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All the places designated in Joshua 13:2, 3, as the chief
towns of the Philistines, are still known at present.
Geshur
גשור now Adshur (see
above, article
Geshuri).
Gaza
עזה is a large town, 20
English miles from Hebron, and is distant but 1 English mile from the
Mediterranean. The inhabitants of this place, with the exception of a few
Christians, are altogether Mahomedans. Up to the year 5571 (1811), there were
found here also Jewish inhabitants, who had a handsome Synagogue, and a large
burying-place, where are buried Rabbi Israel Negara, the celebrated poet, his
father, and his son Moses. When the conqueror Napoleon passed through Gaza with
his army in his expedition from Egypt to Palestine in the year 5559 (1799), the
Jews were put in great straits, and many fled away; and they constantly
diminished in number till the small remnant at length removed, in 5571 (1811),
to Jerusalem and Hebron. The Synagogue became ruinous in consequence, and
Ibrahim Pasha took of its stones to build a fort at Ashkelon.
Ashdod
אשדד is at present a
large village inhabited by Arabs, and called Sdud; it is south-southwest from
Jabne, distant 5 English miles, and but 2½ English miles from the
Mediterranean.
Ashkelon
אשקלון.
This, formerly called the Greek city, is at present but a small village,
inhabited by Arabs and Christians, and bears the name of Eskelon; it is 7½
English miles south of Ashdod on the shore of the Mediterranean. When Ibrahim
Pasha was in Palestine he commenced building a tower and fort, employing the
large and remarkable stones brought from the Synagogue of Gaza; but the
buildings were left incomplete.
Gath
גת. The situation of this place is
not so well ascertained as those previously mentioned; the usual assumption that
it is the town of Ramleh, situated in the territory of Dan, I hold to be quite
erroneous; since it appears, from I Samuel 30, that it must have been situated
far to the south and west of this place. I therefore prefer the statement of
Eusebius as far more correct, in placing Gath 5 mill from Eleutheropolis,
sideward from Lod. At this day, also, there is found a village by the name of
Gatha, 3 English miles south of Jaffa, and on the shore of the Mediterranean
Sea; which is, without doubt, the remains of the ancient city of the
Philistines.
Ekron
עקרון, see above,
Akar, in the description of the north boundary of Judah.*
*
We read in Megilla fol. 6a, "Rabbi Eliezer said, The prophet said
(Zeph. 2:4), And Ekron shall be rooted up; this refers to Kisri, the city of
Edom, which was situated on the sands, and was a fixed nail (i. e. a dangerous
place) for Israel in the Greek period. When now the kings of the Asmonean family
conquered it, that day was called the day of the conquest of the tower of Shir." In another place it is called
"the tower of Shid," and again "the
tower of Zur." The poet, in the Yotzer of the 2d Sabbath Hannuckah,
calls it "the tower of Nassy."* But it is by no means the opinion of Rabbi
Eliezer, that Ekron and Caesarea are identical; for Ekron belonged to Judah, and
Caesarea was at a great distance from it and belonged to Dan. But he explains
the words of the prophet Zephaniah, "Ekron shall be rooted up," as having
been fulfilled in Caesarea Palestine, which was, indeed, uncommonly large, and
always dangerous to Israel. It was also called Stratonis Tower. Astori wishes to
prove from the passage cited that Ekron is Caesarea, but his explanation is too
forced and unsatisfactory.
*This
will explain an obscure passage in Talmud Chagigah, fol. 4b, which reads
thus: מרים
מגדלה נשיא, in
later editions it is even שער
נשיא. Yarchi, as well as other commentators,
explain this, "Miriam, who plaited the hair of the women," Megadelah
thus meaning "to plait," Nashi, "women;" and in order to render
it more explicit still, the later addition was made of Seär, "the hair." But there can be no doubt that the real sense of מגדלה
נשיא (read "Migdalah Nahsi,") is the name of
the above-mentioned town Kisri, or Caesarea, which was called Migdal Nahsi;
hence this Miriam who was of Caesarea, obtained the surname "Miriam of
Migdalah Nahsi." In order, however, to explain the sense farther, there arose
an improper change in the passage in question; it was made to read Miriam
Megadelah Dardeki (the educator of children), to show that Megadelah should not
be taken for a proper name. In old and more correct editions, however, I found
the addition of "Mechamemath Tannura" instead of the above.
Avim
עוים. Although the name
of the Avites is at present entirely unknown in Palestine, there is,
nevertheless, no doubt that they once lived in the southern portion of the land
of the Philistines, and had an extent of country reaching to the neighbourhood
of Kadesh-Barnea. (See Raphiach and Chezron.)
Gibthon
גבתון (I Kings 15:27) of the Philistines. This was a Levitical city, belonging to the
tribe of Dan (see Joshua 21:23, and 19:44). In the latter passage it is
described as between Elthekah and Baalath; it must therefore have stood between
Bailin, which I take for Baalath, and Elthini, which I suppose to be Elthekah.
At present I cannot find a vestige of it in that neighbourhood.*
*
In Shir Hashirim Rabbethi to chap. i., v. 16, it says, that from Gibthon to
Antipatris was a large multitude of towns, the smallest of which was
Beth-Shemesh. In Sanhedrin 94 is said "from Gebeth to Antipatris;" in other
places it reads "Geba;" but both these variations refer to Gibthon. (In
Bereshith Rabbah, chap. 61, there is "from Akko to Antipatris;" probably,
however, an error of the transcriber.) In Yebamoth, fol. 62, it is also said
that Rabbi Akiba had 12,000 scholars between Gibthon and Antipatris. .It does
not appear to me that reference is here made to the well-known Antipatris, the
present Kefar Saba (Zaba, which see), for its situation to Gibthon was not such
as to indicate two opposite points of a boundary line. I found, however, in
Midrash Mishle to ch. 9:2, that the corpse of Rabbi Akiba, who was slain as a
martyr in Caesarea, was carried to Antipatris belonging to Kozrim for interment.
Unquestionably must the reading "Kozrim" be erroneous, and should be
Kazarah, which was in Galilee, close by Maon (which see); and to this day they
point out the sepulchre of Rabbi Akiba between Tiberias and the ruins of
Beth-Maon. From all this we may deduce that there was an Antipatris in Galilee,
near Tiberias, and that this is the spot of which the passages cited speak; and
thus Gibthon and Antipatris properly denote two extremes of a boundary, namely,
Gibthon at the southwest, and Antipatris at the northeast, although I have not
been able to discover a vestige of this place, nor the origin of its name.
Perhaps it may have been derived from Antipater, the father of Herod.
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