An ancient city at the eastern end of the Nile Delta in Egypt; it is mentioned about half a dozen times, usually as the object of Yahweh's judgement, in Jeremiah (Jer 2:16; 43:7-13; 44:1-30 (1); 46:14-26 (14); Eze 30:1-19 (18)).
Little of certain is known about the city, though it is provisionally identified with modern Tell Defneh, about 43km south-west of Port Said.
When the treachery of King Zedekiah brought the full wrath of Nebuchadnezzer upon Judah in 586-7 BC, many of the Jews fled to Egypt. Despite Jeremiah's promise that Yahweh will keep them safe if they stayed, they bundled Jeremiah with them and fled to Tahpanhes. There Jeremiah, as far as we know, ended his life, but not before issuing two oracles against the Jews living there, promising them that Nebuchadnezzer would march all the way into Egypt to reek God's judgment upon them (43:7ff & 44:1ff).
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