SHISHAK shī’ shäk (שִׁישַׁ֥ק or שׁוּשַׁק, meaning uncertain). King of Egypt (c. 950-929 b.c.) and founder of Egypt’s twenty-second dynasty. Several of his less important successors bore the same name.

I. Rise to power. Shishak’s ancestors were among the Libyan lords of the Meshwesh who entered Egypt as mercenary soldiers. In Egypt, the Meshwesh became the dominant members of a militaristic, land-holding aristocracy. At the same time, they attempted to become completely Egyp., i.e. to adopt the lang. and culture of Egypt.

Shishak’s family settled in Heracleopolis in the Delta and, in several generations, succeeded in establishing a small feudal principality. His grandfather was important enough to have been given a royal princess of the twenty-first dynasty as a bride. (Though nominally rulers of all Egypt, the twenty-first dynasty effectively ruled only northern Egypt leaving southern Egypt in the hands of the Theban priests of Amon.) When the last ruler of the previous dynasty died, Shishak’s power was such that he was able to assume royal power in Bubastis (i.e. Pi-beseth, q.v.). He gained legitimacy for his dynasty by marrying his son to a princess of the former dynasty. Within five years he had extended his power to include southern Egypt also.

II. Relations with Palestine. Shishak’s predecessors had maintained an interest in Asia. Hadad of Edom took refuge in Egypt, prob. with Siamon of the twenty-first dynasty (c. 1000-984 b.c.; cf. 1 Kings 11:14-22). The identity of the Pharaoh who conquered Gezer (9:16) is not clear. Breasted argues that only Shishak of the Egyp. kings of that time was capable of such a venture. On the other hand, a bas-relief from Siamon shows this king striking at the Asiatics, and this has been taken as an indication that Siamon captured Gezer. If Siamon captured Gezer, some difficulty is involved in compressing the last years of Siamon’s reign, thirty odd years of Peshibkhenno II (c. 984-950 b.c.), and about fifteen years of Shishak’s reign into the forty odd years of Solomon’s reign. Perhaps the Bible uses “Pharaoh” in a general sense; Pharaoh (i.e. Siamon) captured Gezer, and—some years later—Pharaoh (Pesibkhenno II) gave it to Solomon. Evidence does not permit a firm conclusion.

With Jeroboam’s flight to Egypt (11:40) Shishak’s personal role is clearly attested. He continued the policy of sheltering enemies of the Jewish kings while keeping an eye on Palestinian affairs. Solomon’s death, the division of the state, and the weakening of Heb. power are well known to Bible readers.

III. Shishak’s raid into Palestine. In Rehoboam’s fifth year, about Shishak’s twentieth year, the latter raided Judah and Israel. The Bible reports only the plundering of Jerusalem (14:25, 26; 2 Chron 12:2-12), but Egyp. records reveal the true scope of the raid. This record is found on a huge relief in the classical Egyp. stele at Karnak. Amon and a goddess are shown presenting ten lines of Asiatic captives to Shishak. Each of the 156 captives bore the name of a site captured by Shishak. From these names one learns that his raid extended N as far as the Sea of Galilee; thus he had plundered Israel as well. About half the names are legible and include the following: Taanach, Beth-shean, Gibeon, Bethhoron, Ajalon, and Socoh. There is little doubt that Jerusalem was originally included in the list. The name, “Field of Abram,” was the first extra-Biblical occurrence of the patriarch’s name known to scholars.

The raid was not a conquest; Egypt no longer had sufficient strength for permanent conquest. However, Shishak still may have aimed at more than the plunder which helped to finance his building program. He also may have desired to divert the profitable trade routes from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, from Heb. territory to Egypt by destroying the cities located along the routes through Heb. territory.

Bibliography J. Breasted, A History of Egypt (1905), 440-446; Ancient Records of Egypt, IV (1906), 344-361.