Chapter XXVI
1–4 (= 2 Kings xiv. 21, 22, xv. 2, 3).
Uzziah’s Reign.
¹And all the people of Judah took Uzziah¹, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah.
¹ In 2 Kings xiv. 21, Azariah.
1. all the people of Judah] Popular choice does not seem to have determined the succession to the throne, except when the reigning king had perished by a violent or untimely death, compare xxii. 1.
Uzziah] Called “Azariah” in 1 Chronicles iii. 12 and in 2 Kings (eight times), but “Uzziah” in 2 Kings xv. 13, 32, 34; Isaiah i. 1, vi. 1; Hosea i. 1; Amos i. 1; Zechariah xiv. 5. The two forms of the name when written in Hebrew consonants closely resemble each other; moreover the meanings of the two are similar, “Jah is my strength” and “Jah hath given help.” Perhaps the king bore both names; compare “Abram” and “Abraham”—“Eliakim” and “Jehoiakim” (xxxvi. 4).
²He built Eloth, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers.
2. Eloth] So spelt in viii. 17 (= 1 Kings ix. 26), but “Elath” in Deuteronomy ii. 8; 2 Kings xiv. 22. In 2 Kings xvi. 6 the two forms are found side by side in one verse.
after that the king, etc.] The meaning seems to be it was after king Amaziah slept with his fathers that Uzziah his son restored Elath to Judah; and it is a natural inference that Uzziah was ruling in Jerusalem for some while before the death of Amaziah at Lachish left him sole and undisputed king. A considerable time may have elapsed between Amaziah’s flight and his capture as related in xxv. 27. Yet this is not very likely, and from the position of the present verse in Kings it would seem as though the statement in its original context should be interpreted thus: “he, Amaziah, built Eloth,” etc.; and the king referred to in the clause “after that the king slept with his fathers” is probably Jeroboam king of Israel (so Barnes on 2 Kings xiv. 22).
³Sixteen 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.
3. Jechiliah] so the Kethīb; the Ḳerī Jecoliah agrees with the parallel passage of Kings.
⁴And he did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done.
4. his father Amaziah] This verse suits its original context in Kings, for Kings records nothing against Amaziah; it is out of place in Chronicles, for according to xxv. 14 Amaziah was an idolater.
5–10 (not in Kings).
The Prosperity of Uzziah.
5–10. It is probable that the Chronicler had old and genuine tradition to rely on for the account which he here gives of Uzziah’s prosperity—his wars against neighbouring tribes (verses 6–8), and his building activity (verses 8–10). Doubtless in the earlier years of Uzziah’s reign Judah was still suffering from the effects of the defeat inflicted by Joash of Israel. But the general accuracy of the picture of the reign is assured by such facts as (1) the stout resistance offered by Jerusalem to the Assyrians in Hezekiah’s time as contrasted with its capture by the Israelites in Amaziah’s reign (xxv. 23); (2) the frequency of metaphors from building implements and materials in the pages of the prophets of this period (e.g. Amos vii. 7 ff.); (3) the commercial activity and luxury of Jerusalem in the reign of Uzziah’s successor Ahaz—witness the writings of Isaiah, passim.
⁵And he set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding¹ in the vision² of God: and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper.
¹ Or, gave instruction.
² Hebrew the seeing. Many ancient authorities have, the fear.
5. Zechariah] Nothing is known (apart from this passage) of this Zechariah.
who had understanding] margin, “who gave instruction Hebrew mēbhīn, a word applied to a leader of song (1 Chronicles xv. 22, “skilful”; 1 Chronicles xxv. 7, “cunning”; 1 Chronicles xxv. verse 8, “teacher”).
in the vision of God] Read, in the fear of God (so LXX., Targum Peshitṭa), making a slight correction of the Hebrew text.
⁶And 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.
6. the Philistines] Compare xvii. 11, xxi. 16, xxviii. 18; 2 Kings xviii. 8; 1 Maccabees v. 66–68, xiv. 34.
brake down the wall] See note on xxv. 23.
