Episode #25 The Philistine Occupation

In this episode, Rabbi Reinman describes the rise of the Philistine confederation and its conquest of the land of Israel.

Chapter Twenty-five

The Philistine Occupation

One thousand years before the common era, there was a power vacuum in the Imperial Quadrant. The old Babylonian empires from the days of Abraham and Lot were no longer powerful. The Egyptians were facing pressure from the Nubians to the south. The Hittites were weakened by internal struggles and attacks from the Sea Peoples, relatives of the Philistines. The Greeks and Romans were still in their barbarian stages, and Assyria was just beginning to stir. The ascendent Philistia stepped into this vacuum and became the dominant power on the eastern Mediterranean coast.

Philistia was a confederation of the five powerful cities − Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gath and Ekron. It was a militaristic society similar to Sparta in Greece a few hundred years later and Prussia in modern times. The primary focus of a militaristic society is military power and preparedness. Resources, education and social structures are directed toward building and maintaining a powerful military. There is a strong emphasis on discipline, obedience and social control. Physical strength and fighting skills are glorified. Individual rights are restricted in the name of national security and military discipline.

When the books of the Prophets mention nations, they usually identify them by their nationalities and by their kings. When the books of Joshua, Judges and I Samuel mention the Philistines, however, they speak about “the five Philistine commanders” of the five respective garrison cities.[1] The implication is that these commanders operated without answering to any king or higher political authority. And yet, when David flees from King Saul he seeks refuge with King Achish of the Philistine city of Gath. It would seem, therefore, that Philistia was ruled by a diarchy, two co-rulers, a king who governed internal affairs and a commander who ruled over the military and foreign affairs.

The Torah tells about a pact between Abraham and Avimelech, the Philistine king of Gerar. At a later date, there was another pact between Isaac and the same Avimelech. In both cases, the Torah reports that he came with his military commander, and surprisingly, the Torah identifies him by name as Phichol.[2] This seems to indicate that Avimelech and Phichol were co-equal rulers and that an important pact could not be concluded without the consent of both of them.

During the Conquest, the Jewish people were unable to make inroads into Philistia, which was in the portion promised to the tribe of Judah. Over the centuries, the Philistines power grew. They developed advanced iron weapons and fortified their cities. During the times of Shamgar ben Anath, there were some border clashes with Israel. When the Ammonites invaded Israel during the times of Jephte, the Philistines sent troops to support them. For the most part, however, they were content to bide their time and consolidate their power.

In 950 b.c.e., the Philistines mounted their first major assault on the heartland of Israel, quickly overrunning the country. With typical Philistine military efficiency, the occupation government established a chain of military garrisons across the land, clasping the entire country in an iron grip. The victory was complete, establishing a Philistine territorial hegemony over Israel that would lead to nearly a century of bloodshed, misery and exploitation. It would also spark fundamental changes in Jewish society.

For the first two decades of Philistine occupation, the subjugation of the Jewish people was widespread and pervasive, with no charismatic Judge to galvanize and inspire the people. Prospects brightened somewhat in 930 b.c.e. with the emergence as Judge of a dynamic new leader named Samson.

The Samson story has been romanticized and fictionalized to the point where it bears no resemblance to the actual biblical story. He is depicted as a musclebound Hercules-type and his marriage to Delilah as a torrid love affair. A simple reading of the biblical text, however, presents an entirely different picture.

Samson’s mother was a barren woman. An angel appeared to her and informed her that she would have a son and that he would be a Nazirite from birth, a sanctified person who would never eat grapes, drink wine or cut his hair. At an early age, Samson realized that God had blessed him and invested him with superhuman strength. Eventually, the fame of his prowess spread throughout Israel and also Philistia. On one occasion he fought a lion with his bare hands. On another, he defeated a large contingent of Philistine soldiers with nothing more than the jawbone of a donkey. Clearly, his strength did not come from bulging biceps but from the spirit of God that flowed through him. We do not read much about his judicial career, but we are told that he served as the Judge of the Jewish people for twenty years.[3]

The accurate image of Samson that emerges from the text is a revered sage wearing rabbinical robes, the acknowledged leader of the Jewish people, a man of wisdom and stature but not excessive bulk. He was also a deliverer of the Jewish people, but unlike his predecessors who inspired the people to return to God and unite to expel invaders, he used his superhuman powers to attack and harass the Philistine occupiers and lift the yoke of oppression from the shoulders of his people.

