Page 44 - Advanced Biblical Backgrounds Student Textbook

The Philistines are an example of this. The Encyclopedia Britannica states that “Until their defeat by
David, the Philistine cities were ruled by seranim, “lords,” who acted in council for the common good of
81
the nation. After their defeat, the seranim were replaced by kings.”

The Israelites were also in a period of transition of government form. When they arrived in Canaan, they
were still a theocracy, under the leadership of Yahweh, through Joshua. This continued for a while.
Eventually the government was implemented through the judges (Othniel, Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon,
Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, and Samson) and the priests/prophets (Eli and Samuel). Others
are possible but these are called judges in the Old Testament. Finally, it transitioned to the rulership of a
king when God selected king Saul at the request of the people.

Religious environment in Canaan:

We have already mentioned that the deities of the Canaanites included El, Ba’al, and Asherah. The
Philistines also worshiped Dagan and Beelzebub. This continued in the time of the conquest of Canaan.
There were cultural effects to this worship. An example is the existence of male and female prostitutes.
The worship of Ba’al and Asherah was sexually promiscuous due to the function of these deities in
82
fertility.

In Israel, the worship of Yahweh alone was clearly outlined in the Shema and the first commandment.
Remaining faithful to this command was problematic. The surrounding peoples were entrenched in the
worship of idols. The Jews not only struggled not to worship these deities, they also struggled not to
view Yahweh the same way the neighbors viewed their deities. This is why Jephthah thought Yahweh
wanted him to sacrifice his daughter when she came out the door after he made his vow. Yahweh had
made it clear that he did not approve of child sacrifice, but the surrounding deities were believed to
demand it.

Social and commercial environment in Canaan during the conquest:

Houses were not normally built or lived in by the Israelites during the conquests. Communities would
move around during the fighting and to feed their flocks. As a result, they likely still lived in tents for a
while. The two dominant styles of mud-bricked one was a basic two roomed structure. The other was a
83
four roomed house with a courtyard.

Other social factors that were problematic in the time included the importance of hospitality. A
community or household were completely responsible for the safety and comfort of a guest. As a result,
some of the most brutal and grotesque stories in the Bible come from the Old Testament. They make
little sense to us but made perfect sense at the time they were written. One story involves a group of
men who sexually abused the concubine and daughter of a man. That man gave them to the abusers
because of they wanted to homosexually abuse his guest. The concubine was raped all night and killed.
The man who gave her to them cut her body to pieces and sent the pieces throughout the land. This
aroused anger and led to a “civil war.” The tribe of the abusers came from, Benjamin, would not give
84

81 Adam Augustyn, Ed. “Philistine” in The Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Philistine-
people.
82 Voss, Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Manners and Customs, 116.
83 Ibid., 133.
84 Voss, Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Manners and Customs, 138.

43