אַחֲרֵ֣י כָל־זֹ֗את אֲשֶׁ֨ר הֵכִ֤ין יֹֽאשִׁיָּ֙הוּ֙ אֶת־הַבַּ֔יִת עָלָ֞ה נְכ֧וֹ מֶֽלֶךְ־מִצְרַ֛יִם לְהִלָּחֵ֥ם בְּכַרְכְּמִ֖ישׁ עַל־פְּרָ֑ת וַיֵּצֵ֥א לִקְרָאת֖וֹ יֹאשִׁיָּֽהוּ׃
After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Neco king of Egypt went up to fight against Carchemish by the Euphrates; and Josiah went out against him.
From David to Destruction
Divrei HaYamim II 35:20-23 provides us with a few more details, but is also sparing in its presentation of this tragedy. It informs us that Paroh travels to join the King of Assyria at Carchemish on the Euphrates. This well-known battle, also documented by non-Jewish sources, occurred in 609 B.C.E (see also Yirmiyahu 46). The battle pitted the crumbling Assyrian Empire against the emerging Babylonian Empire. It seems that Paroh Necho joined the Assyrian forces in an attempt to prevent the Babylonian takeover of the region and to further Egyptian interests to expand their empire into the areas lost by the Assyrians.