There's a translational error in one of these...

2 Kings 23:29 (KJV1611 Edition):
In his dayes, Pharaoh Nechoh king of Egypt,
went vp against the king of Assyria to the riuer Euphrates:
and king Iosiah went against him, [1]
and hee [2]
slew him at Megiddo, [3]
when he [4]
had seene him. [5]

Three people are discussed here:
Pharaoh Nechoh (KJV1611, or Necho KJV1679)
king of Assyria
king Iosiah (KJV1611, or Josiah KJV1679).

There are five pronouns referring to the three people.
(not to mention one pronoun referring tosomeone
before this verse)

The pronouns are NOT in the Greek text.
This verse is very confusing.
The meaning of this verse has absolutely no
doctrinal value.

Here is Ed's doctrine:

The Written Word of God is inerrant & perfect in
ALL ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS.

So, both verses are correct, figure it out amongst
yourselves
This verse is very confusing.
The meaning of this verse has absolutely no
doctrinal value.

 

The Judean military force would presumably have been against both the Assyrians and against the Pharoah Necho:
yet to go to battle against Necho would be to the benefit of the Assyrians.
The incident is recorded more fully and with additional information in 2 Chr 35:20–27.

The NKJV rendering of the verse is distinctly against the norm here.

Rob

 

From several sources, I remember reading that Necho reigned from 601-595 BC, and that he fought AGAINST Babylon, as the Assyrian empire had crumbled by then, and that an Assyrian general & his loyal troops were the last holdouts against Babylon. Necho was actually headed for HARRAN, a town between Damascus and Carchemish. (Not the Biblical Haran where Laban lived) I once read that Josiah had pledged fealty to Babylon & thus marched against Necho as he crossed Judah to reach Harran, refusing to believe Necho's message that he had been sent by GOD against Babylon. Josiah died in the fight against Necho, and Necho then took control of Judah.(2 Chron. 35)

The battle against Babylon was indecisive, but four years later, Necho tried again at Carchemish, and was decisively routed. The Assyrians were dispersed, Bobylon took control of Judah, and Necho retreated back to Egypt to strengthen it against Babylonian attacks. However, he also had to contend with attacks by Cimmerians, Scythians, and Greeks.

His grandson was Pharaoh Hophra(Apries) of the Bible.

I believe a search of history shows that Necho was marching to team up with the Assyrians in hope of defeating Babylon, as part of God's overall plan to both end the power of the Assyrians & weaken Egypt, eventually placing Assyria, Egypt, and Judah under Babylonian rule.

Let's lookit some of the uses of against in the KJV.


And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bow shot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept. (Gen. 21:16)

This is from the story of Hagar and Ishmael in the desert. Plainly, against here means "away from".

Genesis 43:25
And they made ready the present against Joseph came at noon: for they heard that they should eat bread there.

This is about Joseph brothers in Egypt before they knew Joseph was the vizier with whom they were dealing. Here, against means "for".

Exodus 7:15
Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river's brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand.

Here, it plainly means "where he shall".

I don't think either the KJV or the NKJV is wrong; I believe the difference is in the use of "against" 400 years ago. While the KJV also uses "against" as WE do, that is, in opposition to, competition with, or comparison, we see it's used in several other senses in the Elizabethan English.

 

Perhaps it is better to have ambiguity when unsure, rather than be potentially in error. I notice that some versions do not place Josiah in either a positive or negative position in relation to Necho...

In his days Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates. King Josiah went to meet him, and Pharaoh Neco killed him at Megiddo, as soon as he saw him. - ESV

In his days Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates. And King Josiah went to meet him, and when {Pharaoh Neco} saw him he killed him at Megiddo. -NASB

Another possibility is that along the way Josiah changed his mind about how he should position himself with regard to Egypt.