Pharaoh living at the time of Divided Monarchy
Pharaoh Neco II, the ruler of Egypt, opposed King Josiah of Judah, installed Jehoiakim as a vassal king, and was later defeated by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
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Also known as Necho · PharaohNeco · Pharaoh Neco · Pharaoh-nechoh · PharaohNecoh · Pharaoh Necoh · Pharaoh Necho · Pharaoh
Pharaoh Neco II (also known as Necho II) was an Egyptian ruler of the 26th Dynasty who reigned from approximately 610 to 595 BC. He is mentioned in several passages in the Old Testament, primarily in relation to his interactions with the kingdom of Judah and his military campaigns against the Babylonians.
According to 2Ch.35.20-24 and 2Ki.23.29-30, Pharaoh Neco led his army to the Euphrates River to aid the Assyrians in their battle against the Babylonians. King Josiah of Judah, however, opposed Neco's advance and confronted him at Megiddo. Despite Neco's warning that he had no quarrel with Josiah, the Judean king persisted, and in the ensuing battle, Josiah was mortally wounded by the Egyptian archers. Josiah's death marked the end of his righteous reign and the beginning of a period of decline for Judah.
Following Josiah's death, Pharaoh Neco asserted his control over Judah. He deposed Josiah's son Jehoahaz, who had been made king by the people, and installed Jehoiakim, another of Josiah's sons, as a vassal king (2Ki.23.31-35; 2Ch.36.1-4). Neco imposed heavy tribute on Judah, which Jehoiakim exacted from the people of the land.
However, Pharaoh Neco's power was soon challenged by the rising Babylonian Empire. In the fourth year of Jehoiakim's reign, Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon defeated Neco's army at the Battle of Carchemish, as recorded in Jer.46.2. This decisive victory marked the end of Egyptian dominance in the region and paved the way for Babylonian control over Judah.
The prophet Jeremiah also mentions Pharaoh Neco in his prophecies against Egypt (Jer.46.17, 25). These passages foretell the defeat and humiliation of Egypt at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians, highlighting the shifting power dynamics in the ancient Near East.
Pharaoh Neco's interactions with Judah and his military campaigns against Babylon had significant consequences for the region. His defeat of Josiah and installation of Jehoiakim as a vassal king brought Judah under Egyptian influence, while his subsequent defeat at Carchemish marked the beginning of Babylonian dominance. These events set the stage for the eventual fall of Jerusalem and the Babylonian exile, which had profound impacts on the history and religious development of the Jewish people.
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10 verses in 3 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H5224
During Josiahʼs reign, Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt marched up to help the king of Assyria at the Euphrates River. King Josiah went out to confront him, but Neco faced him and killed him at Megiddo.
And Pharaoh Neco imprisoned Jehoahaz at Riblah in the land of Hamath so that he could not reign in Jerusalem, and he imposed on Judah a levy of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.
Then Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah, and he changed Eliakimʼs name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt, where he died.
So Jehoiakim paid the silver and gold to Pharaoh Neco, but to meet Pharaohʼs demand he taxed the land and exacted the silver and the gold from the people, each according to his wealth.
After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Neco king of Egypt marched up to fight at Carchemish by the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to confront him.
Josiah, however, did not turn away from him; instead, in order to engage him in battle, he disguised himself. He did not listen to Necoʼs words from the mouth of God, but went to fight him on the Plain of Megiddo.
Then Neco king of Egypt made Eliakim brother of Jehoahaz king over Judah and Jerusalem, and he changed Eliakimʼs name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Eliakimʼs brother Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt.
concerning Egypt and the army of Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt, which was defeated at Carchemish on the Euphrates River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah:
There they will cry out: ‘Pharaoh king of Egypt was all noise; he has let the appointed time pass him by.’
The LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Behold, I am about to punish Amon god of Thebes, along with Pharaoh, Egypt with her gods and kings, and those who trust in Pharaoh.
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.