Who was Pharaoh Hophra in the Bible?

Hophra, also known as Pharaoh Apries, was a king of Egypt who reigned during the time of the prophet Jeremiah and the Babylonian invasion of Judah. He is mentioned by name in the book of Jeremiah as a figure the Judeans mistakenly trusted for deliverance (Jeremiah 44:30).

What was Hophra's significance in biblical history?

Hophra's significance lies in his failed attempt to intervene against Babylon, which led to the destruction of Jerusalem. His defeat is prophesied by Jeremiah as a sign of God's judgment against Judah for seeking Egyptian aid instead of trusting in God (Jeremiah 37:5-7, 44:30).

What happened to Pharaoh Hophra according to the Bible?

The Bible states that God would hand Hophra over to his enemies, just as he handed King Zedekiah of Judah to Babylon. Historical records outside the Bible indicate he was later overthrown and killed in a revolt, fulfilling the judgment pronounced in Jeremiah 44:30.

Hophra

Old TestamentDivided MonarchyMaleA pharaoh

Hophra, also known as Pharaoh Apries, was the king of Egypt during the time of the prophet Jeremiah and the Babylonian invasion of Judah.

Hophra

Biography

Hophra, known in Egyptian history as Pharaoh Apries (reigned c. 589–570 BC), was the fourth king of Egypt's 26th (Saite) Dynasty and a significant political figure during the final years of the kingdom of Judah. He is mentioned by name in Jeremiah 44:30, where the prophet declares that God would hand Hophra over to his enemies just as Zedekiah king of Judah had been handed to Nebuchadnezzar, an oracle fulfilled when Hophra was deposed and killed by his rival Ahmose II around 570 BC. During Zedekiah's reign, Hophra dispatched an Egyptian army to relieve Jerusalem from Babylonian siege (Jeremiah 37:5–11), raising false hopes among the city's besieged inhabitants before the army withdrew, a failed intervention that did nothing to prevent Jerusalem's fall in 586 BC.

Significance

Hophra's fate illustrates the prophetic conviction that no earthly power, not even the might of imperial Egypt, can obstruct the judgments or purposes of God. Jeremiah used Hophra as a concrete sign to the Jewish refugees who had fled to Egypt after Jerusalem's fall, warning them not to place their trust in Egyptian political strength (Jeremiah 44). Like Pharaoh before him at the Exodus, Hophra becomes a demonstration that God's word through his prophets is reliably trustworthy. His brief, failed military intervention at Jerusalem also reinforces the prophetic critique running throughout Jeremiah: that those who rely on political alliances rather than repentance and trust in God invite the very catastrophe they seek to avoid.

Verse Appearances (18)

Jeremiah

Jeremiah 37:5 Jeremiah 37:7 Jeremiah 37:11 Jeremiah 43:9 Jeremiah 44:30 Jeremiah 47:1

Ezek

Ezek 17:17 Ezek 29:2 Ezek 29:3 Ezek 30:21 Ezek 30:22 Ezek 30:24 Ezek 30:25 Ezek 31:2 Ezek 31:18 Ezek 32:2 Ezek 32:31 Ezek 32:32

References

Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

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