role in the biblical narrative as we read about their continuous conflicts with the Israelites in the days of Samson, David, and the latter prophets.

Now that we have covered their mentions in the Bible, let’s find out what the historical records say about who they were.

Who Were the Philistines?

Historically we know that the Philistines were among the “sea peoples,” that is, the seafaring peoples who came from the islands of Crete and Cyprus. They settled in the five cities of the Philistines in coastal plains of the land of Israel around the time the Israelites entered the promised land. Those five cities were Gaza, Gath, Akron, Ashkelon, and Ashdod. From what we know about the behavior of the Philistines they seemed to be known for dispossessing existing inhabitants of their land and settling in it. The Egyptian records clearly show that this is what they attempted to do to the northern coast of Egypt and the Bible shows that this is what they tried to do later to the Israelites. This is attested to in the Bible as we read in Deuteronomy, “As for the Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and settled in their stead” (Deuteronomy 2:23).

The first recorded account of the Philistines in the Egyptian records comes to us from the walls of Madinet Habu from the reign of Ramses III. According to these Egyptian records the Philistines attempted to invade Egypt by land and by sea after ravaging Cyprus, Anatolia (western Turkey), and Syria. In the Egyptian historical records they were referred to as prst (or peleset). These prst were defeated and repulsed by the Egyptians around 1191 BC. I should mention that Egypt is not the only civilization in the ancient Near East that left behind a record of the Philistines. The Assyrian records mention them as well, referring to them as Philisti or Palastu.

It is important to note that the Philistines are depicted as Europeans on the monuments of Ramses III. Their pottery also shows connection to the Greek islands in the Mediterranean, particularly Crete. As explained above they were the descendants of Casluhim, the descendant of Ham. In contrast, the Palestinians of our modern day identify themselves as Arabs, descending from the Arabian Peninsula. According to this self-identification and according to their own Islamic narrative, they would be the descendants of Abraham through his son Ishmael. It is indisputable that Abraham comes from the lineage of Shem. This would make the Palestinians the descendants of Shem as well, and not Ham who is the father of the Philistines (see above). The biblical-historical Philistines had no association with the inhabitants of Arabia (modern day Saudi Arabia) who are said to be the ancestors of today’s Arabs (including the Palestinians). The two are completely distinct and separate peoples with no historic or ethnic associations. Thus the Palestinians can either be the descendants of Abraham or the descendants of the biblical Philistines—but they cannot be both.

The Philistines continued to live in the southwestern coast of Israel until the time of the Babylonian exile. They were among the many peoples exiled by Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon. Though Philistia/Philistines are mentioned after the exile by Ezekiel and Zechariah, these mentions strictly refer to the region that had once been inhabited by the Philistines. There is no historical or biblical record of their inhabiting any part of the land of Canaan after their exile to Babylon. From the 5th century BC onward there are no historical or biblical records of the Philistines.

But if all the above is true, then why is the ancient land of Israel called “Palestine” (filisteen in Arabic) to this day? After all, filisteen signifies the land of the Palestinians, doesn’t it? We will discuss these questions in the second part of this article.