Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Karl Randolph" <kwrandolph AT email.com>]

Yigal:

Once, yeah, that could be a scribal error, twice, possibly. But seven times 
is really stretching things. Especially when there is never an example of 
PL$TY being used in that context.

As for David having Philistine blessing when he assumed kingship, I 
personally think they were shocked, assuming that David had made enemies of 
Judah by his reports of having attacked and pillaged Judah. They showed their 
approval by attacking Judah.

An aside concerning the role of “iron” in that period. Years ago, a 
Philistine pickax was found in good enough shape that it could be analysed. 
It was found that it had been tempered, i.e. steel. Tempered steel is sharper 
and harder than bronze, and gave the Philistines an advantage in battle over 
their enemies. The description from before and during Saul’s reign is that 
the Philistines were keeping the craft of temporing steel a state secret, 
selling only finished items.

Did David or some of his men acquire the technique of temporing steel while 
at Ziklag, or did David’s conquests wrest it from the Philistines? There is 
at least one hint that David operated extensive “iron” works and it would 
explain how David’s armies were so successful against numerous foes—they were 
armed with steel while their enemies were still largely armed with bronze. If 
David and his men acquired the technique of temporing while at Ziklag, that 
would explain why the Philistines mounted two apparently major invasions to 
reconquer Judah after David became king, i.e. to try to put the genie back in 
the bottle.

Under these circumstances, I do not consider HPLTY a native Hebrew word, but 
one that was imported with steel weapons. Is it Greek? I think most likely it 
was a Philistine term that was loaned to both Hebrew and Greek. Probably the 
same with KR<T>Y.

Karl W. Randolph.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Yigal Levin" <leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il>

> It is often assumed that PLTY "Pelethites" is a scribal error for PL<$>TY
> "Philistines", and that KRTY "Cherethites" are "Cretens" (from the island of
> Crete, which would fit the Philistines' "Sea Peoples" Aegean origin). The
> theory is, that David would have been connected to these people diring his
> stay at Ziklag as a mercenary of Achish of Gath, and brought some over with
> him when he assumed the kingship of Judah, still with the Philistines'
> consent.
> 
> As for the rest of Halpern's theories....
> 
> Yigal
> 
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Karl Randolph" <kwrandolph AT email.com>
> >
> >
> > > Dora:
> > >
> > > I noticed that these terms were used exclusively to refer to soldiers.
> > What made me suspect that it may refer to classes of professional soldiers
> > was the realization that the PLTY is always written with a definite
> article
> > prefix in Tanakh, which would have had a pronunciation of "hapeleti". This
> > sounds awfully similar to a class of soldiers among the Greeks, who had
> > imported a lot of their culture along with their alphabet from Semitic
> > sources.
> > >
> > > The terms, as well as the weaponry, may have been Philistine, but in the
> > list of David's top soldiers, almost all of them were native Israelis (2
> > Samuel 23).
> > >
> > > Karl W. Randolph.
-- 
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