Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
"PHILISTINES" is a plural of: philistine. |
"PHILISTINES" is a name that signifies or is derived from: "those who dwell in villages". |
Date "PHILISTINES" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1380. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Bible | Philistines (Gen. 10:14, R.V.; but in A.V., "Philistim"), a tribe allied to the Phoenicians. They were a branch of the primitive race which spread over the whole district of the Lebanon and the valley of the Jordan, and Crete and other Mediterranean islands. Some suppose them to have been a branch of the Rephaim (2 Sam. 21:16-22). In the time of Abraham they inhabited the south-west of Judea, Abimelech of Gerar being their king (Gen. 21:32, 34; 26:1). They are, however, not noticed among the Canaanitish tribes mentioned in the Pentateuch. They are spoken of by Amos (9:7) and Jeremiah (47:4) as from Caphtor, i.e., probably Crete, or, as some think, the Delta of Egypt. In the whole record from Exodus to Samuel they are represented as inhabiting the tract of country which lay between Judea and Egypt (Ex. 13:17; 15:14, 15; Josh. 13:3; 1 Sam. 4). This powerful tribe made frequent incursions against the Hebrews. There was almost perpetual war between them. They sometimes held the tribes, especially the southern tribes, in degrading servitude (Judg. 15:11; 1 Sam. 13:19-22); at other times they were defeated with great slaughter (1 Sam. 14:1-47; 17). These hostilities did not cease till the time of Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:8), when they were entirely subdued. They still, however, occupied their territory, and always showed their old hatred to Israel (Ezek. 25:15-17). They were finally conquered by the Romans. The Philistines are called Pulsata or Pulista on the Egyptian monuments; the land of the Philistines (Philistia) being termed Palastu and Pilista in the Assyrian inscriptions. They occupied the five cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath, in the south-western corner of Canaan, which belonged to Egypt up to the closing days of the Nineteenth Dynasty. The occupation took place during the reign of Rameses III. of the Twentieth Dynasty. The Philistines had formed part of the great naval confederacy which attacked Egypt, but were eventually repulsed by that Pharaoh, who, however, could not dislodge them from their settlements in Palestine. As they did not enter Palestine till the time of the Exodus, the use of the name Philistines in Gen. 26:1 must be proleptic. Indeed the country was properly Gerar, as in ch. 20. They are called Allophyli, "foreigners," in the Septuagint, and in the Books of Samuel they are spoken of as uncircumcised. It would therefore appear that they were not of the Semitic race, though after their establishment in Canaan they adopted the Semitic language of the country. We learn from the Old Testament that they came from Caphtor, usually supposed to be Crete. From Philistia the name of the land of the Philistines came to be extended to the whole of "Palestine." Many scholars identify the Philistines with the Pelethites of 2 Sam. 8:18. Source: Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary. |
Literature | Philistines meaning the ill-behaved and ignorant. The word so applied arose in Germany from the Charlies or Philisters, who were in everlasting collision with the students; and in these "town and gown rows" identified themselves with the town, called in our universities "the snobs." Matthew Arnold, in the Cornhill Magazine, applied the term Philistine to the middle class, which he says is "ignorant, narrow-minded, and deficient in great ideas," insomuch that the middle-class English are objects of contempt in the eyes of foreigners. Philistines (3 syl.). Earwigs and other insect tormentors are so called in Norfolk. Bailifis, constables, etc. "The Philistines are upon thee, Samson" (Judges xvi.). Source: Brewer's Dictionary. |
Slang in 1811 | PHILISTINES. Bailiffs, or officers of justice; also drunkards. Source: 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
The Philistines are called Pulsata or Pulista on the Egyptian monuments; the land of the Philistines (Philistia) being termed Palastu and Pilista in the Assyrian inscriptions. They occupied the five cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath, along the coastal strip of southwestern Palestine, which belonged to Egypt up to the closing days of the Nineteenth Dynasty. The occupation took place during the reign of Rameses III of the Twentieth Dynasty. It has been suggested that the Philistines formed part of the great naval confederacy, the 'Sea Peoples', that attacked Egypt from the late 19th Dynasty. Though eventually repulsed by that Pharaoh, he was, according to the theory, apparently unable to dislodge them from their settlements in Palestine.
