Pharaoh

Antiq. l. 8. c. 2. p. 268.PHARAOH, a common Name of the Kings of Egypt. Josephus says, that all the Kings of Egypt, from Minæus the Founder of Memphis, who lived several Ages before Abraham, have always had the Name of Pharaoh, down to the Times of Solomon, far more than Three thousand and Three hundred Years. He adds, that

1 Sam. xxv. 44. in the Egyptian Language, the Word Pharaoh signifies a King, and that these Princes did not assume this Name, but when they ascended the Throne, at which time they quitted also their former Name. From hence it comes to pass, says Josephus, that Herodotus names none of the Kings of Egypt after Minæus the Builder of Memphis, though he had Three hundred and Thirty Kings for his Successors, because they had all the Name of Pharaoh; but because this Name did not pass to Women also, he names an Egyptian Queen Nicaule, who succeeded them. Lastly, I find, adds Josephus, from the antient Records of our Nation, that from the Age of Solomon no King of Egypt any longer had the Name of Pharaoh.

Herodot. l. 2. c. 4. 99, 100.But Josephus is not very accurate in this Passage. True it is, Herodotus says, That Mines or Minæus was the first King of Egypt, and Founder of Memphis; that there were Three hundred and Thirty Kings after him in Egypt; that after them there was a Queen called Nitocris, and not Nicaule, as Josephus writes it; but it is not true that these Kings had no other Name but Pharaoh. Herodotus says expressly,¹ That in the Books of the Egyptian Priests were read the Names and the Catalogue of Three hundred and Thirty Kings; that in this Number of Three hundred and Thirty, there were eighteen Ethiopians, and a Woman that was a Foreigner, call’d Nicotris, and that all the others were Egyptians. These Princes therefore had every one his proper Name mentioned in the Catalogue of the Egyptian Kings. So likewise we see in the Fragments of Manetho,² that every King of Egypt had a Name peculiar to him; and we find the Name Pharaoh only in Scripture.

1 Kings x. 1, 2, &c.What Josephus adds, concerning Queen Nicaule, or Nicotris, whom he pretends to be the same as the Queen of Sheba, of whom mention is made in Scripture, is intirely fabulous; and as to what he says, that since the time of Solomon, the Kings of Egypt have no longer had the Name of Pharaoh, is manifestly false, since we still find this Name in the second Book of Kings, under Hezekiah, 2 Kings xviii. 21. under Josiah xxiii. 29, 30, 33, &c. where this Name is joined to Necho, which was the proper Name of this Prince, under Jehoiakim xxiii. 35. and in the Prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel; who are much later than Solomon. It is very pro bable that the Egyptians gave the Name of Pharaoh to their Kings, as long as the Egyptian Language was in common use, and as long as their Kings were of their own Nation. But after the Conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great, and that the Grecians introduced their Language with their Government, the Name of Pharaoh was known no longer among them. De Animal. p. 2. l. 5. c. 17. Ezek. xxix. 3.Bochart thinks, that Pharaoh properly signifies the Crocodile, and that Ezekiel alludes to this when he says, Behold I am against thee, Pharaoh King of Egypt, the great Dragon that lyeth in the midst of his Rivers, which hath said, My River is mine own, and I have made it for myself. M. le Cleric. in Genes. xii. 15.Clerc thinks he has found the true Root of the Word Pharaoh, in the Arabic Verb Pharah, to be exalted, to be superior. Abbot Renaudot³ says, that Pharaoh is the same as the Egyptian Word Pouro, which Kircher Oedyp. Ægypt. l. 1. c. 76.signifies a King. F. Kircher derives Pharaoh from the Root Pharah, which sometimes signifies to deliver; and he would have Pharaoh to signify one who is exempted from the Jurisdiction of the Laws.

We shall here give in a few Words the History of the Pharaohs, of whom the Scripture makes any mention. The first known to us is he, in whose time Abraham Gen. xii. 10, &c.went down into Egypt, in the Year of the World 2084, before Jesus Christ 1916, before the vulgar Era 1919. When Abraham was compelled by the Famine to go down into Egypt, he told Sarah his Wife, who was a very beautiful Woman, that he desired her to say she was his Sister; easily foreseeing, that the Egyptians would be charmed with her Beauty, and might therefore take her away from him; and fearing they might also put him to death, for her sake, if they should know her to be his Wife. And, indeed, no sooner were they come into Egypt, but Sarah was brought to Pharaoh’s Palace; and as she pass’d only for Abraham’s Sister, he was very civilly treated, and grew rich in Egypt. He had there a great Number of Cattle and Slaves, in which consisted the chief Riches of those Ages.

