1. According to the Hebrew narrative, Hebrews were given "the Promised Land" (also called Canaan, Israel, and Palestine) as a gift from God to be theirs forever.
2. According to that same narrative, they relocated to Egypt during a time of famine.
3. They stayed in Egypt for 400 years, eventually becoming a race of slaves for the Egyptians.
4. With God's support, a well-placed Hebrew named Moses led them to exit Egypt (the Exodus).
5. Their goal was to return to the Promised Land, but it took them several decades to get there.
6. When they finally arrived at their old homeland, the Promised Land, they discovered it to be inhabited by several other races/nations of peoples.
7. God told them to annihilate all breathing things that they found in the Promised Land, and to repossess the property.
8. The most formidable of the inhabitants were the Philistines (cf. Palestines).
9. The Philistines were intimidating for a number of reasons, most notably for their great warrior, Goliath, who stood 10 feet tall.