This powerful tribe made frequent incursions against the Hebrews. There was almost perpetual war between them. They sometimes held the tribes, especially the southern tribes, in servitude; at other times they were defeated with great slaughter. The Philistine cities were ruled by seranim, "lords", who acted together for the common good of the nation. After their defeat by the Israelite King David, kings replaced the seranim, and their history is of individual cities, and not of a people. Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon eventually conquered all of Syria and Palestine, and the Philistine cities became part of the Neo-Babylonian empire. Subsequently the cities were under the control of Persians, Greeks, and Romans.
The Philistines long held a monopoly on iron smithing, a skill they probably acquired during their conquests in Anatolia.
They are called Allophyli, "foreigners," in the Septuagint, and in the Books of Samuel they are spoken of as uncircumcised. It would therefore appear that they were not of the Semitic race, though after their establishment in Palestine they adopted the Semitic language of the country. From Philistia the name of the land of the Philistines came to be extended to the whole of "Palestine." The theory that the Sea Peoples were composed of Greek-speaking tribes has been developed even further to postulate that the Philistines originated in either western Anatolia or the Greek pennisula though the biblical sources are unanimous that they were descended from Egypt (Mizraim).
British writers of the 19th century and very early 20th century sometimes referred to the Arabs of Palestine as "Philistines". This was apparently not due to a belief in a strong connection with the ancient Philistines, but merely reflects the understanding that "Philistine" is the correct word for "native of "Palestine".
The word philistine (q.v.), in non-historical usage, refers to people exhibiting cultural intolerance or a restrictive moral code, unappreciative of wider ideas.
Further Reading
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Philistines."
Crosswords: PHILISTINES |
| English words defined with "PHILISTINES": Dagon ♦ Samson, Saul. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "PHILISTINES": Abimelech ♦ Baal-zebub, Beth-car ♦ Dullard ♦ Ehud, En-hakkore, Ephes-dammim ♦ Gimzo ♦ Hyksos ♦ Jaw-bone ♦ Kingly Titles ♦ Lehi ♦ Michmash, MOABITES ♦ Ox goad ♦ Pentapolis, Perazim, Mount ♦ Sitnah ♦ Timnah ♦ Ziklag. (references) |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit |  | The Philistines be upon thee Samson!. Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
| Author | Date | Quotation |
Communist Manifesto | 1848 | While this "True" Socialism thus served the governments as a weapon for fighting the German bourgeoisie, it, at the same time, directly represented a reactionary interest, the interest of the German Philistines. (reference) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | DULLARD, n. A member of the reigning dynasty in letters and life. The Dullards came in with Adam, and being both numerous and sturdy have overrun the habitable world. The secret of their power is their insensibility to blows; tickle them with a bludgeon and they laugh with a platitude. The Dullards came originally from Boeotia, whence they were driven by stress of starvation, their dullness having blighted the crops. For some centuries they infested Philistia, and many of them are called Philistines to this day. In the turbulent times of the Crusades they withdrew thence and gradually overspread all Europe, occupying most of the high places in politics, art, literature, science and theology. Since a detachment of Dullards came over with the Pilgrims in the Mayflower and made a favorable report of the country, their increase by birth, immigration, and conversion has been rapid and steady. According to the most trustworthy statistics the number of adult Dullards in the United States is but little short of thirty millions, including the statisticians. The intellectual centre of the race is somewhere about Peoria, Illinois, but the New England Dullard is the most shockingly moral. |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "PHILISTINES" is generally used as a noun (plural) -- approximately 51.47% of the time. "PHILISTINES" is used about 68 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (plural) | 51.47% | 35 | 58,339 |
