6548. Paroh Chophra

Lexical Summary

Paroh Chophra: Pharaoh Hophra

Original Word: פַרְעֹה חָפְרַע
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Par`oh Chophra`
Pronunciation: par-OH khof-RAH
Phonetic Spelling: (par-o' khof-rah')
KJV: Pharaoh-hophra
NASB: Pharaoh Hophra
Word Origin: [of Egyptian derivation]

1. Paroh- Chophra, an Egyptian king

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Pharaoh-hophra

Of Egyptian derivation; Paroh- Chophra, an Egyptian king -- Pharaoh-hophra.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from Paroh and Chophra
Definition
an Eg. king
NASB Translation
Pharaoh Hophra (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

חָפְרַע proper name, masculine Apries, reigned in Egypt alone, B.C. 589-570 and with Amasis 570-564; named as מֶלֶךְמִֿצְרַיִם ׳מַּרְעֹה ח Jeremiah 44:30 Pharaoh Hophra` king of Egypt (see מַּרְעֹה); 4th king of 26th dynasty; ᵐ5 Ουἀφρη; Manetho Οὔαφρις; Egyptian Monument Uaµ-åbra, Wiedemann^{Ägypt. Geschichte. 602, 636 ff.; Geschichte. Ägypt. 163 ff.}; Greek Ἀπρίης Herodot.^{ii. 161 etc.} (see Wied^{Herodot's 2tes Buch, 569}), Diod^{i. 68}; Ἀπρίας Ctesias (Ath.13:560).

חֲפַרְמָּרֶה see below I. חפר. above

Topical Lexicon

Identity

Pharaoh Hophra (Hebrew פַרְעֹה חָפְרַע) is the ruler of Egypt named in Jeremiah 44:30. Extra-biblical records identify him with Wahibre Haaibre (Greek “Apries”), fourth king of Egypt’s Twenty-Sixth Dynasty, reigning approximately 589–570 BC. His tenure overlapped the final years of the kingdom of Judah, the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, and the earliest period of the Babylonian exile.

Historical Setting

• 589 BC – Hophra ascends the Egyptian throne.
• 588 BC – Sends forces toward Gaza to aid Judah; Babylon temporarily lifts the siege of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 37:5–7).
• 586 BC – Jerusalem falls. Survivors, rejecting Jeremiah’s counsel, flee to Egypt and settle in Tahpanhes, Migdol, Noph, and Pathros (Jeremiah 43:7; 44:1).
• 571–570 BC – After a disastrous Libyan campaign, Hophra’s own troops revolt, elevate his general Amasis (Ahmose II), and eventually hand Hophra over to death, fulfilling Jeremiah’s prophecy.

Jeremiah’s Prophetic Oracle

“To Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt, I am going to deliver you into the hands of your enemies who seek your life, just as I delivered Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon” (Jeremiah 44:30).

Jeremiah speaks while living among the Judean refugees in Egypt (Jeremiah 44:1). His message parallels the earlier word against Zedekiah (Jeremiah 21:7; 24:8; 29:16-19), emphasizing the universality of divine judgment: covenant people and foreign monarchs alike stand accountable to the LORD.

Fulfillment and Historical Corroboration

Classical sources (Herodotus Histories 2.161-169; Diodorus Siculus 1.68) record that Hophra was captured and strangled after civil war, corroborating Scripture’s statement that he would be “given into the hand of those who seek his life.” Ezekiel’s later oracle that Nebuchadnezzar would receive Egypt as “wages for his army” (Ezekiel 29:17-20) matches the geopolitical aftermath of Hophra’s fall and Babylon’s subsequent incursion (ca. 568 BC).

Theological and Pastoral Implications

1. Sovereignty Over Nations – The LORD’s governance extends beyond Israel to Egypt (Psalm 22:28; Jeremiah 27:5). Hophra’s fate illustrates Proverbs 21:1, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD.”
2. Futility of Human Refuge – The Judeans sought safety in Egypt, but the downfall of Hophra proved that trust in worldly powers cannot replace trust in God (Isaiah 30:1-5; 31:1).
3. Reliability of Prophetic Word – Precise fulfillment of Jeremiah 44:30 validates earlier promises and warnings, strengthening confidence in the entirety of Scripture (2 Peter 1:19).
4. Pattern of Pride and Humbling – As with the Pharaoh of the Exodus and later with Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4), Hophra typifies rulers who exalt themselves and are brought low, prefiguring the final judgment of all rebellious authority (Revelation 19:15-16).

Related Scripture Passages

Jeremiah 37:5-10; 42:13-19; 43:8-13; 44:1-30

Ezekiel 29:1-21; 30:1-19

Isaiah 30:1-7; 31:1-5

Key Lessons for Ministry Today

• Warn believers against compromising obedience by seeking security in secular alliances.
• Encourage confidence in God’s unerring Word, even when circumstances seem to favor worldly power.
• Remind leaders that authority is a stewardship under God; pride invites divine resistance (James 4:6).

Forms and Transliterations

חָפְרַ֤ע חפרע chafeRa ḥā·p̄ə·ra‘ ḥāp̄əra‘

Englishman's Concordance

Jeremiah 44:30
HEB: אֶת־ פַּרְעֹ֨ה חָפְרַ֤ע מֶֽלֶךְ־ מִצְרַ֙יִם֙
NAS: I am going to give over Pharaoh Hophra king
KJV: Behold, I will give Pharaohhophra king
INT: I am going to give Pharaoh king of Egypt

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 6548
1 Occurrence

ḥā·p̄ə·ra‘ — 1 Occ.