Person Old Testament
Pharaoh
Pharaoh, the Egyptian ruler whom Judah's King Hezekiah sought as an ally against the Assyrian threat. Mentioned in 5 verses across 2 books, first at 2 Kings 18:21.
Why it matters. Egyptian Pharaoh during Hezekiah's reign
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Pharaoh
This Pharaoh was the Egyptian ruler during the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah (2Ki.18.21; Isa.36.6). When Judah was threatened by the Assyrian Empire, Hezekiah sought an alliance with Egypt, hoping to receive military support. However, the prophet Isaiah warned against relying on Egypt, comparing Pharaoh's support to a broken reed that would pierce the hand of anyone who leaned on it (Isa.36.6).
Isaiah also prophesied against Egypt, mocking the wisdom of Pharaoh's counselors and predicting that their advice would lead Egypt astray (Isa.19.11-14). He warned Judah not to seek refuge in Egypt or rely on Pharaoh's protection (Isa.30.2-3).
The specific identity of this Pharaoh is not provided in the Bible. However, based on the historical and archaeological evidence, some scholars suggest that he may have been Shabaka or Shebitku, rulers of the 25th Dynasty of Egypt (Nubian Pharaohs), who were contemporary with Hezekiah's reign and engaged in conflicts with the Assyrian Empire.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
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Appears in Scripture
Named in 5 verses across 2 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.