| Noun (proper) | 48.53% | 33 | 60,273 |
| Total | 100.00% | 68 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| Language | Translations for "PHILISTINES"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Russian | попасть в тяжелое положение (fall among Philistines), попасть в переделку (fall among Philistines). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Date | Source | Genesis Chapter 26, Verse 18 |
| Greek (transliterated) | 250 BC | Septuagint | Kai palin isaak wruxen ta freata tou udatoV a wruxan oi paideV abraam tou patroV autou kai enefraxan auta oi fulistiim meta to apoqanein abraam ton patera autou kai epwnomasen autoiV onomata kata ta onomata a epwnomasen abraam o pathr autou |
| Latin | 405 | Vulgate | Rursum fodit alios puteos quos foderant servi patris sui Abraham et quos illo mortuo olim obstruxerant Philisthim appellavitque eos hisdem nominibus quibus ante pater vocaverat |
| Middle English | 1395 | Wyclif | And dwelle there, eftsones he deluyde other pittis, the whiche the seruauntis of his fader Abraham delueden, and whom, hym deed, sumtyme Philistiens stoppiden; and he clepide hem the same names, in the whiche the fader hadde clepid bifore. |
| Renaissance English | 1526 | Tyndale | And Isaac digged agayne the welles of water which they dygged in the dayes of Abraha his father which the Philestias had stoppe after ye deth of Abraha and gaue the the same names which hys father gaue the. |
| Jacobean English | 1611 | King James | And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them. |
| Victorian English | 1833 | Webster | And Isaac digged again the wells of water which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them. |
| Basic English | 1964 | Ogden | And he made again the water-holes which had been made in the days of Abraham his father, and which had been stopped up by the Philistines; and he gave them the names which his father had given them. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Genesis Chapter 26, Verse 18 |
| Cebuano | Ug gikalot pag-usab ni Isaac ang mga atabay sa tubig, nga ilang gikalot sa mga adlaw ni Abraham, nga iyang amahan; kay gitabonan sa mga Filistihanon sa tapus mamatay si Abraham. Ug kini gihinganlan niya ingon sa mga ngalan nga gibutang kanila sa iyang amahan. |
| Croatian | Izak opet iskopa bunare za vodu što su bili iskopani u vrijeme njegova oca Abrahama, a Filistejci ih bili zasuli poslije Abrahamove smrti. On ih je nazvao istim imenima kojima ih je zvao i njegov otac. |
| Danish | Men Isak lod atter de Brønde udgrave, som hans Fader Abrahams Trælle havde gravet, og som Filisterne havde tilkastet efter Abrahams Død, og gav dem de samme Navne, som hans Fader havde givet dem. |
| Dutch | Als nu Izak wedergekeerd was, groef hij die waterputten op, die zij ten tijde van Abraham, zijn vader, gegraven, en die de Filistijnen na Abrahams dood toegestopt hadden; en hij noemde derzelver namen naar de namen, waarmede zijn vader die genoemd had. |
| Finnish | Ja Iisak kaivatti uudelleen auki ne vesikaivot, jotka hänen isänsä Aabrahamin päivinä olivat kaivetut, mutta jotka filistealaiset olivat Aabrahamin kuoltua tukkineet, ja antoi niille jälleen ne nimet, jotka hänen isänsä oli niille antanut. |
| French | Isaac creusa de nouveau les puits d`eau qu`on avait creusés du temps d`Abraham, son père, et qu`avaient comblés les Philistins après la mort d`Abraham; et il leur donna les mêmes noms que son père leur avait donnés. |
