PHARAOH (fa'ro or fa'ra-o), (Heb.;*7-,fiar-o', the sun), the general title of the kings of Egypt in the Old Testament, and found only there and in the writers who have drawn from that source.
It often stands simply like a proper name (Gen. xii :z5 ; xxxvii :36 ; x1:2, sq.; xliv sq.; and so generally throughout the Pentateuch, and also in Cant. i :9; Is. xix ; xxx :2). 'King of Egypt' is sometimes subjoined to it (1 Kings iii :1 ; 2 Kings xvii :7; xviii :2z) ; and sometimes also the more specific designation, or real proper name of the monarch is indicated, as Pharaoh Necho (2 Kings xxiii :33), Pharaoh Hophra (Jer. xliv :3o). Josephus intimates that the word signifies 'the king' in the Egyptian language (Antiq. viii, 6, 2). This is apparently confirmed by our finding the word 'king' written in the dialect of Memphis, our°, and with the masculine article piouro (Ja blonski, Opusc. i, 374 ; Peyron, Lex. Copt.. p. 15o). The idea has, however, been more recently started that Pharaoh corresponds to the Egyptian phra, 'the sun,' which is written as an hiero glyphic symbol over the titles of kings (Wilkinson, Anc. Egyptians, iv, 287). It seems to us that this explanation might be admitted without contra dicting the other, seeing that it is not only pos sible. but highly probable, that the Egyptians should make the name of the sun a royal title, and that at length custom ren dered it equivalent to 'king.' The practice of ancient, and indeed modern, Oriental kings, of associating the idea of their own dignity with the glory of the sun, is well known.
Modern Egyptologists (De Rouge, Brugsch, and Ebers) define its meaning as "the great house," and its appli cation would thus be equiv alent to our "the sublime porte." On account of the great uncertainty which still surrounds Egyptian chro nology, it has proved very difficult to identify the dif ferent Pharaohs mentioned in .the Bible, but, in many points, the investigations of Egyptologists and Biblical scholars have reached pretty certain conclusions. Ten Pharaohs are min tioned in the Old Testament.
(1) The Pharaoh of Abraham. The Pharaoh of the time of Abraham (Gen. xii :15) is most probably identical with Salatis, the head of the fifteenth dy nasty, one of the Shepherd kings (Hyksos), foreigners of the Semitic race. who conquered Egypt and, hav ing become Egyptianized, ruled it for several cen turies. The date of Abra ham's visit to Egypt is most probably fixed at about B. C. 2080.
(2) The Pharaoh of Joseph. The Pharaoh of Joseph (Gen. xli) was the last, or the last but one, of the fifteenth dynasty ; probably identical with Apophis, who reigned at least twenty-six years. (B. C. 1876-185o.) Bunsen identifies him with Osirtesen III, the Sesostris of classical writers.
(3) The Pharaoh of the Oppression. ''The new king over Egypt who knew not Joseph" (Exod. i :8), and under whose reign Moses was born—is now by most Egyptologists identified with Rameses II, the third sovereign of the nine teenth dynasty (the Sesostris of the Greeks), the most prominent of the Pharaohs, a conqueror of many lands, the master builder of Egypt, whose statues and temples in ruins are found all over the Nile valley from Zoan (Tanis) to Karnak. It
was his daughter who found and adopted Moses (Exod. :5-to). His mummied body was taken from the tomb in z881 and unwrapped in the Bou lak museum. That this Pharaoh was Aalimes I (the Amosis of Josephus), the first sovereign of the eighteenth dynasty, is now pretty generally abandoned. (See Ecyrr.) (4) The Pharaoh of the Exodus. The Pha raoh of the Exodus (Exod. v:1), before whom Moses wrought his miracles, and who perished with his army in the pursuit of the Israelites, was Meneptah, the thirteenth son of Rameses who began to rule B. C. 1728. His reign was inglorious and marked a period of decline. He did not even finish his father's tomb. On a mon nment of Tanis mention is made of the fact that he lost a son, and Dr. Brugsch connects this with the death of the firstborn, the last of the plagues.
(5) The Father-in-Law of /Vlered. The Pha raoh whose daughter, Bithiah, was given in mar riage to Mered, a descendant of Judah (I Chron. iv :18). The date of this marriage cannot be as certained, being fixed by some at the time of the exode, while others bring down this event to near the time of David. "The most interesting featureconnected with this transaction is the name Bithiah (daughter of Jehovah), given to the daughter of Pharaoh. It exhibits the true faith of Israel as exerting its influence abroad, and gathering proselytes even in the royal house of idolatrous Egypt." (6) The Brother-in-Law of Hadad. The Pharaoh who gave thc sister of his queen in mar riage to Hadad, an Edomite of royal blood, who escaped the massacre of Joab and fled to Egypt ( t Kings xi :18-2o). Osochor is probably the Pharaoh in question, although according to Afri canus he would be Psusennes I.
(7) The Father-in-Law of Solomon. The Pharaoh whose daughter Solomon married and brought "into the city of David until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the Lord" ( f Kings iii :1), consequently before the eleventh year of his reign, in which year the temple was finished (I Kings vi :37, 38). This Pharaoh afterward made an expedition into Pal estine, took Gezer, slew the Canaanites who dwelt in the city, and gave it to his daughter, Solomon's wife (i Kings ix :16).
(8) The I'haraoh of Hezeldah. The Pharaoh in whom King Hezcklah Ills confidence in his war with Sennacherib (2 Kings xviii :21). He may be reasonably supposed to be Sethos or the 2et of Manetho, the last king of the twenty-third dy nasty. He reigned in the fourteenth year of Heze kiah (B. C. about 711), and was the contemporary of Tirhakah, king of Ethiopia, and of Sennache rib. king of Assyria (Is. xxxvi :6).