According to the Old Testament, Caphtor was the place from which the Philistines originated. Modern scholars identify it with the island of Crete. The Philistines originated from Egypt (Gen 1:14; 1 Chron 1:12) but migrated in the 3rd Mill BC to Crete where they established the Minoan civilization. From there they ventured out to inhabit various other places in the Mediterranean, including the Palestinian coasts (Deut 2:23). Jeremiah spoke of the Philistines as "the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor" (47:4). Similarly, Amos spoke of Yahweh bringing "Israel up from Egypt, the Philistines from Caphtor . . ." (9:7).
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