Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

b-hebrew - Re: Pelest?

b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "George Athas" <gathas AT mail.usyd.edu.au>
  • To: "Biblical Hebrew" <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Pelest?
  • Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2000 16:03:31 +1100


> On Tue 1 Feb 2000 (23:28:01 +0100), jonathan.bailey AT gmx.de wrote:
> > I am wondering about how strong the identification of the pelest with
> > the Philistines is.
>
> Dear Jonathan
>
> I was always given to understand that P:Li$:TiYM meant immigrants or
> migrants generally, not any specific national or ethnic group. Like the
> "Sea Peoples", they were not a single identifiable ethnic unit. They
> were just tribes who "rolled" or "wallowed" around (root P-L-$).
>
> Amos 9:7 identifies the "Philistines" as wanderers from the land of Caphtor
> (Crete?), along with the "Syrians" from Kir, and the "Cushites" from
> Ethiopia.

Then from this context, it would seem "Philistines" is an ethnic label. If
the word
"Philistines" is related to the Egyptian _plst_, and I believe it is, then it
is very
different from the label "Sea Peoples". Are you suggesting that the other Sea
Peoples,
such as the Tjeker and Sheklesh, are also denominatives rather than ethnic
labels, or is
_plst_ the only denominative meaning "foreigner". Some of the labels for the
people of
Canaan before the Israelites could be seen as denominatives - eg, "Perizzite"
= "petty
villager", but "Philistines" is an ethnic label for the people of the
Southern Coastal
plain in which numerous city states were located. It's an overarching ethnic
label, a bit
like "Slav" which denotes most people from Eastern Europe. But it's
definitely an ethnic
label.

> According to Deuteronomy 26:5, even Jacob was an Aramean ready to perish
> who became a sojourner in Egypt. Another "Philistine"?

No - he was Areamean because he was a nomad or sojourner in Palestine and his
ancestors
had come from the Aramean heartland. He was, ethnically, an Aramean.

Best regards,
George Athas
Dept of Semitic Studies,
University of Sydney
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Tel Dan Inscription Website
http://members.xoom.com/gathas/teldan.htm
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
< gathas@ mail.usyd.edu.au >




  • Pelest?, Jonathan Bailey, 02/01/2000
    • <Possible follow-up(s)>
    • Re: Pelest?, Ben Crick, 02/01/2000
    • Re: Pelest?, George Athas, 02/02/2000

Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page