At one point, Samson met a Philistine woman. He told his parents that he wanted to marry her and asked them to arrange for her conversion. They were annoyed. Weren’t there enough good Jewish women available? Why did he want a Philistine convert? Unknown to his parents, God had instructed him to do this so that his attacks on the Philistines would be attributed to personal animosity and would not invite retaliation against the Jewish establishment.[4]

In 910 b.c.e., after his marriage fell apart, Samson married a woman named Delilah, who may also have been a Philistine. In the meantime, Samson continued to mount attacks on the Philistines with impunity, and they realized he was a mortal security threat. One look told them his strength did not come from highly developed musculature. They believed it came from a secret charm, and they were determined to discover the secret.

Since Samson was a national security issue, the “five Philistine commanders” took the initiative. They paid a visit to Delilah and offered her a very large bribe if she could persuade her husband to share his secret.[5] Delilah accepted the challenge. After several unsuccessful attempts, Samson admitted that the secret lay in his Nazirite hair. That night, she cut his hair while he slept. When he awoke, his powers had left him. Delilah collected her bribe and delivered her husband to the Philistines.

Samson’s captors put out his eyes and brought him in chains to a dungeon in Gaza. The elite of the five Philistine cities gathered in the temple of Dagon to celebrate the great victory over their implacable foe. Then they brought Samson from the dungeon and tied him to the huge pillars in the center of the temple so that all could observe the humiliation of their erstwhile tormentor.

Samson prayed to God to restore his strength for just that night, and his prayers were answered. Samson pushed out the giant pillars and the entire temple came crashing down on all the assembled Philistine dignitaries, killing them even as he also perished. In one great stroke, Samson had decapitated the Philistine government.

The damage Samson inflicted did not bring an end to the Philistine domination of Israel, but the stranglehold was loosened. A military occupation with numerous garrisons all over the country was no longer feasible as long as the government was in shambles, but the civilian administrators remained. There was no popular uprising for fear of reprisal, and Israel remained a Philistine satellite. Samson had served as Judge of Israel for twenty years, and although he not been able to expel the Philistines, he did alleviate much of the oppression.

After the death of Samson, Eli the Priest assumed the mantle of Judge of Israel[6] while concurrently performing the duties of High Priest in Shiloh. In 891 b.c.e., a Jewish army was mustered and sent out to intercept one of the periodic Philistine incursions into Israel. The two armies clashed at Even Ha’ezer. The Jews did not fare well in the initial skirmishes, and they withdrew to regroup.

On the advice of the Elders, they brought the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the original tablets of the Ten Commandments, from the Mishkan in Shiloh to the battlefield. They hoped the presence of the Torah would make the Jewish fighters invincible, as it had in the past. Now, however, the people were downtrodden and demoralized, and many frequented the Canaanite temples. The spiritual citadel of yesteryear was in ruins, and the presence of the Torah was unlikely to turn the tide of battle.

The arrival of the Ark did indeed frighten the Philistines, but they did not break and run. Instead, they fought with a desperate resolve and gained a stunning victory. They captured the Ark from the fleeing Jews and carried it off to the Philistine city of Ashdod. Another Philistine contingent attacked Shiloh and destroyed the Mishkan, the stone Sanctuary that had stood there for three hundred and sixty-nine years.[7] While the Ark remained among the Philistines, they suffered a series of calamities they clearly attributed to its fearsome presence in their midst. After seven nerve-racking months, they returned it to Israel.

