Taharqa (Kush and Egypt)

Taharqa, son of Piye, was one of the Kushite pharaohs of the 25th dynasty, from Napata in present-day Sudan, who ruled Egypt; he reigned from −690 to −664. 2 Kings 19:9 and Isaiah 37:9 tell that while Sennacherib was attacking Judah in −701, word came that "Tirhakah king of Kush" was marching out against him. Sennacherib's annals record a battle at Eltekeh, near Ekron, against the chariots and archers of the kings of Egypt and Kush, and claim the victory; Taharqa, then a young prince, probably led the army for his brother Shebitku. As king he built on a grand scale at Karnak in Thebes and at Jebel Barkal in Kush. Esarhaddon invaded Egypt and took Memphis in −671, capturing his queen and his heir, and Ashurbanipal drove him south again. He died in Kush and was buried in the largest pyramid at Nuri.

For Judah he was the African power whose march gave Hezekiah hope, while Isaiah warned against trusting in Egypt (Isaiah 30–31). His appearance in Kings is one of the places where the Bible names a known foreign king in his right setting.