2 Kings 15:1

THE PHANTOM KINGS OF GOD'S REBELLIOUS PEOPLE

The Biblical author here crowds into this single chapter the events of seventy years, dismissing the long half-century reign of Azariah (Uzziah) in Judah with a mere seven verses and compressing the five reigns of phantom kings of Israel in the remaining space. It would be difficult any more emphatically to declare the relative unimportance of the kings mentioned here. "The lack of information given here is intentional to show how their despising the sacred covenant hastened the fall of Samaria, now in its final dissolution."[1]

THE REIGN OF AZARIAH AND JOTHAM OVER JUDAH

"In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel began Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah to reign. Sixteen years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned two and fifty years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. Howbeit the high places were not taken away: the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places. And Jehovah smote the king, so that he was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a separate house. And Jotham the king's son was over the household, judging the people of the land. Now the rest of the acts of Azariah (Uzziah), and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And Azariah slept with his fathers; and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead."

"Azariah ... reigned two and fifty years in Jerusalem" (2 Kings 15:2). This king was frequently referred to as Uzziah. "Azariah was the throne name, and Uzziah was an adopted name."[2] Martin expressed an opposite view, supposing that, "Azariah was his birth name and that Uzziah was his coronation name."[3] The year of his death is mentioned in Isaiah 6 as the time of a special vision that was seen by Isaiah.

"The fifty-two years of this reign included 24 years as co-regent and 28 years as sole ruler."[4] See our introduction for an explanation of the chronological difficulties and discrepancies here. For those who wish to date the reign of Uzziah, LaSor gave it as circa 790-740 B.C.[5]

"Jehovah smote the king, so that he was a leper unto the day of his death" (2 Kings 15:5). The reason for this divine judgment against Uzziah is given in 2 Chronicles 26:16-21. It was due to his presumption in usurping religious functions that belonged to the priesthood of God's people, and not to the kings.

"(He) dwelt in a separate house" (2 Kings 15:5). Here again there is solid evidence of the existence of the Torah, or Pentateuch, long prior to the times when radical critics would like to date it. Leviticus 13:46 was honored as God's law by those who segregated the king in a separate building "without the camp." The rebellion of the king by his presumptive intrusion into the function of the priests shows that his life was not totally right with God.

Of course, critics are embarrassed by such evidence as this and quickly move to show their disapproval of the passage. "Whether this intrusion by Uzziah into the sacred duties of the priests was such a great sin in his time as the later priestly writers would have us believe is open to question."[6] Indeed, such a suggestion is not true at all. The intrusion of a king into the sacred sphere reserved for the priests was a sin in Saul's day (1 Samuel 13:13), just as it was in the days of Uzziah.

"The rest of the acts of Azariah, and all that he did" (2 Kings 15:6). Actually, the achievements of this monarch were rather extensive; and a full chapter is given over to the relation of his deeds in 2 Chronicles 26. (For a discussion of these, see our commentary on 2Chronicles.)

"Azariah (Uzziah) slept with his fathers; and they buried him ... in the city of David; and Jotham his son reigned in his stead." (2 Kings 15:7). From 2 Chronicles 26:23, we learn that he was not buried in the same rock sepulchre which contained the bodies of the other kings, but in another part of the field. "This was quite consonant with the Jewish feelings with respect to the uncleanness of lepers."[7]