Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Kings 19:9

"And when he heard say of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, Behold, he is come out to fight against thee, he sent messengers again unto Hezekiah, saying," — 2 Kings 19:9 (ASV)

Heard say of Tirhakah. — For the construction, compare Psalm 2:7; Psalms 3:2.

Tirhakah. — In Egyptian inscriptions he is called Taharka and in Assyrian inscriptions, Tarqû. Manetho refers to him as Ταρακὺς, and Strabo as Teapxwws. He was the last king of the 25th, or Ethiopian (Cushite) dynasty, and son of Shabataka, the son of Shabaka (2 Kings 17:4).

Sennacherib does not name Tirhakah but calls him “the king of Meluhhu,” i.e., Meroë. The two successors of Sennacherib had further wars with Tirhakah. Esarhaddon, according to notices in the annals of Assurbanipal, conquered Tirhakah, “king of Mizraim and Cush,” and divided Egypt between a number of vassal kings.

A list of twenty names is preserved, beginning with “Necho king of Memphis and Sais.” This was Esarhaddon’s tenth expedition (circa 671 B.C.).

Tirhakah, however, invaded Egypt once more, because “he despised the might of Asshur, Istar, and the great gods my lords, and trusted to his own power.” This invasion led to Assurbanipal’s first expedition, which was directed against Egypt.

Ewald and Knobel suppose that Isaiah 18:0 refers to an embassy from Tirhakah asking for the co-operation of Judah against the common foe. If it is alleged that Shabataka was still the nominal king of Egypt, we may regard Tirhakah as commanding in his father’s name. However, Egyptian chronology is too uncertain to be allowed much weight in this matter.