Uzziah of Judah

Uzziah of Judah (Hebrew: עֻזִּיָּהוּ‎), also known as Azariah, was the king of the ancient Kingdom of Judah, and one of Amaziah's sons, whom the people appointed to replace his father (2 Kings 14:21; 2 Chronicles 26:1). He is one of the kings mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew.

William F. Albright has dated his reign to 783 B.C.E.-742 B.C.E., while E. R. Thiele offers the dates 767 B.C.E.-740 B.C.E.

Background

Uzziah came to the throne in the midst of palace intrigues over religious and political policy. His grandfather, Joash had been placed on throne as a young boy by the high priest Jehoiada, who had engineered assassination of the Queen Athaliah for he toleration of Baal worship. Joash, too, had later been murdered. Uzziah's father Amaziah faced opposition from Judah's prophetic party, which forced him to break his alliance with the northern Kingdom of Israel. Although Amaziah was able to subdue the land of Edom, he was again condemned by the prophets when, as Edom's lord, he honored the Edomite deities. Hard feelings between Israel and Judah led to Amaziah making war against the north, leading to a disastrous defeat in which Jerusalem was sacked. He died years later at Lachish as a result of a conspiracy which placed his son, Uzziah on the throne in Jerusalem.

Biblical tradition

Uzziah took the throne at the age of sixteen (2 Kings 14:21). They biblical writers give him a fairly strong endorsement, stating that: "He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord." However, he did not entirely agree with the policy of the Jerusalem priests. Thus, "the high places, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there."

Uzziah was contemporary with the prophets Isaiah, Hosea, and Amos, although they do not prophecy concerning him in their works, except for Isaiah's mentioning that his own vision of God took place in "the year that King Uzziah died."

The Book of Chronicles relates that Uzziah conquered the Philistines by breaking down the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod. He also defeated Arabian tribes and exacted tribute from the Ammonites (2 Chron. 26). It goes on to detail how he refortified his country, engaged in agricultural pursuits, and organized and equipped his army with the latest military technology.

Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate and at the angle of the wall, and he fortified them. He also built towers in the desert and dug many cisterns, because he had much livestock in the foothills and in the plain. He had people working his fields and vineyards in the hills and in the fertile lands, for he loved the soil. Uzziah had a well-trained army, ready to go out by divisions... an army of 307,500 men trained for war, a powerful force to support the king against his enemies. Uzziah provided shields, spears, helmets, coats of armor, bows and slingstones for the entire army. In Jerusalem he made machines designed by skillful men for use on the towers and on the corner defenses to shoot arrows and hurl large stones.(2 Chron. 26:9:15)

His success as king, administrator, and commander-in-chief of the army reportedly made him ruler over the largest realm of Judah since the days of Solomon.

The good will Uzziah had engendered with the priest of Jerusalem, however, came to an end when he entered the Temple of Yahweh and burned incense there, and act which the priests normally reserved to themselves. Some 80 priests followed him into the Temple and confronted him, their spokesman declaring:

"It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord. That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honored by the Lord God."

While the author of the Books of Kings reports only that Uzziah had a skin disease throughout his life, the Chronicler dramatically reports that Uzziah was immediately stricken with leprosy for his disobedience. He was subsequently forced to dwell in a leper's house until the day of his death (II Chron. 26:21). While he was in this condition Jotham, his son, ruled in his stead.

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).

Isaiah sees the Lord "in the year that king Uzziah died" (Isaiah 6:1).

Legacy

Both 2 Chronicles (26:21, 27:1) and 2 Kings 15:33 state Jotham became king at the age of 25. However, after careful study of the sources, scholars have concluded that Jotham actually became steward at 25, and that he reigned as sole king for another 16 years that.

The bad blood that had led Judah and Israel to war against each other during the time of Uzziah father flared up again during Jotham's reign as he battle against King Pekah of Israel, and also against Rezin, king of the Arameans (2 Kings 15:37). The account of 2 Chronicles adds he was able to retain the control which his father had achieved over the Ammonites, which resulted in the their paying Judah tribute of 100 talents of silver and large amounts of wheat and barley (2 Chronicles 27:5).

As one of the Davidic kings, Uzziah is thought to be the ancestor of the future Messiah of Judaism. He is also listed in the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew.

Uzziah Tablet

In 1931 an archeological find, now known as the Uzziah Tablet, was discovered by Professor E.L. Sukenik of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He came across the artifact in a Russian convent collection from the Mount of Olives. The origin of the tablet previous to this remains unknown and was not documented by the convent. The inscription on the tablet is written in ancient Hebrew with an Aramaic style. This style is dated to around AD 30-70, around 700 years after the supposed death of Uzziah of 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles. Nevertheless the inscription is translated, "The bones of Uzziah, king of Judah, rest here...do not open!" It is open to debate whether this really is the tomb of King Uzziah or simply a later creation. Many seem to claim that it was a later reburial of Uzziah after the Second Temple Period.

Another Uzziah was the father of Jehonathan, one of David's overseers (1 Chronicles 27:25).

This entry incorporates text from the public domain Easton's Bible Dictionary, originally published in 1897.

House of David Cadet Branch of the Tribe of Judah
Regnal Titles
Preceded by: Amaziah	King of Judah 776 B.C.E. – 736 B.C.E.	Succeeded by: Jotham

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