(Heb. Philistim), a tribe which gave its name to the country known as Palestine, though it occupied only a portion of the southern coast, namely, that which was bounded on the E. by the hill country of Ephraim and Judah, and on the W. extended from Joppa to the borders of Egypt, thus touching on the Israelite tribes Dan, Simeon, and Judah. Indeed the portions of Simeon and Dan covered a large part of Philistia; but its possession by the Israelites was disputed, and was never entirely achieved. This country was originally held by the Avims, who were destroyed and their land seized by the Caphtorins, coming forth out of Caphtor (Deut. ii. 23). Caphtor has been thought to be Cappadocia; so is it rendered by the Targums, as well as by the Syriac and Vulgate translations ("Philistinos reliquias insulae Cappadociae"). Bertheau, however, decides that Caphtor is Crete, on several grounds (Bertheau, Zur Geschichte der Israeliten, 1842; see also Die Phantizier, von Movers, 1841; and Randau, von C. von Lengerke, 1844). Since the appearance of Lakemacher's Observat. Philol. (ii. 11, sq.), and Calmet's Biblical Researches, the word Kreti has been considered to prove that the Philistines were wanderers from Crete, which recent scholars have confirmed. Greeks and Romans support this view. Tacitus (Hist. v. 2) relates that inhabitants of Palestine came thither from Crete. Stephen of Byzantium, under the word Gaza, states that this city was properly called Minoa, from Minos, King of Crete, who came to Gaza with his brothers Acakos and Rhadamantius, and named the place after himself (comp. Kreta, von Karl Hoeck, ii. 368). The same writer adds that the Cretan Jupiter was honoured in Gaza. (See PALESTINE.)

The Philistines are represented in the Old Testament as foreign immigrants. The ordinary translation of their name in the Septuagint is Ἀλλοφύλων, men of another tribe. The root ἄλλος, whence Philistine, denotes a wanderer, one from a foreign land, and was probably given by the Hebrews to the foreign immigrants who called themselves Cretans. The names of their cities and their proper names are of Semitic origin. In their intercourse with the Israelites there are many intimations that the two used a common language. How is this, if they were immigrants in Palestine? This difficulty is removed by supposing that originally they were in Palestine, went westward, but afterwards returned eastward, back from Crete to Palestine; so that in Amos ix. 7, it is to be understood that God brought them up to Palestine, as He brought the Israelites out of Egypt—back to their home. (Movers, Die Phantizier, pp. 19, 29, 35.) Greek writers, however, give evidence of a wide diffusion of the Semitic race over the islands of the Mediterranean. (See Thucydides, i. 8; Herodotus, i. 173; and Homer, Od. ix. 174; comp. Strabo, p. 475.) Many proofs offer themselves that, before the spread of the Hellenes, these islands were inhabited by Semitic races. The worship observed in them at this time shows a Semitic origin. The Semites gave place to the Hellenes; a change which dates from the time of Milos, who drove them out of the islands, giving the dominion to his son. The expelled population settled on the Asiatic coast. This evidence, derived from heathen sources, gives a representation which agrees with the Scriptural account of the origin, the westerly wandering, and return eastwards of the Philistines.

If now we follow the Biblical accounts, we find the history of the Philistines to be in brief as follows:—They had established themselves in their land as early as the time of Abraham, when they had founded a kingdom at Gerar. (Gen. xxi. 32; xxvi. 1.) When the Israelites left Egypt, they were deterred by fear of the power of the Philistines from returning by the shortest road—that which the caravans still take—because it lay through the country of the Philistines. (Exod. xiii. 17.) Joshua appears to have thought it prudent to attempt nothing for their dispossession. The days of the Judges, however, brought conflicts between the Israelites and the Philistines, which were destined to continue during the entire history of the Hebrew monarchy.

In the Maccabean period the Philistines were Syrian subjects, and had at times to suffer at the hands of the Jews (1 Macc. x. 86; xi. 60, sq.) King Alexander (Balas) gave Jonathan part of their territory, Accaron, with the borders thereof in possession (1 Macc. x. 89). The Jewish monarch, Alexander Janneaus, overcame and destroyed Gaza (Joseph. Antiq. xiii. 3. 3; De Bell. Jud. i. 4. 2). By Pompey Azotus, Jamnia and Gaza were united to the Roman province of Syria (Antiq. xiv. 4. 4); but Gaza was given by Augustus to King Herod (Antiq. xv. 7. 3).

The cities of the Philistines were greatly distinguished. The chief were Gaza, Ashdod, Ascalon, Gath, and Ekron (Josh. xiii. 3; Judg. iii. 3). The greatness of these cities was mainly owing to commerce, for the coast of Palestine was in the earliest ages exclusively in possession of the trade which for many ages was carried on between Europe and Besides a great transit trade, they had internal sources of wealth, being given to agriculture, &c. Their religion was not essentially different from that of the Phoenicians. The idol which they most reverenced was Astarte. Priests and soothsayers were numerous (1 Sam. vi. 2). Their magicians were in repute (Isa. ii. 6); and the oracle of Baalzebub at Ekron was consulted by foreigners (2 Kings i. 2). They had the custom of carrying with them in war the images of their gods (2 Sam. v. 21). Tradition makes the Philistines the inventors of the bow and arrow.