Bible Commentaries
2 Kings 17

Verse 4

2 Kings 17:4

So, king of Egypt --

King Hoshea of Israel attempted to procure military aid from “So, king of Egypt” (2 Kings 17:4) for a rebellion against Assyria, but was unsuccessful. The positive identification of this king with monarchs listed in Egyptian records also has been unsuccessful.

Though no Egyptian king is known by the name “So,” two kings are possible candidates. Both ruled in Egypt during Hoshea’s reign in Israel (732–722 b.c.), and both ruled at a time when Egypt was politically divided. In fact, they were contemporaries: Osorkon IV (730–715 b.c.) and Tefnakht I (727–720 b.c.).

Osorkon IV was the last ruler of the 22nd Dynasty (c. 945–715 b.c.). The Egypt of his time was no longer a united kingdom, but rather consisted of small, rival Libyan dynasties. Some scholars suggest that “So” was a short form of the name “Osorkon.”

Tefnakht I was able to consolidate a kingdom in Egypt’s West Delta, establishing a capital at Sais. Scholars have supposed that “So” could be a place name corresponding to Sais, or to “the Saite,” a name referring to the dynasty of pharaohs who ruled from the city of Sais. If this were the case, then the writer of 2 Kings possibly meant that Hoshea sent “to Sais (So), to the king of Egypt,” emphasizing the Egyptian monarch’s dynasty rather than his personal name.

These two contemporary monarchs are the most likely candidates to be King So of Egypt. Although Osorkon IV would have been physically closer to Palestine, Tefnakht campaigned in Arabia, according to tradition.