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Targil of Philistia

Targil of Philistia (died 1117 BC) was a Philistine prince during the 12th century BC. In 1137 BC, he attended the wedding of the Israelite Samson and the Philistine woman Semadar, during which he and the other Philistine princes won a bet against Samson after they solved his riddle with the help of Delilah, forcing Samson to steal expensive tunics from Philistine civilians and return to the party to give the princes their rewards. However, the wedding turned violent after Samson discovered that Prince Ahtur had taken Semadar as his own wife, causing Samson to throw Ahtur from a balcony at the princes, and leading to a chaotic fight. Semadar was accidentally killed by a javelin thrown by Targil. In 1117 BC, Targil was one of the thirty Philistine princes who was killed when a captured Samson tore down the pillars of the Temple of Dagon, bringing the temple down upon himself and the Philistines.

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