The fourth oppression was that of the time of Saul. It began when Saul had been long enough on the throne for his son Jonathan to have grown to mili age (1S 13%). The account says that they invaded Israel with an army extraordinarily large (1S 135). Deal as we may with the numbers given, it appears that they had at that time great respect for the strength of Israel, and had gathered an immense body of allies to assist them. It turned out that their precaution was needless. Saul quarrelled with Samuel. His army melted away from him. With no resistance worthy of the name, the Philistines became masters, and
lundered and disarmed Israel at will. Later, owever, Israel rallied. During the remainder of his reign Saul waged a series of fierce battles with the oppressors. He perished in the battle of Gilboa, and the Philistine power over Israel became supreme (1 S 31).
Presumably both David and his northern com- petitor paid tribute to Philistia during the seven and a half years that he reigned over Judah (2S 55). Naturally, they interfered to prevent his becoming king over a united Israel. e defeated them in two desperate defensive campaigns (2S 517-5), and then, in four or more aggressive expedi- tions (2 S 81 2115-2), reduced them to subjection.
In consequence of the disruption of the kingdom after the death of Solomon, the Philistines became independent, but they never re-established their earlier glory. We hear no more of their séraénim. Later, in the Assyrian times, they have a king for each of their cities (Zec 9°, Jer 25”, and many pas sages in the records of Sargon and his successors) In the same later times they seem to be engaged in commerce, dealing especially in Israelitish spoila and slaves (Am 158, J] 3.8, cf. ΟἹ 13. Με αν depend- ing, however, on the date one assigns to Toal and Obadiah). Perhapsthere are signs of aGreek revival among them (J1 3°, and the Yavan of Sargon).
However their institutions changed, we have frequent mention of the Philistines themselves. Among the cities fortified by Rehoboam were Gath and Mareshah, ete. (2 Ch 115. The Philistines warred with Israel for Gibbethon (1 K 157 16'°), They were celebrated for their oracles (2 K 13) and
848 PHILISTINES
their soothsayers (Is 2°). Some of them paid tribute to Jehoshaphat (2 Ch 17"), after whose death they raided ΑΝ (213617), Philistia was a refuge for fugitives when the invasions of Shalmaneser U., warring with Benhadad and his allies, caused famine in northern Israel (2K 8**), Hazael of Damascus captured Gath (2K 12"). Ramman-nirdri m1. of Assyria con-
uered Damascus and took tribute trom the Philistine: At this point there is a wide gap in the Assyrian records. When they again become available, the Philistines, with a multitude of other nations between the Euphrates and the Mediterranean, have become independent of the Assyrian, and are again being reduced to subjec- tion. Uzziah of Judah is especially prominent among the rebel kings. Later, by intrigue and by arms, Tiglath-pileser, to whom Ahaz of Judah was tributary, reduced Gaza and Ashkelon to tribute (B.C. 734). Under Sargon and Sennacherib there were two parties in the Philistine cities, the one favouring Assyria and the other favouring Hezekiah of Judah, and the latter was crushed. From Sargon to Assurbanipal the Assyrians have much to say concerning their Philistine conquests and subjects. The Philistine military operations of Uzziah and Hezekiah were doubtless connected with Assyrian politics (2 Ch 26® 7, 2 K 187), Their mutual relations to the Assyrians account for the fact that the Israelite historians and prophets, from Amos to Ezekiel, speak of the Philistines sometimes with denunciation, as enemies, but also often as having a common interest (2 Ch 2818, Is 9! 114, Am 158, Mic 1°, Zeph 27, Jer 4747, Ezk 1677-87 9518-16 Am 3° 6? 97, Zec 955, Jer 2518), Gath vanishes from the biblical records (exceri Mic 119) from the time of its capture by Uzaah (2 Ch 26°), and is similarly Ἐπ σεν rum the Assyrian monuments.
The Philistines suffered greatly in the struggle between Egypt and Assyria, in the decades when the Assyrian power went down. Herodotus says that Psammitichus I. of Egypt, the contemporary of Manasseh and Josiah of Judah, took Ashdod after a siege of 29 years (ii. 157); that in the later part of his reign Scythian hordes plundered the temple of Venus at Ashkelon (i. 105); that his successor Necho, returning from the battle of Megiddo (when Josiah was slain, B.C. 608), captured Gaza (ii. 159); that when Cambyses invaded Egypt, about B.C. 625, Gaza and the whole coast belonged to the king of the Arabians (iii. 5).
This is practically the close of Philistine history, though the cities and some of the institutions long survived, and the region has been the scene of many interesting events. The Ashdodites came into collision with Nehemiah (Neh 47 13%). Alex- ander the Great took Gaza from the Persians, Ptolemy Lagi did notable fighting there. In the Greek accounts of the Maccabzan times the Allo- phuloi and the land of the Allophuloi figure pro- minently, and the land thus demented is the Philistine country ; but the persons called Allo- phuloi are any heathen in arms against Israel (e.g. 1 Mae 3-4). Sketches of the later history are given under the names of the respective cities.