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New Defender's Study Bible Notes
26:1 Uzziah. Uzziah is the same as Azariah (II Kings 14:21; 15:1). His name is mentioned by Tiglath-Pilezer on one of the Assyrian inscriptions.
26:4 which was right. It is striking that many of Judah’s kings, beginning with Solomon and including such stalwarts as Asa, Joash and Amaziah, started their reigns doing “right in the sight of the LORD,” then later descended into compromise with paganism or into outright rebellion against God’s Word. This same phenomenon is often noted, of course, among modern Christian leaders—not only among political leaders (like the kings of Judah)—but among religious and educational leaders, and in other fields as well.
26:5 Zechariah. Nothing more than this is known about this particular prophet Zechariah. One can speculate, however, that he was a namesake of the priest unjustly executed by Uzziah’s grandfather, King Joash. Like Jehoiada’s influence on Joash, Zechariah kept Uzziah true to God as long as he lived. He is not to be confused with the man who wrote the prophetic book of Zechariah; the latter prophesied in the days of the returning exiles.
26:5 sought the LORD. Uzziah’s rebellion, after a particularly long and successful reign, was halted by the sudden judgment of lifelong leprosy (II Chronicles 26:21). The principle that material prosperity accompanies faithfulness to God, and vice versa, was apparently applicable to the kings of Judah and Israel in most cases. This principle may possibly apply to modern heads of state as well, in many cases, but certainly cannot be applied to Christians in general (witness all the martyrs listed in Hebrews 11). God’s true rewards for his faithful servants await the future life.
26:10 he built towers. A number of remains of desert towers dating from Uzziah’s time have been excavated by archaeologists.
26:18 appertaineth not unto thee. See Numbers 16:39,40. Only the priests were allowed by the law to burn incense on the altar. Note also Numbers 3:10,38.
26:22 Isaiah the prophet. Note Isaiah 1:1. Here is the first reference in Chronicles to the great prophet Isaiah, who was destined to prophesy through the reign of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah and probably into the reign of Manasseh.