Tirhakah תִּרְהָקָה
King of Cush (Ethiopia) who opposed Sennacherib
Who is Tirhakah in the Bible?
Tirhakah was the king of Cush (Ethiopia) who opposed the Assyrian king Sennacherib during his invasion of Judah in the late 8th century BC (2 Kings 19:9; Isaiah 37:9). He came to the aid of King Hezekiah, who was under siege by Sennacherib's forces, representing a significant moment of international resistance against Assyrian expansion. Also known by the Egyptian name Taharqa, Tirhakah later became the fourth pharaoh of Egypt's Twenty-Fifth Dynasty, ruling from approximately 690 to 664 BC. Scholars note a chronological puzzle in the biblical text, since the events described appear to have occurred around 701 BC, before Tirhakah's documented rise to supreme power, suggesting he may have been a military commander under a predecessor. His mention in Scripture underscores God's deliverance of Jerusalem and demonstrates the geopolitical complexities of the ancient Near East during this turbulent period.
Biography
Tirhakah, also known as Taharqa, was the king of Cush (Ethiopia) who opposed the Assyrian king Sennacherib during his invasion of Judah (2Ki.19.9; Isa.37.9). He is mentioned as coming to the aid of King Hezekiah, who was under attack by Sennacherib. Tirhakah was the fourth pharaoh of the Twenty-Fifth (Ethiopian) Dynasty of Egypt, ruling from approximately 690 to 664 BC. There is a chronological difficulty in the biblical account, as the events described are believed to have taken place around 701 BC, before Tirhakah's ascension to the throne. Some scholars suggest that Tirhakah may have been acting as a military commander under his predecessor, Pharaoh Shabaka, or that the biblical authors may have combined accounts of two separate campaigns by Sennacherib. Assyrian records also mention Tirhakah's conflict with the Assyrians. Tirhakah's successful opposition to Assyria is recorded on the walls of a temple at Medinet Habu in Egypt.
In Scripture
2 biblical books ; 1 with study content2 Kings 1 verse
- 2 Kings 19:9
"Now Sennacherib had been warned about Tirhakah king of Cush: “Look, he has set out to fight against you.” So Sennacherib again sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,"
Isaiah 1 verse
- Isaiah 37:9
"Now Sennacherib had been warned about Tirhakah king of Cush: “He has set out to fight against you.” On hearing this, Sennacherib sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,"
Study Isaiah →
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script |
|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | תִּרְהָקָה |
Encyclopedia Article
ISBE 1915 (Public Domain) Tirhakah
), who opposed Sennacherib in Palestine (2Ki 19:9; Isa 37:9). The name of this ruler of Egypt and his native realm appears in hieroglyphics as Taharqa, his prenomen being Nefer-atmu-Ra-chu, "Nefer-atmu-Ra protects." The Assyrian form of Tirhakah is Tarqu or Tarqu'u (inscriptions of Assur-bani-pal).
2Origin and Length of Reign
Tirhakah was one of the sons, and apparently the favorite, of Piankhy II. He left his mother, and the city Napata, at the age of 20; and when she followed him northward, she found him crowned as king of Egypt. As he died, after a reign of at least 26 years, in 667 BC, he must have mounted the throne about 693 BC.
3A Chronological Difficulty
The engagement between Tirhakah's army and the Assyrians is regarded as having taken place in 701 BC. Petrie explains this date by supposing he acted at first for the reigning Pharaoh, his cousin Shabatoka, Tirhakah not having officially become Pharaoh until the former's death in 693 BC. There is a general opinion, however, that the Assyrian historians, like those of 2 King and Isaiah, have mingled two campaigns made by Sennacherib, one of them being after the accession of Tirhakah.
4First Conflict with the Assyrians
According to the Old Testament account, Sennacherib was besieging Libnah when Tirhakah's army appeared in Palestine. In Sennacherib's inscriptions, however, the battle with "the king(s) of Mucuru (Egypt) and the bowmen, chariots, and cavalry of Meruhha" (Meroe or Ethiopia), who had come to Hezekiah's help, took place in the neighborhood of Eltekeh. He claims to have captured the sons of the king (variant, "kings") of Egypt and the charioteers of the king of Meruhha, and then, having taken Eltekeh, Timna, and Ekron, he brought out Padi from Jerusalem, and resented him on the throne of Ekron. The name of Tirhakah does not occur in his account.
5Struggles with Esar-haddon and Assur-bani-pal. His Death
It would seem to have been Egypt's interference in Palestinian affairs which caused the Assyrian kings to desire the conquest of that distant country. According to the Babylonian Chronicle, the Assyrian army fought in Egypt in the 7th year of Esar-haddon (675 BC), and the country was then apparently quiet until 672 BC, when Esar-haddon marched thither, and after fighting three battles, entered Memphis. "The king" (Tirhakah) fled, but his sons and nephews were made prisoners. In the latter campaign (670 BC) Esar-haddon fell ill and died on the way out, so that the operations were, apparently, completed by his son, Assur-bani-pal (Osnap-par); On hearing of the Assyrian success at Kar-Baniti, Tirhakah, who was at Memphis, fled to Thebes. The 20 petty kings installed in Egypt by Esar-haddon were restored by Assur-bani-pal, but they feared the vengeance of Tirhakah after the Assyrian army had retired, and therefore made an agreement with him. On this news reaching the Assyrian king, he sent his army back to Egypt, and the petty rulers having been abolished, Necho king of Memphis and Sais was set on the throne, with his son, Nabu-sizbanni, as ruler in Athribes. On hearing of the success of the Assyrian armies, Tirhakah fled, and died in Cush (Ethiopia). He was suceeded by TanTamane (Identified with Tanut-Amon), son of Sabaco, whom the Assyrians defeated in the last expedition which they ever made to Egypt (see W. F. Petrie, History of Egypt, III, 294 ff).
T. G. Pinches
tur'-ha-na, ter-ha'-na (tirchanah; Codex Vaticanus Tharam; Codex Alexandrinus Tharchna, Lucian Tharaana): A son of Caleb by his concubine, Maacah (1Ch 2:48).
<entr