| German | und ließ die Wasserbrunnen wieder aufgraben, die sie zu Abrahams, seines Vaters, Zeiten gegraben hatten, welche die Philister verstopft hatten nach Abrahams Tod, und nannte sie mit demselben Namen mit denen sie sein Vater genannt hatte. |
| Hungarian | És ismét megásá Izsák a kútakat, a melyeket ástak vala az õ atyjának Ábrahámnak idejében, de a melyeket Ábrahám holta után behánytak vala a Filiszteusok, és azokkal a nevekkel nevezé azokat, a mely neveket adott vala azoknak az õ atyja. |
| Indonesian-Bahasa Sehari-hari | Dia menggali kembali sumur-sumur yang telah digali pada zaman Abraham dan yang telah ditimbuni dengan tanah oleh orang Filistin sepeninggal Abraham. Sumur-sumur itu diberi nama yang sama seperti yang diberikan ayahnya. |
| Indonesian-Terjemahan Lama | Setelah sudah kembali maka oleh Ishak dibuka pula akan segala perigi, yang telah digali pada zaman Ibrahim, bapanya, karena sudah ditumpatkan oleh orang Filistin kemudian dari pada mati Ibrahim; maka sekalian itu dinamai oleh Ishak menurut nama-nama, yang telah diberi oleh bapanya akan dia. |
| Maori | Na ka keria ano e Ihaka nga poka wai i keria ra i nga ra o Aperahama, o tona papa; i tanumia hoki e nga Pirihitini i muri i te matenga o Aperahama: a huaina ana e ia hei ingoa mo aua poka ko nga ingoa i huaina iho e tona papa. |
| Norwegian | Og Isak gravde op igjen de brønner som de hadde gravd i Abrahams, hans fars dager, og som filistrene hadde kastet til efter Abrahams død; og han gav dem de samme navn som hans far hadde gitt dem. |
| Portuguese | E Isaque tornou a cavar os poços que se haviam cavado nos dias de Abraão seu pai, pois os filisteus os haviam entulhado depois da morte de Abraão; e deu-lhes os nomes que seu pai lhes dera. |
| Rumanian | Isaac a sqpat din nou fkntknile de apq, pe cari le sqpaserq robii tatqlui squ Avraam, wi pe cari le astupaserq Filistenii, dupq moartea lui Avraam; wi le -a pus iarqw aceleawi nume, pe cari le pusese tatql squ. |
| Swedish | Och Isak lät åter gräva ut de vattenbrunnar som hade blivit grävda i hans fader Abrahams tid, men som filistéerna efter Abrahams död hade kastat igen; och han gav dem åter de namn som hans fader hade givit dem. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Misspellings | |
"PHILISTINES" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: philastine, philistene, philistime, philistin, philistinus, phillestine, phillistene, phillistine, philoctetes, philosit. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "PHILISTINES" (pronounced fi"lustē'nz) |
| 5 | -s t ē' n z | mangosteens. |
| 4 | -t ē' n z | argentines, libertines, proteins, quarantines, seventeens. |
| 3 | -ē' n z | alkenes, amphetamines, bylines, caesareans, evergreens, gabardines, limousines, magazines, opalines, peregrines, soybeans, submarines, tangerines. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "e-h-i-i-i-l-n-p-s-s-t" | |
-1 letter: philistine. | |
-2 letters: nihilists, pithiness. | |
-3 letters: hiplines, nihilist, pithless, pitiless, plenists, shiniest, spiniest. | |
-4 letters: enlists, hipless, hipline, hipness, hitless, ileitis, insteps, instils, liniest, listens, pensils, piniest, pinites, pintles, pistils, plenish, plenist, plinths, shilpit, silents, sithens, spilths, spinels, spinets, splenii, splents, splines, splints, stipels, tiepins, tinsels, tipless. | |
-5 letters: elints, enlist, heists, inlets, insets, insist, instep, instil, islets. | |
| Words containing the letters "e-h-i-i-i-l-n-p-s-s-t" | |
+3 letters: prehensilities. | |
+4 letters: hypersalinities, inhospitalities, punishabilities. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Crosswords 3. Usage: Commercial 4. Images: Slideshow | 5. Images: Photo Album 6. Quotations: Historic 7. Quotations: Non-fiction 8. Usage Frequency | 9. Translations: Modern 10. Bible Trace 11. Derivations 12. Rhymes | 13. Anagrams 14. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
