Pharaoh living at the time of Divided Monarchy
Hophra, also known as Pharaoh Apries, was the king of Egypt during the time of the prophet Jeremiah and the Babylonian invasion of Judah.
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Also known as Pharaoh · Pharaoh-hophra
Hophra, also referred to as Pharaoh in the Bible, was the king of Egypt during the time of the prophet Jeremiah and the Babylonian invasion of Judah. He is mentioned in several passages in the books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
When the Babylonians besieged Jerusalem, King Zedekiah of Judah sought help from Hophra, hoping that the Egyptian army would come to their aid (Jer.37.5). However, the Egyptians' intervention was short-lived, and they withdrew when the Babylonians temporarily lifted the siege to confront them (Jer.37.7, 11).
The prophet Ezekiel prophesied against Hophra and Egypt, declaring that God would bring judgment upon them for their pride and for failing to provide effective support to Judah (Ezekiel 29-32). Ezekiel's prophecies depicted Hophra as a great crocodile in the Nile, symbolizing his power and influence, but also his downfall (Ezk.29.3-5, 32:2).
Jeremiah also prophesied that Hophra would be delivered into the hands of his enemies, just as King Zedekiah of Judah was given into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (Jer.44.30).
Historically, Hophra (also known as Apries) ruled Egypt from 589 to 570 BC. He was known for his military campaigns and his support of the Phoenician city of Tyre against the Babylonians. However, he faced internal challenges and was eventually overthrown by Amasis II, one of his generals.
The biblical account of Hophra highlights the political and military dynamics of the time, as well as the prophetic warnings against relying on human alliances instead of trusting in God.
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I.e., PHARAOH-HOPHRA (called Apries by the Greek historian Herodotus) king of Egypt (B.C. 591-572) in the time of Zedekiah, king of Judah (Jer. 37:5 44:30; Ezek. 29:6, 7).
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
18 verses in 2 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H6547
Pharaohʼs army had left Egypt, and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report, they withdrew from Jerusalem.
“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says that you are to tell the king of Judah, who sent you to Me: Behold, Pharaohʼs army, which has marched out to help you, will go back to its own land of Egypt.
When the Chaldean army withdrew from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaohʼs army,
“In the sight of the Jews, pick up some large stones and bury them in the clay of the brick pavement at the entrance to Pharaohʼs palace at Tahpanhes.
This is what the LORD says: Behold, I will deliver Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hands of his enemies who seek his life, just as I delivered Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the enemy who was seeking his life.”
This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet about the Philistines before Pharaoh struck down Gaza.
Pharaoh with his mighty army and vast horde will not help him in battle, when ramps are built and siege walls constructed to destroy many lives.
“Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all Egypt.
Speak to him and tell him that this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt, O great monster who lies among his rivers, who says, ‘The Nile is mine; I made it myself.’
“Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. See, it has not been bound up for healing, or splinted for strength to hold the sword.
Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt. I will break his arms, both the strong one and the one already broken, and will make the sword fall from his hand.
I will strengthen the arms of Babylonʼs king and place My sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, who will groan before him like a mortally wounded man.
I will strengthen the arms of Babylonʼs king, but Pharaohʼs arms will fall limp. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I place My sword in the hand of Babylonʼs king, and he wields it against the land of Egypt.
“Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his multitude: ‘Who can be compared to your greatness?
Who then is like you in glory and greatness among the trees of Eden? You also will be brought down to the depths of the earth to be with the trees of Eden. You will lie among the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, declares the Lord GOD.’”
“Son of man, take up a lament for Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him: ‘You are like a lion among the nations; you are like a monster in the seas. You thrash about in your rivers, churning up the waters with your feet and muddying the streams.’
Pharaoh will see them and be comforted over all his multitude— Pharaoh and all his army, slain by the sword, declares the Lord GOD.
For I will spread My terror in the land of the living, so that Pharaoh and all his multitude will be laid to rest among the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword, declares the Lord GOD.”
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.