Jabneh] Mentioned only here in the Old Testament, but probably to be identified with “Jabneel” (Joshua xv. 11). At a later date it was called “Jamnia” (2 Maccabees xii. 8), and, after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., it became for a while the chief centre of Jewish intellectual and religious activities. Its ruins are to be seen about 10 miles south of Jaffa (Joppa) on the coast. The modern Yebna is a few miles inland. Bädeker, Palestine⁵, p. 122.
Ashdod] compare 1 Samuel v. 1 ff.; Isaiah xx. 1; Zephaniah ii. 4; Nehemiah iv. 7, xxiii. 23; Acts viii, 40 (Ἄζωτος). Ashdod (modern Esdūd) was situated between Gaza and Joppa, some three miles from the sea.
in the country of Ashdod] (literally “in Ashdod”). Perhaps the name has been repeated through an early scribal error and we should read simply “and built cities among the Philistines.”
⁷And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gur-baal, and the Meunim.
7. against the Philistines, and against the Arabians] “Conditions in the comparatively small and half-desert land of Judah depended essentially on its relations with the Edomite and Arabian tribes on the south-east and with the Philistines on the west”: note how this comes out in the traditions of the period as narrated in Chronicles Jehoshaphat dominated both Philistines and Arabians (Edomites) (xvii. 11); but Libnah (near Lachish) and Edom revolted successfully against his son Jehoram (xxi. 10). After the reigns of Ahaziah and Joash, Amaziah found himself able to assail Edom and gained a great victory (xxv. 11, 12). Later in his reign Amaziah suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Joash of Israel, and it is reasonable to suppose that Edom would seize the opportunity to reassert its independence, though Chronicles is silent on the point. It is therefore in harmony with the sequence of events as narrated by the Chronicler, when in the present verse (compare verse 2) we are told that Amaziah’s successor, Uzziah, reestablished the Judean power over Edom, and that later, against Ahaz, Edom and the Philistine cities gained the upper hand (xxviii. 17, 18).
Gur-baal] An unidentified place; a “Gur” is mentioned in 2 Kings ix. 27. A slight correction of the Hebrew would give “in Gerar (compare Genesis xx. 1) and against the Meunim.”
Meunim] compare xx. 1 (note).
⁸And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entering in of Egypt; for he waxed exceeding strong.
8. gave gifts] i.e. tribute. Compare 1 Chronicles xviii. 2 (note).
⁹Moreover Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate, and at the valley gate, and at the turning of the wall, and fortified them.
9. towers in Jerusalem, etc.] The Chronicler is evidently fond of recording such traditions; compare xxxii. 30, xxxiii. 14; and the Introduction § 7, p. xlviii.
the corner gate] At the north-west corner of the walls. Compare xxv. 23 (note).
the valley gate] Nehemiah ii. 13, iii. 13. Probably near the south-west corner of the walls.
the turning of the wall] Mentioned Nehemiah iii. 19, 24. See G. A. Smith, Jerusalem, II. 120.
¹⁰And he built towers in the wilderness, and hewed out many cisterns, for he had much cattle; in the lowland also, and in the plain¹: and he had husbandmen and vinedressers in the mountains and in the fruitful fields²; for he loved husbandry.
¹ Or, table land.
² Or, Carmel See 1 Samuel xxv. 2.
10. the wilderness] i.e. the southern pasture land of Judah. Compare Psalms lxv. 12. Fortified towers have always proved effective for controlling the Bedouin and keeping the desert roads open.
in the lowland also, and in the plain] For the “lowland” (Hebrew Shephēlah) see i. 15 (note). The “plain” (margin table land; Hebrew Mishōr) is the name of the high pasture lands east of Jordan; apparently the part occupied by the Ammonites whom Uzziah had subdued is meant here. (For a different view see Smith, Jerusalem, II. 119, note.)
11–15 (no parallel in Kings).
Uzziah’s Army.
¹¹Moreover 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. ¹²The whole number of the heads of fathers’ houses, even the mighty men of valour, was two thousand and six hundred. ¹³And under their hand was a trained army¹, three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy.
¹ Or, the power of an army.
13. three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred] Compare xxv. 5 (Amaziah’s army), and the notes on xiv. 8 and xvii. 14 (the forces of Asa and of Jehoshaphat).
