People of the Bible

Uzziah

also called Azariah, Ozias · 808 BC – 757 BC · Genealogy of Jesus · Tribe of Judah

Family

Born: Jerusalem
Died: Jerusalem

In the story

A dot is a moment; a bar is something that lasted, drawn to its length.

Reign of Uzziah · 809 BC
Death of Uzziah · 757 BC

Easton’s Bible Dictionary

One of Amaziah’s sons, whom the people made king of Judah in his father’s stead (2 Kings 14:21; 2 Chr. 26:1). His long reign of about fifty-two years was “the most prosperous excepting that of Jehosaphat since the time of Solomon.” He was a vigorous and able ruler, and “his name spread abroad, even to the entering in of Egypt” (2 Chr. 26:8, 14). In the earlier part of his reign, under the influence of Zechariah, he was faithful to Jehovah, and “did that which was right in the sight of the Lord” (2 Kings 15:3; 2 Chr. 26:4, 5); but toward the close of his long life “his heart was lifted up to his destruction,” and he wantonly invaded the priest’s office (2 Chr. 26:16), and entering the sanctuary proceeded to offer incense on the golden altar. Azariah the high priest saw the tendency of such a daring act on the part of the king, and with a band of eighty priests he withstood him (2 Chr. 26:17), saying, “It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense.” Uzziah was suddenly struck with leprosy while in the act of offering incense (26:19-21), and he was driven from the temple and compelled to reside in “a several house” to the day of his death (2 Kings 15:5, 27; 2 Chr. 26:3). He was buried in a separate grave “in the field of the burial which belonged to the kings” (2 Kings 15:7; 2 Chr. 26:23). “That lonely grave in the royal necropolis would eloquently testify to coming generations that all earthly monarchy must bow before the inviolable order of the divine will, and that no interference could be tolerated with that unfolding of the purposes of God, which, in the fulness of time, would reveal the Christ, the true High Priest and King for evermore” (Dr. Green’s Kingdom of Israel, etc.).

From M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary (1893), in the public domain.

Named in 33 verses

2 Kings: 14:21, 15:1, 15:6, 15:7, 15:8, 15:13, 15:17, 15:23, 15:27, 15:30, 15:32, 15:34
1 Chronicles: 3:12
2 Chronicles: 26:1, 26:3, 26:8, 26:9, 26:11, 26:14, 26:18, 26:19, 26:21, 26:22, 26:23, 27:2
Isaiah: 1:1, 6:1, 7:1
Hosea: 1:1
Amos: 1:1
Zechariah: 14:5
Matthew: 1:8, 1:9

The family, dates and events on this page come from Theographic, a knowledge graph of the Bible by Robert Rouse, used and shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. It is a work in progress, and its dates follow one reconstruction of biblical chronology among several. The dictionary article above is separately in the public domain.