John Gill Commentary Zephaniah 2:5

"Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea-coast, the nation of the Cherethites! The word of Jehovah is against you, O Canaan, the land of the Philistines; I will destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant." — Zephaniah 2:5 (ASV)

Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coasts, the nation of the
Cherethites

Which is a name of the Philistines in general, as Kimchi and Ben Melech; or these were a particular tribe belonging to them, that inhabited the southern part of their country; see (1 Samuel 30:14 1 Samuel 30:16). These were on the sea coast, the coast of the Mediterranean sea, and so lay between that and Judea. Out of this nation, in the times of David and Solomon, were some choice soldiers selected, called the Cherethites and Pelethites, who were their bodyguards, as Josephus ^F1 calls them; a royal band, which never departed from the king's person; see (2 Samuel 15:18) (2 Samuel 20:7 2 Samuel 20:23).

The Septuagint version calls them "strangers of the Cretians"; and they are thought by some to be a colony of the Cretians; a people that came originally from the island of Crete, and settled here. But, on the contrary, rather Crete was a colony of the Philistines, and had its name from them; for by the Arabians ^F2, the country of Palestine, or the Philistines, is called Keritha; and by the Syrians Creth; and, by the Hebrews the inhabitants thereof are called Cherethites, as here, and in (Ezekiel 25:16). So the south of the Cherethites, in (1 Samuel 30:14), is, in (Ezekiel 25:16), called the land of the Philistines.

In all the above places, where they are spoken of as the attendants of Solomon and David, they are in the Targum called "archers"; and it is a clear case the Philistines were famous for archery, by which they sometimes had the advantage of their enemies; see (1 Samuel 31:3). Bows and arrows were the arms the Cretians made use of, and were famous for, as Bochart ^F3 from various writers has shown; the use of which they learned very probably from the Philistines, from whom they sprung.

Though Solinus ^F4 says they were the first that used arrows; and, according to Diodorus Siculus, Saturn introduced the art of using bows and arrows into the island of Crete; though others ascribe it to Apollo ^F5. It is said that Hercules learnt this art from Rhadamanthus of Crete, which last instance seems to favor the notion of those who think these Cherethites were Cretians, to which the Septuagint version inclines. Calmet ^F6 is of opinion that Caphtor, from which the Philistines are said to come (Amos 9:7), and who are called the remnant of the country of Caphtor (Jeremiah 47:4), is the island of Crete. He thinks the Philistines came from there into Palestine, and that the Cherethites are the ancient Cretians. The language, manners, arms, religion, and gods of the Cretians and Philistines were much the same, though this could also be explained by the Cretians being a colony of the Philistines (See Gill on Amos 9:7).

A learned man {1}, who accepts the opinion that these were royal guards, yet thinks they were not strangers and idolaters, but at least proselytes to the Jewish religion. He suggests they were rather Israelites, choice selected men, men of strength and valor, of military courage and skill, picked out of the nation to guard the king's person. He thinks they were called Cherethites and Pelethites from the kind of shields and targets they wore, called "cetra" and "pelta". It is also a notion several Jewish writers {2} have that they were two families in Israel. However, it seems plain and evident that a foreign nation is here meant, which lay on the sea coast and belonged to the Philistines.

Another learned man ^F7 thinks they are the Midianites, the same as the Cretians that Luke joins with the Arabians (Acts 2:11), just as the Midianites are joined with the Arabians and Amalekites by Josephus ^F8. However, a woe is denounced against them, and they are threatened with desolation.

The Vulgate Latin version is, "a nation of destroyed ones".

And the Targum, ``a people who have sinned, that they might be destroyed:''

the word of the Lord is against you

inhabitants of the sea coast, the Cherethites; the word of the Lord conceived in his own mind, his purpose to destroy them, which cannot be frustrated. So the Targum, ``the decree of the word of the Lord is against you;'' and the word pronounced by his lips, the word of prophecy concerning them, by the mouth of former prophets, as Isaiah, (Isaiah 14:29Isaiah 14:31) and by the mouth of the present prophet:

O Canaan, the land of the Philistines

Palestine was a part of Canaan; the five lordships of the Philistines before mentioned belonged originally to the Canaanite, (Joshua 13:3) and these belonged to the land of Israel, though possessed by them, out of which now they should be turned, and the country wasted, as follows:

I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant

so great should be the desolation; all should be removed from it, either by death or by captivity; at least there should be no settled inhabitant.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F1: Antiqu. l. 7. c. 5. sect. 4. and c. 11. sect. 8. Vid. Opitii Exercitat. de Crethi & Plethi.
• F2: Giggeius apud Bochart. Canaan, l. 1. c. 15. col. 422.
• F3: Ibid. col. 423.
• F4: Polyhistor. c. 16.
• F5: Diodor. Sicul. Bibliothec. l. 5. p. 334, 341.
• F6: Dictionary, in the word "Caphtor".
• 1: Fortunati Scacchi Elaeochrism, Myrothec. l. 3. c. 18, 19.
• 2: Kimchi & Ben Gersom in 2 Sam. viii. 18. and xv. 18.
• F7: Texelii Phoenix. l. 3. c. 21. sect. 4. p. 389, 390.
• F8: Antiqu. l. 5. c. 6. sect. 1.