| Pharaoh Necho |
| 2 Chronicles 35:20 -
Necho King of Egypt |
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| Statue
of Necho |
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| Statue
of Necho from the Museum of Fine Arts - Boston. |
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| Nude
female figure
with cartouches of Necho II embossed on
her upper arms. Metropolitan Museum of Art -
New York. |
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History
Necho II (also known as Nekau
II) was a king of the Twenty-sixth dynasty of
Egypt (610 - 595 BC), and the son of Psammetichus
I. He played a significant role in the histories
of the Assyrian Empire, Babylonia and the Kingdom
of Judah.
In the spring of 609 BC, Necho personally led
a sizable force to help the Assyrians. Josiah
of Judah sided with the Babylonians and attempted
to block his advance at Megiddo, where a fierce
battle was fought and Josiah was killed (2 Kings
23:29, 2 Chronicles 35:20-24). Necho continued
forward, joined forces with Ashur-uballit and
together they crossed the Euphrates and laid
siege to Harran. Although Necho became the first
pharaoh to cross the Euphrates since Thutmose
III, he failed to capture Harran, and retreated
back to northern Syria. At this point Ashur-uballit
vanishes from history, and the Assyrian Empire
collapsed.
Apis Bull and Mokattam
Hills
Necho also undertook a number of construction
projects across his kingdom. His son and successor
Psammetichus II afterwards removed Necho's name
from almost all of them for unknown reasons.
Necho
is known to have been responsible for monuments
honoring the Apris Bull in Memphis. Inscriptional
evidence of the king has also been found in the
quarries
of the Mokattam Hills.
Herodotus Mentions Necho
Psammetichos had a son called Nekos, who was
king of Egypt. He began building a canal to the
Sea of Erythrias, which was finished by the Persian
Darius4. It takes four days to travel along it,
and its width is such that two triremes could
be rowed in it side by side.
It is fed by the waters of the Nile, and begins
a little above Bubastis by Patumus, an Arabian
town. It ends in the Red Sea. The excavation
was began in the part of the Egyptian plain which
is nearest to Arabia. The mountains, where the
stone quarries are and which are close to Memphis,
are near this plain. The canal was dug along
the foot of these mountains from west to east,
passing through a gorge. It turns to the south
out of the hill country towards the Arabian Gulf.
Scriptures
2 Chronicles 35:20 After
all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king
of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish
by Euphrates: and Josiah went
out against him.
2 Chronicles 35:22 Nevertheless
Josiah would not turn his face from him,
but disguised himself, that
he might fight with him, and hearkened not
unto the words of Necho from
the mouth of God, and came to fight in the
valley of Megiddo.
2 Chronicles 36:4 And
the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother
king
over Judah and Jerusalem,
and turned his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took
Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt. |
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