But the Lord smote Pharaoh and his Family with great Infirmities, and gave him to know, that this Woman was Abraham’s Wife. He order’d him to be sent for, and said to him; Why have you us’d me thus? Why did you tell me she was your Sister? Therefore take your Wife, and be gone. At the same time Pharaoh gave Orders, that his Servants should conduct them out of Egypt, with every thing [ 382 that belonged to them. The proper Name of this King of Egypt is unknown: But it may be seen from this History, that he feared God, and that the true Religion was not intirely suppressed in Egypt.

The second Pharaoh spoke of by the Scripture, is he that reigned in Egypt in the time of Joseph, when he was sold thither by the Ishmaelitish Merchants, who had bought him of his⁴ Brethren. This Prince, or perhaps his Successor, having had the mysterious Dream of seven fat Kine, and seven full Ears of Corn, consumed by seven lean Kine, and seven barren⁵ Ears; and having been informed of Joseph’s Abilities in interpreting Dreams, sent for him out of Prison, declared his Dream to him, and was so well satisfied with his Explication of it, that he made him Governor of all Egypt, and of his whole House, reserving only to himself, as we may say, the Name of King. So that Joseph was respected as Pharaoh’s Father, Gen. xlv. 8, 9.and Regent of the whole Kingdom. This is the same Pharaoh that sent for and entertain’d the Patriarch Jacob, and his whole Family in Egypt, and gave them the Land of Goshen for a Habitation.

The third Pharaoh known in Holy Writ, is he that persecuted the Israelites. Moses tells us, that he was a new King, and had no Knowledge of Joseph.⁶ Surrexit interea Rex novus super Ægyptum, qui ignorabat Joseph. This Prince observing that the Israelites were become very numerous and powerful, resolved to depress them by Hardship and Labour. He made them build Cities of Tents, Pithom, and Ramases, and set cruel and pitiless Task-masters over them. But the more he oppressed them, the faster they multiply’d; insomuch that he gave Orders to the Egyptian Midwives, who assisted the Hebrew Women in their Labour, to put to death all the Male Children, and to save alive only the Females. But this Command was not strictly executed. The Midwives feared the Lord, and preserved alive not only the Female Children, but the Males also.

Pharaoh seeing this Project did not succeed to his Wishes, publish’d a Decree, that all the Male Children, born of Hebrew Women, should be thrown into the Nile, and that only the Females should be spared. This Order was perform’d with Rigour enough. Yet God suffer’d that Moses should be preserved, and even brought up in Pharaoh’s own Court by his own Daughter, who by chance had found the Child as he was expos’d upon the Nile. a Moses being grown up, and having kill’d an Egyptian,⁷ who had abused an Hebrew, was obliged to fly from Egypt, to avoid that Death that Pharaoh had threatned him with.

Several Years after,⁸ being about Eighty Years old, he return’d again by an Order from God, and perform’d those Miracles before Pharaoh, which we have related under the Article MOSES. There is a good deal of Probability, that this Pharaoh before whom Moses appeared, and in whose Sight he smote Egypt with so many Plagues, was a different Person from him who would have laid Hands on him after he had slain the Egyptian. This same Pharaoh having at last been compelled to send away the Hebrews, and to suffer them to go out of Egypt, soon repented of the Leave he had given, and pursued them at the Head of his Army with his Chariots. But he was drowned in the Red Sea, wherein he had rashly enter’d in the Eagerness of his Pursuit. Some Historians pretend to give us the Name of this Pharaoh; some, as Appion, call him Amosis, or Amasis; Eusebius calls him Chenchris, Usher calls him Amenophis. But we may assure ourselves, that there can be nothing certain of all this.

The fifth Pharaoh known to us, is he that gave Protection to Hadad, Son of the King of Edom,⁹ who gave him to Wife the Sister of his own Queen, enriched him with Lands, and brought up his Son Genubah in his own Court. Hadad return’d to Idumea after the Death of David.

The sixth Pharaoh is he that gave his Daughter in Marriage to Solomon King of the Hebrews; and having taken Gezer, he set it on fire, drove the Canaanites out of it, and gave it for a Present to Solomon, in lieu of a Dowry for his Daughter, whom he had marry’d to this Prince.