When the tragic news of the capture of the Ark reached the aged Eli, he found it too much to bear, and he collapsed and died. Samuel of the tribe of Ephraim, Eli’s personal ward, now assumed the role of Judge. Samuel’s fiery character and prophetic powers were already renowned throughout Israel even during Eli’s lifetime, and when he rose to the spiritual leadership of the nation, he became the greatest Judge of the entire Period of the Judges. And the last.

Seizing on the opportunity of the national trauma caused by the temporary loss of the Ark, Samuel plunged into his mission with a burst of frenetic energy. He traveled from city to city and exhorted the people to destroy the idols that had infiltrated Jewish society and return as one nation to God and the pure Judaism of their ancestors.

The words of the fiery prophet penetrated the hearts of the oppressed people. The seemingly endless Philistine occupation was more than even the lowest elements among the Jews were willing to bear, and every last vestige of idolatry was finally eradicated from the land.[8]

The cycle was beginning to come around again, but the wheels of destiny were creaking slowly. Jewish society had been deeply corrupted by the inroads of paganism before and during the Philistine occupation. It would take many years of hard work to purify and elevate the people, to rekindle the universal spirit of idealistic devotion to God that had characterized the last period of peace and security nearly a century before.

At the behest of the prophet, a vast assembly of the entire nation was convened at Mitzpah[9] for the purpose of prayer, public fasting and a revival of the national spirit. The Philistines interpreted this convocation as a provocative act in preparation for war, and they responded by sending an army into Jewish territory. The Jews sent an army from Mitzpah to engage the advancing Philistine forces.

The armies met again on the battlefield at Even Ha’ezer. This time, the Jews dealt the Philistines a devastating blow, and there were no further Philistine military incursions for the remainder of Samuel’s life. Another clamp of the occupation had been loosened, but the Philistine civilian administrators still remained in place. The Jews were not yet ready for a major uprising and all-out war with Philistia.

For the next ten years, Samuel continued his activist leadership, crisscrossing the country to judge and instruct the people and to inspire them with his fiery addresses. He also enlisted his two learned sons, Joel and Aviah, to assist him in his duties as Judge, but they were more inclined to remain with their criers and scribes in their judicial headquarters in Beersheva and wait for the people to come to them.[10]

As Samuel grew old, apprehension about the future spread across the land. In spite of the cessation of hostilities, Israel still remained subservient to powerful Philistia. To the east, the Ammonites under King Nahash were once again threatening the Jewish settlements in Trans-Jordan.[11] The crises that loomed on the horizon demanded superb leadership, and the people questioned the leadership qualities of Samuel’s sons. No other potential Judge remotely approaching Samuel’s stature seemed to be waiting in the wings. The Elders, therefore, approached Samuel and requested that he institute a hereditary monarchy in Israel, patterned after the prevailing system of government among the other nations of the region.

Samuel was outraged.

[1] Joshua 13:3; Judges 3:3, 16:8, 16:18, 16:27; I Samuel 5:8, 5:11, 6:16, 7:7, 29:7.

[2] Bereishis 21:22, 21:32, 26:26.

[3] Judges 16;31.

[4] Ibid. 14:4.

[5] The generals each offered her the strange sum of one thousand one hundred pieces of silver, for a total of five thousand five hundred.

[6] He had also served as an auxiliary Judge during the times of Samson.

[7] Zevachim 118b. The Mishkan was now returned to Gilgal alongside the Jordan River, where it had been during the War of Conquest in the time of Joshua and where it now resumed the status of a temporary Sanctuary. There would also be brief stays in the cities of Nob and Gibeon before the construction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem during the days of King Solomon.

[8] Ralbag, Judges 17:6, referring to Samuel 7:4

[9] Mitzpah stood on the site of the present-day Nebe Samwil.

[10] Rashi, I Samuel 8:3; Shabbos 55b.

[11] I Samuel 12:12.