The Reinterment Funerary Inscription of King Uzziah

The reinterment funerary inscription of King Uzziah discovered in the nineteenth century. The translated Aramaic reads, “Hither were brought the bones of Uzziah, King of Judah. Do not open.” The inscription dates to the first century BC when Herod the Great ordered all cemeteries to be moved outside the walls of Jerusalem, except those of Jewish kings. Uzziah, who had been struck by God with a skin disease (26:16-21), was reinterred in the royal tombs. This inscription marked the grave and served as a warning to looters.