Uzziah in Fausset's Bible Dictionary

("strength of Jehovah".) UZZAIH or AZARIAH. (See AZARIAH.) (2 Kings 14:2; 2 Kings 14:22; 2 Kings 15:1-7; 2 Kings 15:13), "helped by Jehovah". The two names, as nearly equivalent, were used promiscuously; so the Kohathite Uzziah and Azariah (1 Chronicles 6:9; 1 Chronicles 6:24) king of Judah (2 Chronicles 26). 1. A Kohathite, ancestor of Samuel (1 Chronicles 6:24). 2. Uzziah, king of Judah. After the murder of his father Amaziah Uzziah succeeded at the age of 16 by the people's choice, 809 B.C. Energetic, wise, and pious for most part of his 52 years' reign. His mother was Jecholiah of Jerusalem. He did not remove the high places, whereat, besides the one only lawful place, the Jerusalem temple, the people worshipped Jehovah. He recovered Elath or Eloth from Edom, which had revolted from Joram (2 Kings 8:20), and "built" i.e. enlarged and fortified it, at the head of the gulf of Akaba, a capital mart for his commerce. "(See ZECHARIAH , who had understanding in the visions of God," influenced Uzziah for good so that in his days Uzziah "sought God"; he must have died before Uzziah's fall, and so cannot be the Zechariah of Isaiah 8:2, a Levite Gershonite of Hezekiah's reign (2 Chronicles 29:13). Uzziah was the biting "serpent" (Isaiah 14:28-31) to the Philistines, out of whose "root," after that "the rod of Uzziah which smote them was broken" by their revolt under the feeble Ahaz (2 Chronicles 28:18), came forth a "cockatrice" and "fiery flying serpent," namely, Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:8). Uzziah broke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod; and built cities in the domain of Ashdod and in other domains of the Philistines; this avenged Judah's invasion by the Philistines under Jehoram (2 Kings 21:16- 17), when they carried away all the substance found in the king's house and his sons, all except the youngest Jehoahaz. Uzziah also smote the Philistines' allies in that invasion, the Arabians of Gurbaal, and the Mehunim of Mann (in Arabia Petraea S. of the Dead Sea); Ammon became tributary (compare Isaiah 16:1-5; 2 Kings 3:4), and Uzziah's fame as a conqueror reached to Egypt, to whose borders he carried his conquests...