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2 Chronicles 26

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Uzziah Begins His Prosperous Reign 1–5

1
And all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah. ​
2
He built Eloth, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers. ​
3
Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign; and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Jechiliah, of Jerusalem.
4
And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that his father Amaziah had done.
5
And he set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the vision of God: and as long as he sought Jehovah, God made him to prosper. ​

Military Victories and Building Projects 6–15

6
And he went forth and warred against the Philistines, and brake down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod; and he built cities in the country of Ashdod, and among the Philistines. ​
7
And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gur-baal, and the Meunim. ​
8
And the Ammonites gave tribute to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entrance of Egypt; for he waxed exceeding strong. ​
9
Moreover Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate, and at the valley gate, and at the turning of the wall, and fortified them.
10
And he built towers in the wilderness, and hewed out many cisterns, for he had much cattle; in the lowland also, and in the plain: and he had husbandmen and vinedressers in the mountains and in the fruitful fields; for he loved husbandry. ​
11
Moreover Uzziah had an army of fighting men, that went out to war by bands, according to the number of their reckoning made by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king’s captains.
12
The whole number of the heads of fathers’ houses, even the mighty men of valor, was two thousand and six hundred.
13
And under their hand was an army, three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy. ​
14
And Uzziah prepared for them, even for all the host, shields, and spears, and helmets, and coats of mail, and bows, and stones for slinging.
15
And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by skilful men, to be on the towers and upon the battlements, wherewith to shoot arrows and great stones. And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong. ​

Uzziah's Pride and Transgression 16–21

16
But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up, so that he did corruptly, and he trespassed against Jehovah his God; for he went into the temple of Jehovah to burn incense upon the altar of incense. ​
17
And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of Jehovah, that were valiant men:
18
and they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It pertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto Jehovah, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honor from Jehovah God. ​
19
Then Uzziah was wroth; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense; and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy brake forth in his forehead before the priests in the house of Jehovah, beside the altar of incense. ​
20
And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out quickly from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because Jehovah had smitten him.
21
And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a separate house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of Jehovah: and Jotham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land. ​

The End of Uzziah's Reign 22–23

22
Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, did Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, write. ​
23
So Uzziah slept with his fathers; and they buried him with his fathers in the field of burial which belonged to the kings; for they said, He is a leper: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for 2 Chronicles 26

Verse 1

Uzziah — The name means 'strength of the LORD'. 2 Kgs 14:21 and 15:1 call the same king Azariah, 'the LORD has helped', and say 'all the people of Judah took' him at sixteen. Both names suit the chapter, which tells of strength given by help (vv.7, 13, 15) and then of a heart that took the strength as its own (v.16).

Verse 2

He built Eloth — Eloth stood on 'the shore of the Red sea, in the land of Edom', beside Eziongeber, where Solomon had made a navy of ships (1 Kgs 9:26). Uzziah built it and 'restored it to Judah' after his father's death. It was lost again in the days of Ahaz, when Rezin 'recovered Elath to Syria' (2 Kgs 16:6).

Verse 5

in the days of Zechariah — Darash, to seek, the verb of 25:15 and 25:20, here directed to God. Zechariah 'had understanding in the visions of God'. The sentence 'as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper' states the promise Azariah gave Asa, 'The LORD is with you, while ye be with him' (2 Chr 15:2).

Verse 6

brake down the wall of Gath — Parats, to breach, the verb of 25:23, where Joash breached Jerusalem's wall. The Philistines whom the LORD had stirred up against Jehoram (21:16) now lose the walls of Gath, Jabneh and Ashdod, and Uzziah 'built cities about Ashdod'. In the days of Ahaz they take the cities of the low country again (28:18).

Verse 7

God helped him — Azar, the verb in Uzziah's other name, Azariah, which returns in v.13 ('to help the king') and v.15 ('marvellously helped'). 1 Chr 5:20 uses it of the tribes east of Jordan, who 'were helped against them… because they put their trust in him'. The enemies here are the Philistines, the Arabians of Gurbaal and the Mehunims.

Verse 8

strengthened himself exceedingly — Chazaq, the verb of 21:4 (Jehoram), 23:1 (Jehoiada) and 25:11 (Amaziah). The Ammonites 'gave gifts' (minchah), as they paid Jotham a hundred talents of silver (27:5). The same root recurs in v.15, 'till he was strong', and in v.16 as the noun chezqah, 'when he was strong'.

Verse 10

he loved husbandry — The Hebrew is adamah, the ground, so he was 'a lover of the ground', the word of Gen 2:5 for the soil to be tilled. Noah too 'began to be an husbandman' (Gen 9:20). The towers in the wilderness and the 'many wells' served 'much cattle', with vine dressers in the hills.

Verse 13

three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred — The army of 307,500 stood 'under their hand', the 'chief of the fathers of the mighty men of valour', two thousand six hundred (v.12). Uzziah furnished 'shields, and spears, and helmets, and habergeons, and bows, and slings' (v.14). 'To help' is azar, as in v.7.

Verse 15

engines, invented by cunning men — Three words share one root, chashav, to think or devise: 'engines' (chishavon), 'invented' and 'cunning men'. The Bible names chishavon only here and in Eccl 7:29. 'Marvellously helped' joins pala, to be wonderful, with azar, the verb of v.7.

Verse 16

his heart was lifted up — Gavah, to be high, used again of Hezekiah in 32:25. 'To his destruction' is shachat, the verb 'destroy' of 21:7. 'Transgressed' is ma'al, repeated in v.18 as 'trespassed'. The altar of incense stood before the vail, where 'Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense' (Ex 30:7).

Verse 18

the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated — Azariah the priest, with 'fourscore priests of the LORD' (v.17), says the office belongs to the sons of Aaron, as 'no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the LORD' (Num 16:40). The priest bears the king's other name, Azariah.

Verse 19

the leprosy even rose up in his forehead — Zarach, to rise, the verb for the sun rising (Gen 32:31). It strikes 'from beside the incense altar', while the censer is in his hand. Lev 13:42 describes leprosy in the forehead as 'a leprosy sprung up', and Miriam (Num 12:10) and Gehazi (2 Kgs 5:27) were struck the same way.

Verse 21

a several house — Chofshit, with the word for house, a house apart, as in 2 Kgs 15:5. The law of the leper was 'he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be' (Lev 13:46). He was 'cut off from the house of the LORD' (gazar), and Jotham, 'the LORD is perfect', was over the house, 'judging the people of the land'.

Verse 22

Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz — Isaiah's book begins 'in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah' (Isa 1:1). 'First and last' is the formula used of Solomon's acts in 9:29, written by Nathan, Ahijah and Iddo. Of Uzziah, the writer is a prophet who saw the vision 'in the year that king Uzziah died' (Isa 6:1).

Verse 23

the field of the burial — The king is buried 'with his fathers', in the field belonging to the kings, 'for they said, He is a leper'. 2 Kgs 15:7 says 'in the city of David'. The exclusions of 21:20, 24:25 and 28:27 each name the sepulchres of the kings, and Isaiah dates his vision from this death (Isa 6:1).