Philistines

The term that is transliterated as “Philistines” in English is translated in American Sign Language with a sign that signifies the helmet the Philistine warriors wore was decorated with feather-like objects. (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


“Philistines” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about Philistines (source: Bible Lands 2012)

complete verse (Joshua 13:2)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Joshua 13:2:

  • Kupsabiny: “Some of those countries are that one of the Philistines and the one of the Geshurites.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “This is the land that remains, The whole area of the Philistines and the Geshurites — ” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “These are still the remaining ones: All the land of the Filistinhon and Geshurnon” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Here is a list of the land that remains: The Geshur region and all the area where the Philistia people-group live;” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Joshua 13:2 - 13:3

Verses 2-3 give part of the land yet to be conquered. At the end of verse 3 some information is given which Good News Translation takes as not explicitly part of the yet unconquered territory. That is why Good News Translation puts this within parentheses. Notice also that the first words of verse 4 (Revised Standard Version “in the south”) go with the Avvim of verse 3; so Good News Translation has placed all this before the parenthetical material in verse 3.

Philistia was west of Canaan, along the Mediterranean coast; Geshur, according to 1 Samuel 27.8, was southeast of the Philistine city of Gaza. (This Geshur is not to be confused with the Geshur east of the Jordan in 12.5 and 13.11) The Avvim in the south seem also to have lived in the region around Gaza (see Deut 2.23).

The stream Shihor is located by the biblical writer at the Egyptian border, to the southeast (perhaps the same as “the stream on the border of Egypt” in 15.4, 47). Ekron was one of the five Philistine cities along the Mediterranean coast. The word translated kings is used only of the Philistine rulers.

As already indicated, there is considerable confusion regarding the part of verse 3 placed in parentheses by Good News Translation. Although the Good News Translation interpretation follows sound scholarly opinion, it is still quite possible that the regions mentioned in the Good News Translation parenthetical statement were considered by the author to be portions of the yet unconquered territories. If this is the case, the following restructuring may be useful as a guideline:

• You have yet to conquer all the territory of the Philistines with their five cities of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron. You also must conquer the territory of the Geshurites east of Egypt and the territory of the Avvim in the south. And you have not yet conquered the land from the stream Shihor, at the Egyptian border, as far north as the city of Ekron.

Following this cue, verse 4 may be rendered, “You have as yet to conquer the entire territory of the Canaanite, from the city of Mearah, which belongs to Sidon, to the city of Aphek, at the Amorite border.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Newman, Barclay M. A Handbook on Joshua. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .