Talk:Avvites (of Philistia)

Latest comment: 13 years ago by Telpardec

A dubious part of the article has been removed to the following blockquote due to inadequate sources and it seems to contradict what the Bible says:

The Talmud (Chullin 60b) notes that the Avvites were the Philistine people in the days of Abraham. Their capital city was Gerar and their king both in the days of Abraham and Isaac bore the name Abimelech. These Philistines are mentioned several times in Genesis. The Table of Nations in Genesis 10 and 1Chronicles 1 lists them as a people distinct from the Caphtorites noting that they were an offshoot of the Casluhites.

The Talmud explains that originally the Israelites were not entitled to conquer the land of the Avvites because of an oath that Abraham had sworn to Abimelech but that this oath no longer applied after the Caphtorites had destroyed them. This view is reiterated in Rashi's commentary on Deuteronomy.

That the Philistines were an offshoot of the Casluhites is clear from Genesis 10, but the Avites were a separate people that had occupied an area of land between lower Egypt and Philistia. Does anyone have the complete quote from the Talmud in English from a reliable source that we can examine?
Telpardec (talk) 10:31, 28 March 2011 (UTC)Reply