In 2 Chronicles 26 we again reach a time from which a good deal of biblical as well as extrabiblical information about the Philistines and their role in Palestine is available. We are coming to the days of Amos and Isaiah, who recite words of prophetic judgment not only against God's people, the Jews, but against the Philistines, too. In this section, the data from Chronicles, the prophets, and the extrabiblical texts will be joined together with the archaeological data presently being retrieved from the major Philistine sites and from a few additional ones.

The eighth century B.C. opened with a resurgence of both Israel and Judah, and the amount of territory gained through their military might nearly rivaled that of Solomon's day. The respective kings were Jeroboam II in the north and Uzziah in Jerusalem. It was Uzziah who battled the Philistines:

All these military adventures resulted not only in the expansion of Uzziah's kingdoms, but also in a time of prosperity that no one in the divided kingdoms had previously witnessed. This prosperity would lead to words of condemnation from the prophets, due to the kings' lack of misphat, or justice towards the people. But what was this period like for the Philistines, since the verses above state that Uzziah captured Gath and Ashdod and built cities in the area of Ashdod and elsewhere in Philistia?

Notice that, of the five chief Philistine cities, Gath is absent from the list. In Amos 6, the prophet warns the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Samaria not to take it for granted that the thick walls of their cities will save them from divine retribution. Amos then reminds God's people of three other sites:

Amos seems to be saying that the three sites had been destroyed, Calneh (see Na'aman 1974, 37) and Hamath by Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:25 on Hamath) and Gath by Uzziah (2 Chron. 26:6). Is it possible to date the destruction of these sites before looking at the archaeological data? Amos 1:1 gives us a clue; Amos is prophesying "in the days of King Uzziah . . . and . . . King Jeroboam . . . two years before the earthquake." Zechariah 14 refers to the time when the Lord would return to Jerusalem and when the people would "flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah" (14:5). Both Zechariah and Amos seem to have been be referring to a major earthquake.

It must have been a memorable event for the eighth-century Amos to have said that his prophecy from God came two years before the quake, and even more memorable for the sixth-century Zechariah to have used the quake as a reference point for his audience, saying that the earth would again shift and split as in the days of Uzziah. Josephus dates this earthquake to the day that Uzziah committed his sin against the Lord in the temple (2 Chron. 26:16-21) and was made a leper (Antiq. 9.215f. in Maier 1988, 171). The earthquake probably occurred in 749 B.C. (Yeivin 1979, 162, 168). Since Amos did not include Gath in his prophecy, and since Uzziah must have gone out and "made war against the Philistines" (2 Chron. 26:6) before he contacted leprosy, Gath must have been destroyed (not to be mentioned again) and Ashdod must have been attacked around 750 B.C., before the earthquake.

Gath, if it is Tell es-Safi, still needs to be excavated, but Ashdod has been excavated, and its tell should shed light on the days of Uzziah. According to the excavator, M. Dothan, its brick gateway with the ashlar block facade was destroyed about this time, and he attributes this destruction to Uzziah (Yadin 1979, 218; Oded 1979, 240; Myers 1986b, 152-53). Second Chronicles 26:6 also mentions that Uzziah "built cities" in the area around Ashdod. The port city of Ashdod's territory, Tel Mor, and its fortress show development during this time period. By fighting his way towards the coast, Uzziah no doubt gained control over trade going north and south, but he also was able to use the Philistine plain to expand his flocks, herds, and farms, "for he loved the soil" (2 Chron. 26:10).

Ekron at this time was still a tiny, ten-acre town and probably was controlled along with Gaza by Uzziah (Yeivin 1979, 165). At Ekron, the pottery forms from this century are the typical coastal forms and the forms common in Judah (Gitin 1990, 35).

Ashkelon evidently was not a part of Uzziah's plans, especially since he had gained a segment of the coastline at Ashdod. But it is probably also true that he would have been unable to take it, since it was a huge city and was directly on the coast. Uzziah had no navy to blockade Ashkelon (Yeivin 1979, 165). The former Philistine port at Tell Qasile was abandoned at this time, but Timnah (east of Ekron), which had become an Israelite city during the tenth century and then had been destroyed at the end of the same century, was rebuilt on a grand scale during the time of Uzziah.

More information about Uzziah and Philistia is available through Assyrian records. Right around the turn of the ninth/eighth century, an Assyrian king by the name of Adad-nirari III took the throne. At least one of his military campaigns apparently took him down into Philistia, since he included Philistia on an inscription at Nimrud as one of his tribute-paying clients (Oded 1979, 241). It is in sources from a later king, Tiglath-pileser III (745-727 B.C.), that a most interesting reference appears. This king took the Assyrian throne a few years before the end of Uzziah's reign. Beginning with him, Assyria not only campaigned for tribute but also for conquest and direct control over its subject nations. Tiglath-pileser III recorded his campaigns in clay, and from these documents we can today read the names of kings who had to pay him tribute, as well as kings who dared to oppose him. We must recognize, however, that this is his own version of events. Some of the names in his records are Jehoahaz of Judah as well as Menahem of Samaria and the kings of Ashkelon and Gaza (ANET, 282-83; 2 Kings 15:19, 29; 16:7, 9; see Yadin 1963, 2:404-13 for pictures of the reliefs).

The intriguing reference mentioned above is found in a text that concerns a coalition of kings who opposed Tiglath (ANET, 282). The coalition was headed by an "Azriau of Yaudi," which is understood by several scholars to be "Azariah of Judah," the other name of Uzziah. This text is generally dated to 743 B.C., within the long reign of Uzziah and after the death of Israel's Jeroboam II. It is possible that Uzziah took control of parts of Israel. Second Chronicles 26 definitely presents him as a successful king and military leader "as long as he sought the Lord" (v. 5; see also vv. 14-15; Myers 1986b, 153; Wright 1966, 86; Oded 1979, 242f.; Pfeiffer 1973, 352; Bright 1981, 270). It should be mentioned, though, that there is not total agreement that Tiglath's text refers to Uzziah of Judah (see Pfeiffer 1973, 352; Na'aman 1974, 38-39). However, if it does indeed, then events it relates would have happened during the years that Uzziah was afflicted with leprosy. Most likely, Uzziah still held the power while his son Jotham co-reigned with him.

The texts relate that Tiglath was interested in controlling the maritime trade routes through Philistia and Phoenicia. Common "gifts" to the Assyrian king besides the expected gold and silver were "linen garments with multicolored trimmings, garments of their native (industries) (being made of) dark purple wool . . ." (ANET, 282-83). The kings of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron (possibly, according to Tadmor 1966, 89), Judah, and Israel were among those who sent these "gifts" to Assyria. The gift of linen garments reflects very well the scene at Ekron, where textiles would soon become a major industry. This industry will be described more fully later. First, though, let us consider what happened in Philistia after the reign of Uzziah and his son Jotham.