Apries

APRIES, King of Egypt, called Pharaoh-Hophrah, in the Sacred Writings. Jerem. xliv. 30.Apries was the Son of Psammis, and Grandson of Nechos, or Necho, who made war against Josiah King of the Jews. He reigned five and twenty years, and for a long time was looked upon as one of the happiest Princes in the world¹. But having equipp’d a fleet in order to reduce the Cyrenians, he lost almost his whole army in this expedition. The Egyptians were resolved to make him responsible for their ill success, and rebell’d against him, pretending that he undertook this war with a design only to get rid of his subjects, and govern the remaining part of them with a more absolute authority. He deputed to them one of his principal officers, named Amasis, with the hopes of bringing them to a sense of their duty. But while he was haranguing them, one of the multitude placed a diadem about his helmet, and proclaimed him King; the rest applauded him, and Amasis did not oppose it. He then put himself at the head of them, marched against Apries, gave him battle, defeated him intirely, and took him prisoner. Amasis treated him with a great deal of kindness, but the people were not satisfied till they had taken him out of Amasis’s hands, and strangled him. Such was the end of Apries according to Ibid.Herodotus. Jeremiah threatned this Prince with being put into the hands of his enemies, as he had delivered Zedekiah King of Judah into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon.

Ezek. xvii. 15. Ezek. xxix. In the Year of the World 3414. before J. C. 584.This Prince had made a league with Zedekiah, and promised him his assistance. Zedekiah therefore relying upon the forces of Egypt, revolted from Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon; who in the beginning of the year following marched against Zedekiah; but as there were some other people in Syria, who likewise had shaken off their obedience, he proceeded first to attack 2 Kings xxv. 5. 2 Chron. xxxvi. 17 Jerem. xxxix. 1. — lii. 4.them, and reduce them to their duty; then towards the end of the year he laid siege to Jerusalem. Zedekiah defended himself there for a long time, that he might give Pharaoh -Hophrah, or Apries, leisure to come to his assistance. Apries left Egypt with a powerful army; the King of Babylon thereupon raised the siege of Jerusalem, and marched to meet him; but Apries and his people not daring to run the hazard of a battle with the Chaldeans, retreated into Egypt, and abandoned Zedekiah to all the dangers of war wherein they had themselves ingaged him. Ezekiel reproaches them severely with this baseness, and threatens them that since they had been a staff of reed to the house of Israel, and an occasion of falling; for when they took hold of thee by thy hand, thou didst break and rent all their shoulder; he prophesies that Egypt should be reduced to a solitude, that God would send the sword against it which should destroy man and beast in it: And this was afterwards executed. First in the person of Apries, who was deprived of his kingdom by Amasis, as we have before mentioned, and next by the conquest which the Persians made of Egypt. To this King likewise we apply the following words of Hab. xi. 15.Habbakuk, Wo unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness.

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