The first time Gaza is mentioned in Tanach is in our parsha, as one of the cities on the boundary of the Land of Canaan. Even though Gaza (עזה in Hebrew) seems to belong to the פלשתים, as “העזתי” are one of the five סרני פלשתים in Yehoshua (13:3), and the פלשתים are descendants of מצרים, not כנען (see Bereishis 10:13-14), we are told (in that same verse in Yehoshua) that it is considered part of Canaan.
How land considered Canaan became “ארץ פלשתים” is not clear. Interestingly, it is not referred to as ארץ פלשתים when Avraham was in Gerar and dealt with their king (Avimelech) until after he made a covenant with him (Bereishis 21:32). Even more interesting, Avimelech “returned” to this land after enacting this covenant, yet Avraham, who stayed where he was, is said to sojourn in ארץ פלשתים for many days (21:34). If Avimelech was already in ארץ פלשתים when he was with Avraham, how could he have “returned” there afterwards? Additionally, Avimelech is first identified as the king of Gerar (20:2), but by the time Yitzchok dealt with him (26:1), he is referred to as the king of the Plishtim. Why the title change?
Another controversy surrounding ארץ פלשתים is that the archeological record indicates that the פלשתים featured so prominently in ספר שופטים didn’t arrive on the shores of the Promised Land until the 12th century BCE, which was centuries after Avraham had interacted with Avimelech. Nahum Sarna (JPS, Excursus 15) suggests that “the ‘Philistines’ of patriarchal times may have belonged to a much earlier wave of Aegean invaders who founded a small city-state in Gerar long before the large-scale invasions of the Levant.” Since the five סרני פלשתים are mentioned in Sefer Yehoshua, this second wave must have occurred before the land was fully conquered by the Children of Israel. The Talmud (Chulin 60b) indicates that it had already happened while Moshe was still alive, since the Kaftorim taking over the land from the Plishtim was mentioned by Moshe towards the beginning of sefer Devarim. We can now add the name change from Kaftorim (in Devarim) back to Plishtim in (sefer Shoftim) to our list of puzzles surrounding the Plishtim.
There are indications of “sea peoples” attacking Egypt as early as the 14th century BCE, so even if the archeological evidence on the Israeli coast points to the 12th century BCE, they may have first arrived much earlier and taken over the coastal cities of Canaan, with a much larger migration occurring after these cities were conquered (with the 12th century BCE archeological markers occurring when many families moved into the area). But that won’t help with the Plishtim that Avraham and Yitzchok encountered (unless there were three waves).
The location of Gerar, and its distance from Gaza, is the subject of much discussion, including the essay on Toledot in Yoel Elitzur’s “Places in the Parasha.” There is a tributary of Wadi Gaza referred to today as “Nachal Gerar,” although modern names don’t always match their historical locations.
There are only two major wadis in the area, the other being Wadi el Arish. As we discussed last week, this is almost certainly Nachal Mitzrayim, the southwestern boundary of the Promised Land. Since Yitzchok was told to stay in Gerar rather than going down to Egypt, Gerar must be north of Wadi el Arish. And since Yitzchok stayed in Gerar (and eventually moved to Nachal Gerar, see Bereishis 26:17) in order to escape a drought, Nachal Gerar must have been a major wadi, making one of the large tributaries of Wadi Gaza (Nachal Gerar, Nachal Be’er Sheva or Nachal Habesor) prime candidates. Either way, Gerar would seem to have been fairly close to Gaza.
Two more pieces to this puzzle before trying to put it together:
- Ramban (on 10:13-14) suggests that the Plishtim who came from Kaftor (usually associated with Crete) were called “Plishtim” because they conquered an area that was called “Plashes” (see Shemos 15:14), although he doesn’t explain why it was referred to by that name before they arrived.
- When explaining why Canaan was given the land destined for Israel, Ramban (on 10:15-19) says that as part of their role serving Shem, they were supposed to settle it so that it would be ready for Shem’s descendants, with its agriculture and infrastructure already built up.
When Mitzrayim’s descendants are listed, eight proper nouns are given. However, the last two are not just the end of the list. We are told that Plishtim and Kaftorim “went out from” Pasrusim and Kasluchim (10:13-14). I would suggest that just as when Ashur “went out” from Shinar (10:11) it meant he left the area, Plishtim and Kaftorim left Mitzrayim to settle elsewhere, with Plishtim moving to Gerar (before any descendants of Canaan had a chance to settle it) and Kaftorim moving to Crete. But since Gerar was part of Canaan, they knew there was no permanence, as it was destined to belong to the Children of Israel. Well, at least until Avimelech made a pact with Avraham, at which point the Plishtim knew they had at least three generations to settle the land, which could now be called ארץ פלשתים. Avimelech was now king of Plashes (not just Gerar), and when he returned home he was returning to a newly established land, upon which Avraham continued to live.
Eventually, their cousins, the Kaftorim, took over the coast, including Gerar – appropriating the name Plishtim for themselves – as they were now the “יושבי פלשת,” the ones in control of the area already known as ארץ פלשתים. But it was really part of Canaan, even if it was being controlled by סרני פלשתים.
Rabbi Dov Kramer wrote divrei Torah on the parsha for 15 years (archived at RabbiDMK.Wordpress.com and AishDas.org/ta), and is focusing this year on geographical issues. His commute from Passaic to the WFAN studios is not one of the issues he plans to discuss.
