Uzziah
King of Judah; Isaiah's throne vision is dated to his death
- Also called
- Azariah
- Reign
- 8th century BCE (dates vary; c. 783–742 BCE)
- Kingdom
- Judah
- Known for
- Long, prosperous reign; struck with a skin disease
- Main texts
- 2 Kings 15; 2 Chronicles 26; Isaiah 6:1
The long-reigning 8th-century king of Judah whose death gives the date of Isaiah's vision of the seraphim.
What is Uzziah known for?
Uzziah, also called Azariah, ruled Judah for about fifty years in the 8th century BCE, a period of military success and building. 2 Chronicles 26 says that late in his reign he entered the Temple to burn incense, a task reserved for priests, and was struck with a skin disease, living in isolation while his son Jotham governed.
On this site Uzziah matters as a date. Isaiah 6 opens "in the year that king Uzziah died," when the prophet sees the Lord enthroned in the Temple with six-winged seraphim above him. This is the only biblical vision that names the seraphim, and the date places it around 740 BCE.
Uzziah is accepted as a historical king. A stone plaque from the Second Temple period, found in Jerusalem in 1931 and known as the Uzziah Tablet, says that the bones of Uzziah king of Judah were moved there.
His death year dates Isaiah's vision of the seraphim.
Mentioned on these pages
Sources
- 2 Chronicles 26 and Isaiah 6 (KJV), Bible GatewayPrimary text
- Wikipedia, 'Uzziah'Reference
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