Who Was Uzziah in the Bible? Was He a Good or Bad King?

The Bible mentions King Uzziah, also known as Azariah, in 2 Chronicles 26 and 2 Kings 15. His reign followed his father’s, King Amaziah. Amaziah mostly ruled righteously. He tried to follow God, but his heart was led astray after God gave him victory against the neighboring kingdom of Edom. Despite Yahweh’s grace and power over the battle, Amaziah brought the Edomite idols back to Jerusalem and the Temple there, worshipping the idols. This angered God, and his disobedience led to his downfall and eventual assassination by his own people. 

The name Uzziah means “The Lord is my strength,” and his alternate name, Azariah, means “The Lord has helped.” Both names point to a dependence upon God. Uzziah became king at the age of 16, following his father’s assassination, and he needed God’s help to establish his kingdom as a young man. He ruled for 52 years, one of Judah’s longest reigning kings. His rule coincided with a fairly prosperous period around the eighth century BC. When he passed away, his son Jotham ascended the throne of Judah. 

The Old Testament connects Uzziah’s earliest success to his reliance upon God through the first half of his reign. The prophet Zechariah (not the author of the biblical book) instructed him, and for a time, Uzziah followed the Lord’s guidance. Perhaps because of his early successes, however, he developed dangerous pride, and it led to his downfall. 

Photo credit: ©Sparrowstock

King Uzziah strengthened Judah’s military. He reorganized the fighting men and provided weapons for the army to defend against enemies which surrounded them. Judah and Israel’s history includes continual fighting against other nations and people groups seeking to conquer the land. As David proved, a strong military became a practical step to see Judah survive and thrive. Uzziah gathered an army of over 300,000 men and armed them with shields, spears, helmets, and bows. He also built defenses for Jerusalem’s walls, like machines to shoot arrows and stones. Along with Jerusalem’s elevated, hilly position, this made the city quite the stronghold. 

From this place of security and with a large army, Uzziah expanded Judah’s borders. He defeated the old foes, the Philistines, tearing down their walled cities. He also conquered the Arabians in Gur-Baal and the Meunites to get tribute. His victories caused other nations to fear and respect Uzziah and Judah. 

Along with the military, Judah’s economy improved under Uzziah. He invested in massive infrastructure like cisterns and immigration systems to support farming in drier areas. He built towers to protect grazing lands from bandits and developed vineyards and other crops. Uzziah’s efforts provided great prosperity for the nation. 

In all, his early years led to a flourishing Judah, but it was all based on his faithfulness to the Lord and seeking God’s guidance. Godly leadership can lead to great good in every area. 

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Andrey Zhuravlev

King Uzziah and Judah enjoyed years of prosperity and military victories. However, he likely allowed his achievements to lead to arrogance. 

The key point came when Uzziah entered the Lord’s Temple to burn incense on the altar. This sacred duty was exclusively reserved for the Levitical priests, descendants of Aaron. Uzziah violated God’s clear law, which separated the role of kings and priests. When he entered the Temple, Azariah the high priest and 80 other priests stood against him. Rebuking him, they warned his actions would cause disaster. Unlike earlier in his reign, Uzziah didn’t listen to spiritual wisdom, and he became angry. 

Just then, God’s judgment hit Uzziah. As he stood before the priests, leprosy emerged on his forehead, a sign of being unclean. The priests saw his divine punishment and banished him from the Temple, since lepers couldn’t enter the Temple according to the Law. Uzziah left and realized his grave sin. 

He had leprosy for the rest of his life. 

For the remainder of his life, Uzziah lived in isolation, as leprosy made him ceremonially unclean. He resided in a separate house, away from the palace and the temple, unable to fulfill his royal duties. His son Jotham co-ruled with him, taking on the responsibilities of governance while Uzziah remained excluded from public life.

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/fotomem

Uzziah’s leprosy isolated him from worship and his people. Since the disease was awful, painful, highly contagious, and fatal, the Law mandated lepers live in complete exile. Therefore, Uzziah lived in a separate house away from the palace. 

With Uzziah unable to interact with anyone, his son Jotham began ruling while Uzziah remained alive. Jotham acted as king and provided stability. When Uzziah died, his legacy had been tainted by his pride and punishment. However, Judah remembered his achievements. But his leprosy likely influenced where they buried him—in a field reserved for royalty but not the kingly tombs. An inscription near his burial marked him with, “He is a leper,” a sad statement regarding his downfall. 

Jotham succeeded Uzziah as king, and Jotham stayed faithful to God, continuing to work for the good of Judah and avoiding his father’s mistakes. 

Isaiah probably felt sorrow in the Temple after Uzziah’s death because he mourned the tragic downfall. Uzziah had accomplished much and brought prosperity with God’s blessing. As a prophet of God and a spiritual leader in Judah, Isaiah would have grieved over Uzziah’s pride and corruption at the end.

Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Rastan

King Uzziah teaches us how pride leads to disobedience and consequences. His story reveals how arrogance keeps us from God’s best, and our humility will bring us great blessings. 

Uzziah’s heart became proud from the accomplishments God blessed him with, due to his faithfulness. Pride deceived him, not heeding the warning from Moses in Deuteronomy 8, where Israel’s leader tells them not to forget God after they settle the Promised Land and enjoy abundance. Uzziah fell into this trap. 

Scripture warns us against pride in other places. “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). The New Testament reiterates this principle in James 4:6: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Our most blessed state is in complete dependence upon God. Pride blinds us to think more of ourselves and our abilities than is true. Lies lead to death, and pride proves no different. 

Arrogance naturally flows into disobedience. Uzziah’s attempt to burn incense in the Temple was a rebellion against God and his law. Disobedience always brings negative consequences. The apostle Paul tells us in Romans 6:23 that “the wages of sin is death.” While Uzziah’s physical life didn’t end right away, his leprosy became a symbol of his separation from God and the community. Just as Uzziah's life and legacy were marred by his sin, we will also suffer consequences from sin, both spiritual and physical death. When we act in pride, we jeopardize the positive influence we could have on others and the example we set for future generations.

God loves us and doesn’t want that for us. He desires the eternal best life for all people, so he calls us to humility for our good. 

The opposite of pride, humility, allows God’s grace and blessings to flow freely into our lives. Humility doesn’t mean we have no value, only that we have no ability to live on our own. Being humble, we recognize our dependence upon God and our constant need for him in all things. Micah 6:8 encourages us to “walk humbly with your God.” Humility keeps us grounded and reminds us to praise him for every good we experience since it all finds its source in him. 

Humility acts according to truth and restores our relationship with God. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us.” (1 John 1:9) If Uzziah had humbled himself and repented, his story could have ended differently. We can repent while we have time and opportunity, living in humility and dependence upon the Father who loves us. When we choose to live in repentant humility, we stay faithful and experience his blessings, including a powerful spiritual legacy beyond ourselves. 

Uzziah’s life reminds us to guard our hearts against pride and walk humbly by the Spirit, given to us freely in the New Covenant through the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Peace. 

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/FTiare