¹⁴And Uzziah prepared for them, even for all the host, shields, and spears, and helmets, and coats of mail, and bows, and stones for slinging.
14. stones for slinging] Such stones needed to be carefully chosen, for they had to be smooth and of a suitable size, compare 1 Samuel xvii. 40. Bows and slings appear to have been favourite weapons in Benjamin, compare 1 Chronicles xii. 2; Judges xx. 16.
¹⁵And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the battlements¹, to shoot arrows and great stones withal. And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong.
¹ Or, corner towers.
15. engines] Doubtless contrivances similar to the Roman catapulta and balista. It is questionable whether such engines of war were really in use as early as the time of Uzziah, at least among the Israelites (see Smith, Jerusalem, ii. 121, 122; and the Encyclopedia Biblia s.v. siege, especially col. 4510). The next reference to similar instruments of war is in 1 Maccabees vi. 51, 52.
helped] compare verse 7.
16–20 (not in Kings).
Uzziah’s Presumption.
16–20. Uzziah died from leprosy, as is related in verses 21–23 (= 2 Kings xv. 5–7). That terrible disease was always regarded as a manifestation of Divine anger against the sufferer (compare Numbers xii. 9 ff.; 2 Kings v. 27), but no special cause is assigned in Kings why the disaster befell Uzziah. In the present verses an adequate reason is brought forward—Uzziah, blinded by the pride of his success, infringed the privileges of the priesthood and was guilty of sacrilege. The motive for some such tale is so strong and the actual sin alleged so akin to the Chronicler’s prejudices that it may well be that the tale originated with him or his immediate circle. Yet it is possible that there may be behind the present form of the tale a valid tradition of a dispute at this period between the hierarchy and the authority of the king.
¹⁶But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up so that he did corruptly¹, and he trespassed against the Lord his God; for he went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense.
¹ Or, to his destruction.
16. did corruptly] Compare xxvii. 2.
he trespassed] compare xii. 2; Joshua vii. 1, xxii. 16. The Hebrew word implies presumptuous dealing with holy things.
the altar of incense] Compare Exodus xxx. 1–10. Not only the altar, but the incense itself was “most holy”; Exodus xxx. verses 34–38.
¹⁷And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the Lord, that were valiant men:
17. Azariah the priest] i.e. the high-priest (verse 20). He cannot be identified with any priest in the list given 1 Chronicles vi. 4–15 (v. 30–41, Hebrew).
¹⁸and they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It pertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord, 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 honour from the Lord God. ¹⁹Then 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 forth¹ in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord, beside the altar of incense.
¹ Hebrew rose (as the sun).
18. the priests the sons of Aaron] Compare xiii. 10, 11 and Numbers xvi. 40.
neither shall it be for thine honour] A euphemism covering a threat of danger and disgrace.
²⁰And 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 the Lord had smitten him.
20. the Lord had smitten him] So 2 Kings xv. 5.
21–23 (= 2 Kings xv. 5–7).
The End of Uzziah.
²¹And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house¹, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord: and Jotham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land.
¹ Or, lazar house.
21. a several house] i.e. separate, special; compare Numbers xxviii. 13; Matthew xxv. 15. The same Hebrew word is used in Psalms lxxxviii. 5, “free (Revised Version ‘cast off’) among the dead.”
cut off] The same Hebrew word is translated in the same way in Isaiah liii. 8.
²²Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, did Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, write.
22. did Isaiah... write] This statement is not in Kings. Uzziah is mentioned in Isaiah vi. 1, and this fact may be all that lies behind the present statement. It is utterly improbable that the reference is to some writing of Isaiah which has not been preserved. Possibly some section of the midrashic Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel is meant, presuming that such a work was known to the Chronicler actually or by tradition (see Introduction § 5, pp. xxxii, xxxvi).
²³So 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.
23. the field of burial] i.e. not actually in the tombs of the kings, lest they should be defiled, but in ground adjoining the royal tombs. Kings has simply “in the city of David.” Compare xxi. 20, xxiv. 25, xxviii. 27.