Philistia
פְּלֶשֶׁת
Where is Philistia? Southern coastal plain, from Gaza north to the Yarkon. I mark it certain.
The Philistines ruled this coastal plain from five cities and fought Israel from Samson's day to David's. They captured the Ark, sent Goliath out of Gath, and drove Saul to his death on Gilboa.
By Aaron Shaffier, licensed Israel tour guide and mapmaker · About the mapmaker
- Site today
- Southern coastal plain, from Gaza north to the Yarkon
- How sure
- Certain The name, the sources and the finds all agree.
- Other names
- Land of the Philistines, Peleshet, Philistine Pentapolis
- Location
- 31.6432° N, 34.7130° E (Google Maps)
How we know where it was
The Bible lists five Philistine lords: Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron. All five are securely located. Gaza, Ashkelon and Ashdod never lost their names. At Tel Miqne excavators found a royal inscription naming Achish king of Ekron, which settles that one. Gath is Tell es-Safi.
These cities don't look like their neighbors. Their pottery, their buildings and even their diet are Aegean in style, the mark of the Sea Peoples who settled here. When Israel left Egypt, G-d kept them off the short road through this land. The name outlived the Philistines. The Greeks and Romans made Palaestina out of Peleshet.
Visiting today
Ashkelon National Park, Tel Ashdod, Tel Miqne and Tel Tzafit, which is Gath, are all in Israel. Gaza is closed to visitors.
Read it in the Bible
Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible. In a handful of chapters English Bibles count one verse off.
See Philistia on the interactive map →
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