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Biblical context is crucial in studying God’s Word. Who are the Philistines and why does it matter? Abimilech, Goliath, Delilah, stealing the Ark of the Covenant…

The Origin of the Philistines

Philistines (פְּלִשְׁתִּים, pelishtim) were a people who emigrated from southern Greece to the coastland of Canaan. The Philistines were enemies of the Hebrew people between the time of the conquest of Canaan until the divided kingdom. The territory of Philistia extended past Gaza in the south to the Mount Carmel range in the north. According to Joshua 13:3 and 1 Samuel 6:17, the land of the Philistines, called Philistia, was a pentapolis in the southwestern Levant comprising the five city-states of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ekron, and Gath, from Wadi Gaza in the south to the Yarqon River in the north, but with no fixed border to the east.

Philistine is the godless disdain and rebellious defiance of the God of heaven and earth. As such, any person, place, or thing that openly defies and denies the living God of the Bible and arrogantly defies and denies the authority of God as Creator of life and all living things is Philistine. From Abraham and Abimelech, to Samson and Delilah, from David and Goliath, to the Battle of Armageddon, Philistine is both a manifest spirit and a physical reality – a mindset and a condition of the heart. Philistine is past, present, and prophetic. Even as it was in “the days of old,” the people of God will stand in His name to contend and defend against those who have defied Him – Philistine.

…Godless disdain and rebellious defiance…

Any person, place, or thing that openly or secretly defies and denies the living God of the Bible and arrogantly defies and denies the authority of God as Creator of life and all living things is Philistine. From Abraham and Abimelech, to David and Goliath, from Samson and Delilah, to the Battle of Armageddon, Philistine is both a manifest spirit and physical reality – both truth and a lie – both past and present – both spiritual and intellectual. Yet, more than all of that, Philistine is the godless disdain and rebellious defiance of the God of heaven and earth, and the people of God must still contend and defend in righteousness against – Philistine.