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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 BC-742 BC, while E. R. Thiele offers the dates 767 BC-740 BC.

His long reign of about fifty-two years was "the most prosperous excepting that of Jehoshaphat 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 a prophet named Zechariah, he was faithful to Yahweh, and "did that which was right in the sight of the Lord" (2 Kings 15:3; 2 Chr. 26:4, 5) 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. His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful.

But then, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense. (2Chr. 26: 15-16)

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." In the mean time a great earthquake shook the ground and a rent was made in the temple, and the bright rays of the sun shone through it, and fell upon the king's face, insomuch that the leprosy seized upon him immediately. (Josephus Flavius, Antiquities IX 10:4).

Uzziah was suddenly struck with tzaraas while in the act of offering incense (2Chr. 26:19-21), and he was driven from the Temple and compelled to reside in "a several house" to the 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... (Dr. Green's Kingdom of Israel).

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

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 are 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.

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

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

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Uzziah was a popular hardcore band in the early 2000's. They were known for their Christian lyrics with favorites such as "Jesus is all around the Walls" "Nailed to the Crucifix" and "Kick Your Butt for Talkin' Smack". But it wasn't until their big debut "Tropical Christ" that they recieved all of their recognition and made #4 on the billboards. In 2002 they got a bad rep when a fan was killed at their concert by one of the Hell's Angels that they hired to do security at Atlanta venue Swayze's. The media had a field day. Because of all the press, lead guitarist Austin Rutland tragically passed away due to a cocaine overdose. In late 2003 the band unveiled one of it's biggest secrets, an ongoing relationship between bass player Cameron Richmond and Kshatriya's lead guitarist Neal White. Churches had finally had enough of the band's wreckless behavior and quit donating to the band and sadly, they had to reform as a group. The new band is now called Pitfiend and they've been doing massive amounts of touring throughout the country, and currently Cameron Richmond's relationship with Neal White stands strong.