 The Cherethites are mentioned independently three times, and as the "Cherethites and Pelethites" seven times.They are interpreted to have been a group of elite mercenaries employed by King David, some of whom acted as his bodyguards, and others as part of his army.In the Masoretic version of the Book of Ezekiel, a group referred to as "children of the land league" are stated as being allies of Egypt, but in the Septuagint version of the same passage, the group are described instead as "children of the Cherethites"; scholars believe that this is a reference to an alliance of the Philistines as a whole, rather than a subgroup.