Uzziah in the Bible

Story, name meaning and life lessons

In brief

Uzziah, also called Azariah in the books of Kings, becomes king of Judah at sixteen and reigns fifty-two years in Jerusalem. As long as he seeks the Lord, God makes him prosper: victories over the Philistines, towers, cisterns, a strong army, fame reaching Egypt. But once powerful, his heart grows proud: he enters the temple to burn incense, a right reserved for the priests. Leprosy breaks out on his forehead and he lives shut out of the temple until his death. In the year of his death, Isaiah sees a vision of the Lord seated on his throne.

What does the name Uzziah mean?

Uzziah (Uzziyah in Hebrew) is generally linked to the expression the Lord is my strength. The books of Kings also call him Azariah, the Lord has helped (2 Kings 15). The Bible does not explain his name; Chronicles sums up his reign in a contrast: upheld by God as long as he sought him, ruined by pride once he became powerful.

The story of Uzziah

  1. King at sixteen

    2 Chronicles 26:1-5

    All the people of Judah make Uzziah king in place of his father Amaziah. He is sixteen and will reign fifty-two years. He does what is right in the eyes of the Lord. He set himself to seek God during the days of Zechariah, who understood the visions of God, and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper. The condition of his success is stated from the start.

  2. Victories and building projects

    2 Chronicles 26:6-10

    Uzziah breaks down the walls of Gath, Jabneh and Ashdod and builds cities in Philistine territory. God helped him against the Philistines, the Arabs and the Meunites; the Ammonites pay him tribute and his fame spreads as far as Egypt. He builds towers in Jerusalem and in the wilderness and digs many cisterns for his herds, because he loved the soil.

  3. A mighty army

    2 Chronicles 26:11-15

    Uzziah has an army of three hundred and seven thousand five hundred soldiers, led by two thousand six hundred family heads. He provides them with shields, spears, helmets, coats of armor, bows and slingstones, and has machines built to shoot arrows and large stones from the towers. His fame spread far, for he was marvelously helped until he became powerful.

  4. Pride and the incense

    2 Chronicles 26:16-18

    But when he was strong, his heart grew proud, to his own destruction. Uzziah enters the temple to burn incense on the altar of incense. The priest Azariah and eighty courageous priests stand against him, telling him that it is not for him to burn incense to the Lord. That right belongs to the sons of Aaron, and they order him out of the sanctuary.

  5. Struck with leprosy

    2 Chronicles 26:19-21

    Uzziah, censer in hand, rages at the priests. At that moment leprosy breaks out on his forehead, in the house of the Lord, beside the altar of incense. They hurry him out, and he himself hastens to leave, because the Lord had struck him. He remains a leper until his death, living in a separate house and excluded from the temple, while his son Jotham governs.

  6. The year of his death, Isaiah's vision

    Isaiah 6:1-5

    In the year that King Uzziah died, Isaiah sees the Lord seated on a high and exalted throne, with the train of his robe filling the temple. The seraphim cry out that the Lord of hosts is holy, holy, holy. Isaiah recognizes that he is undone, a man of unclean lips. At the moment a long-powerful king disappears, the prophet beholds the true King.

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What Uzziah teaches us

  • What you receive from God in success can ruin you if your heart grows proud: stay dependent on him when all is going well.
  • Respect the limits God has set; serving with zeal does not entitle you to take a place he has not given you.
  • When courageous brothers rebuke you, do not get angry as Uzziah did; the anger came before the leprosy.
  • Human thrones pass away, but the Lord remains seated on his: in the year of Uzziah's death, Isaiah saw him.
  • The prosperity God gives lasts as long as you seek him; Uzziah's story says it in one sentence.

Key verses

2 Chronicles 26:5

As long as Uzziah sought the Lord, God made him prosper. The king's success is tied to his seeking God, and the verse already foretells what will happen when it stops.

2 Chronicles 26:16

Once powerful, his heart grows proud, to his destruction. Pride leads him to usurp the priests' service in the temple of the Lord.

Isaiah 6:1

In the year of Uzziah's death, Isaiah sees the Lord on a high throne. The throne of Judah is empty, but the throne in heaven is still occupied.

Bible verses to meditate on

Sermons about Uzziah

Frequently asked questions

Why was Uzziah struck with leprosy?

Having become powerful, Uzziah grew proud and entered the temple to burn incense, a service the law reserved for priests descended from Aaron. When Azariah and eighty priests opposed him, he became angry, and leprosy broke out on his forehead (2 Chronicles 26:16-21). He remained a leper until his death.

Are Uzziah and Azariah the same king?

Yes. The books of Kings call this king of Judah Azariah, son of Amaziah (2 Kings 15), while Chronicles and Isaiah call him Uzziah (2 Chronicles 26; Isaiah 6:1). It is the same ruler, who reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. Note that the priest who stood up to him is also named Azariah.

Where can I find the story of Uzziah in the Bible?

The fullest account is 2 Chronicles 26: his accession at sixteen, his victories, his power, his pride and his leprosy. 2 Kings 15:1-7 gives a short version under the name Azariah. Isaiah 6:1 dates the prophet's vision to the year of his death, and Isaiah 1:1 mentions his reign.

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