Since most of the nations around Israel were polytheistic, they assumed that there were many gods. The Philistines had heard about what the Lord did to free his people from Egypt.1 They knew that the Lord is powerful and they were frightened that he would now act and fight on behalf of Israel.
8 Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness.