Philistia/Philistines

A nation along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in southern Canaan. The Philistines were wealthier and more advanced in using tools and crafts (particularly metals) than the Israelites. They were enemies of the Israelites and fought many battles against them during the time of the book of Judges and during the reigns of Saul and David—about 1400 to 1050 BC. A Philistine woman, Delilah, tricked Samson into telling the secret of his great strength. The giant whom David killed with a sling and a stone was a Philistine. The Israelites never fully conquered the Philistines.