These passages in first Samuel show the “barbarianism” of the Philistine people by emphasizing the fact that they worship idols. It also graphically depicts the harsh treatment of Saul and his sons’ bodies to emphasize the brutality of the Philistines To add insult to injury, the Bible also mentions that the Philistines place the armor of Saul, whom Yahweh anointed to rule the Israelites, in the temple of their pagan gods. All these actions serve to vilify the Philistine culture.

The Biblical authors also diminish the Philistine’s cultural achievements by attributing Philistine victories to the Israelites’ theological downfalls instead of the Philistines’ military might. For example, in the fourth, fifth, and sixth chapters of first Samuel, the Bible describes the first major clash occurs between the two cultures, when the Philistines attack the Israelites at Ebeneezer. The Israelites, hoping for supernatural aid from their god, Yahweh, take the ark of the covenant into battle, but the Philistines commit a “very great” slaughter, where “Israel lost 30, 000 foot soldiers” (1 Samuel 4:10). The Philistines then steal the ark, and take it of to the city of Ekron. To add insult to injury, the Philistines place the ark, one of the Israelites’ most sacred possessions, in their “pagan” temple, next to the statue of their god, Dagon. However, the Bible emphasizes the strength of Yahweh over Dagon, when the Philistines find that Dagon’s idol has fallen in front of the ark, with his head and his hands severed (1 Samuel 5:1-4). This asserts that the Israelites have moral superiority over the Philistines, because their god is stronger. Additionally, it vilifies the Philistines for desecrating sacred items which belong to a superior god. Admittedly, the Bible alludes to the fact that the Philistines have great military might, since they are able to conquer the Israelites. However, the authors do not necessarily attribute their military prowess to the fact that the Philistines are an advanced culture. Instead, the Philistines’ victory is seen as the result of Yaweh’s anger with the Israelites. The Biblical authors illustrate this sentiment when the elders of Israel ask, “Why did the Lord bring defeat upon us today before the Philistines?” (1 Samuel 4:3a). Clearly, the Israelite defeat is seen as a theological downfall instead of a technological and social inferiority.

The Bible also exhibits bias by depicting the actions of the Israelites as heroic, even as it condemns the Philistines for some of the same actions. This is especially apparent in the story of David, with whom Yahweh finds favor after Saul disobeys Him. David first brings victory to the Israelites when he defeats the mighty Philistine champion, Goliath, during Saul’s reign (1 Samuel 17). After David defeats Goliath, he severs his head and parades back with it, much like the Philistines later do with Saul’s head (footnote, 1 Samuel 17:54). However, unlike the Philistines, the Biblical authors depict David as a humble shepherd-boy who “remove[d] this disgrace [Goliath] from Israel” (1 Samuel 17:26). Afterwards, David, whose actions cause jealousy from Saul, hides in exile in the land of the Philistines and even gains command of the Philistine city of Ziklag for his loyalty to the king of Gath (1 Samuel 27). After Saul’s death, David gains the Israelite throne and is able to carry out several successful campaigns, which subdue the Philistines’ military might (2 Samuel 5). One could argue that David’s betrayal of the Philistines after they gave him asylum in their lands is less than heroic and even as treacherous as any of the Philistines’ supposed crimes, but the Bible instead praises David as a strong leader who brings glory back to the Israelites.

Even when the Bible mentions instances where the Philistines showed technological prowess or even aided the Israelites, the Biblical authors still diminish these actions or achievements. For instance, the following passage, taken from the thirteenth chapter of first Samuel, alludes to the Philistines’ metal crafting skills:

The passage shows that the Philistines possessed a technological advantage over the Israelites. It even hints that the relations between the Israelites and the Philistines were not always acrimonious. However, it also condemns the Philistines for hoarding their technologies and even hints that they fear that the Israelites will become too powerful. As a result,the text once again depicts the Philistines as the Israelites’ greedy pagan neighbors.

In another instance, the second book of Samuel mentions a case in which David’s bodyguards, whom the Biblical authors name as the “Cherethites” and the “Pelethites,” remain loyal to David, even when the Israelites abandon their king. Biblical passages in both Ezekiel and Zephaniah link these groups with the Philistines. Biblical authors even mention that Ittai, the leader of the bodyguards, is from the Philistine city of Gath and has men of Gath under his command (2 Samuel 15:18-19). Ironically, this means that Israel’s hated enemy helped to save their king. Ittai even goes so far as to say the following passage, taken from 2 Samuel 15:21:

Clearly, the Philistines were not the complete cultural pariah that the Biblical would lead their readers to believe. However, as Neal Bierling points out, this fact is lost on most of the Bible’s readers, because, perhaps intentionally, the Biblical authors avoid explicitly naming the loyal servants of David as the hated Philistines (15).