Bible Dictionary
Caphtor
Caphtor was the original homeland of the Philistines, though its exact location is uncertain and has been associated with Crete or Egypt.
Definition
Caphtor was the original seat or homeland of the Philistines. Its exact location is uncertain, though it has been associated with Crete and with a region of Egypt.
Biblical Usage
Scripture identifies Caphtor as the place from which the Philistines came and calls the Philistines Caphtorim in one passage.
Historical Background
The name appears in Egyptian hieroglyphic writing at Kom Ombos. Proposed locations include Crete and Caphtur in the northern Delta, since the Caphtorim are connected with the Mizraite people.
Scripture References
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
A chaplet, the original seat of the Philistines (Deut. 2:23; Jer. 47:4; Amos 9:7). The name is found written in hieroglyphics in the temple of Kom Ombos in Upper Egypt. But the exact situation of Caphtor is unknown, though it is supposed to be Crete, since the Philistines seem to be meant by the “Cherethites” in 1 Sam. 30:14 (see also 2 Sam. 8:18). It may, however, have been a part of Egypt, the Caphtur in the north Delta, since the Caphtorim were of the same race as the Mizraite people (Gen. 10:14; 1 Chr. 1:12).