The seventh is Shishak,¹⁰ who entertain’d Jeroboam in his Dominions, a rebellious Subject of Solomon’s, and afforded him a Refuge against the King his Master. The same Shishak declared War against Reboboam, the Son and Successor of¹¹ Solomon, besieged and took Jerusalem, carried away all the King’s Treasures, and those of the House of God, and particularly the golden Bucklers that Solomon had made; instead of which Rehoboam had others made of Brass, for the Use of his Guards. The second Book of the Chronicles informs us, that the Army of Shishak consisted of Twelve hundred Chariots, Sixty thousand Horse, and an infinite Number of Infantry that followed him out of Egypt. That this Army was composed of Libyans, Troglodytes, and Ethiopians,¹² not to reckon the native Egyptians; which gives us a grand Idea of the Power and Magnificence of Shishak.

The same Author adds, that he took the strongest Cities of Judah, and came and lay down before Jerusalem. And as Rehoboam and the Princes of Judah had shut themselves up in this City, resolving to hold out a Siege against Shishak, the Prophet Shemaiah declared to them from the Lord, that they should be delivered up into the Hands of the King of Egypt. Then they humbled themselves, acknowledged the Justice of the Sentence of God, and open’d the Gates to Shishak. See the Article of this Prince.

The eighth is that Pharaoh with whom Hezekiah made a League against Sennecharib King of¹³ Assyria, in the Year of the World 3290, before Christ 710, before the vulgar Era 713. The Reader may see the whole of this Matter under the Articles SENNECHARIB and HEZEKIAH. This Pharaoh is probably the same whom Herodot. l. 2.Herodotus names Sethon, Priest of Vulcan, who came to meet Sennecharib before Pelusium, and to whose Assistance Vulcan sent an Army of Rats, which gnaw’d the Bowstrings and the Thongs of the Bucklers of Sennecharib’s Soldiers.

The ninth is Pharaoh-Necho, or Nechos, Son of Psammitichus, who made War with Josiah, and subdued him.¹⁴ Herodotus also mentions this Prince. See the Article NECHO.

The tenth is Pharaoh Ophrah, who enter’d into an Alliance with Zedekiah King of Judah, and attempted to come to his Assistance against Nebuchadnezzar King of Chaldea. ‘Twas against this Pharaoh that Ezekiel pronounced several of his Prophesies. See Ezek. xxix. xxx. xxxi. xxxii. He is called Apries in Herodotus l. 2. c. 161. He is also mentioned in Habakkuk ii. 15, 16. See also Isaiah xix. xx. and Jeremiah xlvi. 16, &c.

And this is pretty nearly what the Holy Scriptures acquaint us with, concerning the Pharaohs, or the antient Kings of Egypt. To these the Mussulmen add some other Particulars, which have but little Certainty D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p.345.in them. Yet we shall mention something of them here, to gratify¹⁵ P H A [ 3 8 4 ] P H A the Reader’s Curiosity. They tell us, that the Pharaoh who reigned in Egypt when Jacob went thither, was called Rian; and that the Name of his Successor was Massaab, and he to whom Moses addressed himself was called Cahous, or Valid. The first exalted Joseph to great Honours; the second continued to have some Regard for the Jews, in Consideration of Joseph; but that the third had forgot Joseph and himself too, affecting to pass for a Deity, and saying to his People, I am your sovereign Master, or your God. But the Hebrews utterly Alcoran. c. Nazcat.refusing to acknowledge him as such, drew upon themselves a furious Persecution, which did not end till Moses led them out of Egypt.

Eutychius the Patriarch of Alexandria relates, that the Oriental Christians gave the Name of Amious to the Pharaoh who was drowned in the Red Sea, as he pursued the Hebrews. Some Mahometans name him Sen-an Ben-Ulvan. They tell also several Circumstances of the Manner in which he enter’d into the Channel of the Red Sea; being drawn thither by the Archangel Gabriel, mounted upon a white Pad; and that after his Death, he was successively cast upon each Shore by the Waves, first upon that where the Hebrews were, and upon the other in sight of the Egyptians, that each Nation might see him, and be Witnesses of his Death and Punishment.

We might here give a List of the Pharaohs, if we had any Certainty about their Successions, and the Beginning of their Reigns. Manetho, from whom Eusebius and Julius Africanus have borrow’d what they say of them, is very different from the antient Egyptian Chronicon, cited by the Monk Syncellus; and each of them give so great an Antiquity to the Egyptian Dynasties, that all our Chronologers are forced to reject them either in the whole or in part. So that we shall not undertake to give here the Successions of the Pharaohs, as being a Matter of so great Uncertainty. Those that would enter more deeply into this Affair, may consult the Chronicon of Eusebius as given by Scaliger, and the Chronicon of Georgius Syncellus, and Sir Robert Marsham’s Canon Chronicus Ægyptiacus, &c.

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