Hophra

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

HOPHRA .   Jeremiah 44:30; the Egyptian Wahebrç, Apries of Herodotus, fourth king of the 26th Dyn. ( c [Note: circa, about.] . b.c. 588 569 and grandson of Necho. He, or possibly his predecessor Psammetichus ii., is also referred to as Pharaoh in   Jeremiah 37:8;   Jeremiah 37:7;   Jeremiah 37:11 ,   Ezekiel 29:3 etc. Little is certainly known of his reign. Hophra must have been defeated by Nebuchadnezzar in Syria in attempting to resist the progress of the Babylonian army, and he received the fugitives from Palestine after the destruction of Jerusalem in b.c. 586. There is no evidence that Nebuchadnezzar plundered Egypt, as was anticipated by Ezekiel, though he seems to have attacked Hophra’s successor Amasis in b.c. 568 with some success, and may have overrun some part of Lower Egypt. The Syrian and other mercenary soldiers stationed at Elephantine revolted in the reign of Hophra, but were brought again to submission. Another mutiny of the Egyptian soldiery, recorded by Herodotus, resulted in Amasis being put upon the throne as champion of the natives. Hophra relied on the Greek mercenaries, and maintained himself, perhaps in a forced co-regency, in Lower Egypt until the third year of Amasis, when he was defeated and slain.

F. Ll. Griffith.

Holman Bible Dictionary

 Jeremiah 37:5 Jeremiah 46:17  Jeremiah 44:26-30Egypt

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Jeremiah 37:5  44:30 Ezekiel 29:6,7

Morrish Bible Dictionary

See Pharaoh Hophra

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

(Heb. Chophra', חָפְר ; ִ Sept. Οὐαφρῆ [compare Clem. Alex. Strom. 1, 143j, Vulg. Ephrec), or PHARAOH-HOPHRA, king of Egypt in the time of Zedekiah, king of Judah, and of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. B.C. 588. He formed alliance with the former against the latter, and his advance with an Egyptian army constrained the Chaldaeans to raise the siege of Jerusalem ( Jeremiah 37:5); but they soon returned, and took, and destroyed the city. This momentary aid, and the danger of placing reliance on the protection of Hophra, led Ezekiel to compare the Egyptians to a broken reed, which was to pierce the hand of him that leaned upon it ( Ezekiel 39:6-7). This alliance was, however, disapproved by God; and Jeremiah was authorized to deliver the prophecy contained in his forty- fourth chapter, which concludes with a prediction of Hophra's death, and the subjugation of his country by the Chaldaeans. (See Egypt).

This Pharaoh-Hophra is identified with the Apries ( Ἀπρίης )', Herod. 2, 161 sq., 169; 4, 159; Diod. Sic. 1, 68; Ἀπρίας , Athen. 13, 560) of ancient authors, and the Ouaphris ( Οὐάφρις ) of Manetho, the eighth king of the twenty-sixth or Saitic dynasty (Eusebius, Chronicles 1, 219). Under this identification, we may conclude that his wars with the Syrians and Cyreneans prevented him from affording any great assistance to Zedekiah. Apries is described by Herodotus (2, 169) as a monarch who, in the zenith of his glory, felt persuaded that it was not in the power even of a deity to dispossess him of his kingdom, or to shake the stability of his sway; and this account of his arrogance fully accords with that contained in the Bible. Ezekiel (29:3) speaks of this king as "the great dragon that lieth in the midst of the rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself." His overthrow and subsequent captivity and death are foretold with remarkable precision by Jeremiah (44:30): "I will give Pharaoh-Hophra, king of Egypt, into the hands of his enemies, and into the hands of them that seek his life." This was brought about by a revolt of the troops, who placed Amasis at their head, and, after various conflicts, took Apries prisoner. B.C. 569. He was for a time kept in easy captivity by Amasis, w-ho wished to spare his life; but he was at length constrained to give him up to the vengeance of his enemies, by whom he was strangled (Rawlinson, Herod. 2, 209 sq.). See Raphel, De Pharaone Hophra, Luneb. 1734.) (See Pharaoh).

Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature

Hoph´ra (or Pharaoh-hophra), king of Egypt in the time of Zedekiah king of Judah, and of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. He formed alliance with the former against the latter, and his advance with an Egyptian army constrained the Chaldeans to raise the siege of Jerusalem but they soon returned and took and destroyed the city. This momentary aid, and the danger of placing reliance on the protection of Hophra, led Ezekiel to compare the Egyptians to a broken reed, which was to pierce the hand of him that leaned upon it . This alliance was, however, disapproved by God; and Jeremiah was authorized to deliver the prophecy contained in Jeremiah 44, which concludes with a prediction of Hophra's death and the subjugation of his country by the Chaldeans [comp. EGYPT].

This Pharaoh-hophra is identified with the Apries or Vaphres of ancient authors, and he may be the Psamatik III of the monuments. Under this identification we may conclude that his wars with the Syrians and Cyrenacans prevented him from affording any great assistance to Zedekiah. Apries is described by Herodotus (ii. 169) as a monarch who, in the zenith of his glory, felt persuaded that it was not in the power even of a deity to dispossess him of his kingdom, or to shake the stability of his sway; and this account of his arrogance fully accords with that contained in the Bible. Ezekiel speaks of this king as 'the great dragon that lieth in the midst of the rivers, which hath said, my river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.' His overthrow and subsequent captivity and death are foretold with remarkable precision (by ); 'I will give Pharaoh-hophra, king of Egypt, into the hands of his enemies, and into the hands of them that seek his life.' This was brought about by a revolt of the troops, who placed Amasis at their head, and after various conflicts took Apries prisoner. He was for a time kept in easy captivity by Amasis, who wished to spare his life; but he was at length constrained to give him up to the vengeance of his enemies, by whom he was strangled.