), a king of Egypt, the 8th of the 26th (Saite) dynasty, the Pharaoh-Hophra of Scripture (lxx. Ουαφρῆ
), the Vaphres of Manetho, succeeded his father Psammuthis, B. C. 596.
The commencement of his reign was distinguished by great success in war.
He conquered Palestine and Phoenicia, and for a short time re-established the Egyptian influence in Syria, which had been overthrown by Nebuchadnezzar.
He failed, however, to protect his ally Zedekiah, king of Jerusalem, from the renewed attack of Nebuchadnezzar, who took and destroyed Jerusalem. (B. C. 586.) About the same time, in consequence of the failure of an expedition which Apries had sent against Cyrene, his army rebelled and elected as king Amasis, whom Apries had sent to reconcile them.
The crueltyof Apries to Patarbemis, whom he had sent to bring back Amasis, and who had failed in the attempt, exasperated the principal Egyptians to such a degree, that they deserted him, leaving him only to the protection of an auxiliary force of 30,000 Greeks.
With these and the few Egyptians who remained faithful to him, Apries encountered Amasis at Momemphis, but his army was overpowered by numbers, and he himself was taken alive. Amasis treated him for some time with kindness, but at length, in consequence of the continued murmurs of the Egyptians, he suffered him to be put to death. (Hdt. 161
, &c., 169, 4.159; Diod. 1.68
; Athen. 13.560
; Jerem. 37.5,7, 44.30, 46.26; Ezek. 29.3; J. AJ 10.9.7