פְּלֶשֶׁת (H6429) — Hebrew Lexicon

פְּלֶשֶׁת

𐤐𐤋𐤔𐤕

Peleshet

H6429 noun

SILEX Entry

Root פ-ל-שׁ to roll, migrate

Definition

A geographical term referring to the territory inhabited by the Philistines, a group of non-Israelite coastal dwellers in the southern Levant, especially the southwestern maritime plain along the Mediterranean coast. In biblical usage, 'Pelesheth' designates the region controlled by the Philistines, not a nation or ethnos, but a territory or land area. The term appears poetically or in parallelism to denote the Philistine territory, especially as a neighbor and adversary to Israel and surrounding peoples. In later periods, the term became associated, in Greek and Latin adaptations, with a broader region ('Palestine'), though this is not its biblical sense.

Semantic Range

territory of the Philistines, Philistine region, coastal plain between Egypt and Israelite territory, poetic name for Philistia; occasionally interpreted in later traditions as 'Palestine'

Root / Etymology

From the root פָּלַשׁ (plš), meaning 'to roll' or possibly 'to migrate', with פְּלֶשֶׁת formed as a noun referring to a region/land associated with the 'migratory/rolling ones.' Thus, פְּלֶשֶׁת denotes the territory of the 'Philistines' (פְּלִשְׁתִּים), a people considered to be of Aegean origin in later scholarly reconstructions. The word is a geographic designation, not an ethnonym.

Historical & Contextual Notes

פְּלֶשֶׁת occurs rarely in the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Exod 15:14; Ps 60:10[8]; Ps 87:4; Isa 14:29, 31) and is primarily poetic or literary, often paralleling names of other neighboring peoples. It marks the maritime plain between Egypt and Israelite/Judahite territories during the Late Bronze and Iron Ages. In English translations, 'Palestine' is sometimes used, but this can be misleading, as the biblical term refers more narrowly to Philistine territory, not the later, broader region named 'Palestine' by Greco-Roman writers. The people connected with this region in the Bible are the Philistines (פְּלִשְׁתִּים), not to be conflated with later populations or with the modern political/geographic entity. 'פְּלֶשֶׁת' is distinct from other land names (like יִשְׂרָאֵל or כְּנַעַן) in being associated with non-Israelite groups identified with the 'Sea Peoples.' The LXX (Septuagint) generally transliterates 'Pelesheth,' but Vulgate and subsequent traditions often used 'Palaestina,' leading to later conflated usages.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from פָּלַשׁ; rolling, i.e. migratory; Pelesheth, a region of Syria; Palestina, Palestine, Philistia, Philistines.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

פלשׁ (p-l-š) — to roll, migrate

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`H6429-01`	פְלֶ֨שֶׁת֙	feleshet	`HNp`	Philistia	land of the migrants	Peleshet	3
`H6429-03`	פְּלֶ֣שֶׁת	peleshet	`HNp`	Philistia	Philistine Territory	Peleshet	3
`H6429-02`	פְּלָֽשֶׁת	pelashet	`HNp`	of Philistia	land of the migrators	Peleshet	2

Occurrences in Scripture

8 occurrences

Filter by SIDANCE:

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`H6429-02`	Exodus 15:14	פְּלָֽשֶׁת	pelashet	`HNp`	of Philistia	land of the migrators	Peleshet
`H6429-01`	Isaiah 14:29	פְלֶ֨שֶׁת֙	feleshet	`HNp`	O Philistia	land of the migrants	Peleshet
`H6429-03`	Isaiah 14:31	פְּלֶ֣שֶׁת	peleshet	`HNp`	O Philistia	Philistine Territory	Peleshet
`H6429-02`	Joel 4:4	פְּלָ֑שֶׁת	pelashet	`HNp`	Philistia	land of the migrators	Peleshet
`H6429-03`	Psalms 60:10	פְּלֶ֣שֶׁת	peleshet	`HNp`	Philistia	Philistine Territory	Peleshet
`H6429-03`	Psalms 83:8	פְּ֝לֶ֗שֶׁת	peleshet	`HNp`	Philistia	Philistine Territory	Peleshet
`H6429-01`	Psalms 87:4	פְלֶ֣שֶׁת	feleshet	`HNp`	Philistia	land of the migrants	Peleshet
`H6429-01`	Psalms 108:10	פְ֝לֶ֗שֶׁת	feleshet	`HNp`	Philistia	land of the migrants	Peleshet

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