Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

NECO

(Heb. nĕḵōh, nĕḵô; Egyp. nkʾw)
(also NECHO)

Neco II (610-594 b.c.e.), king of the 26th (Saite) dynasty of Egypt. In 609 Neco (also Necho) led his army north through Palestine and Syria to aid the Assyrian army in their desperate stand at Harran against the Babylonians under Nabopolassar. Josiah, king of Judah, engaged the Egyptian force at the Megiddo pass (Wadi ʿAra) to stop, or at least slow, the march of the Egyptian troops. In the battle Josiah was mortally wounded and his army routed (2 Kgs. 23:28-30; LXX 4 Kgs. 23:29-30; 2 Chr. 35:20-25; compare MT 2 Chr. 35:20-27; 1 Esdr. 1:25-31, which confuse this battle with a later one at Carchemish). Neco was not able to prevent the fall of the Assyrians but did claim suzerainty over Palestine and Syria. He deposed Jehoahaz and took him to Egypt, placing on the throne of Jerusalem Eliakim, son of Josiah, who changed his name to Jehoiakim (2 Kgs. 23:31-35).

In 605 Neco and his army engaged in battle against Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian crown prince, at Carchemish (Jer. 46:2; Josephus Ant. 10.6). The Egyptians were soundly defeated and driven back to their borders. In 601 Neco had to defend his country against the incursions of Nebuchadnezzar. Both armies suffered heavy losses, and Nebuchadnezzar was forced to withdraw. There is no other mention of Neco in the historical records.

Bibliography. A. Gardiner, Egypt of the Pharaohs (Oxford, 1961); D. J. Wiseman, Chronicles of Chaldaean Kings (626-552 B.C.) (1956, repr. London, 1974); Nebuchadrezzar and Babylon (Oxford, 1985).

Lawrence A. Sinclair

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

NECO

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)