(19) Then.--And.

Was wroth.--Za?af i.e., foamed with anger.

And had.--And in his hand was a censer (Ezekiel 8:11).

Even.--Omit.

Rose up.--Zarah. The word is not used in this sense elsewhere.

From beside--i.e., near, hard by.

Uzziah's punishment was the same as that which fell upon Miriam (Numbers 12:10) and Gehazi (2Kings 5:27). Thenius, while asserting the historical character of Uzziah's invasion of the sanctuary, declares that the chronicler has followed traditional exegesis in making the king's leprosy a judgment upon his offence. At all events, we may be sure that the chronicler has given the story as he found it in the history of Uzziah, to which he alludes in 2Chronicles 26:22.

In Josephus the story is further embellished by the statements that the great earthquake mentioned in Amos 1:1 happened at the moment when Uzziah threatened the opposing priests; and that a ray of sunlight falling upon the king's face through the Temple roof, which was cloven by the shock, produced the leprosy. (Comp. Amos 4:11; Zechariah 14:4-5.)

Verse 19. - Render, Then Uzziah was wrath, and in his hand (at that moment) was a censer to burn incense, etc. From the most literal rendering of the Hebrew text, not unfrequently the most forcible Bible English results. From beside; render, at the very side of (comp. Numbers 12:10; 2 Kings 5:27).

26:16-23 The transgression of the kings before Uzziah was, forsaking the temple of the Lord, and burning incense upon idolatrous altars. But his transgression was, going into the holy place, and attempting to burn incense upon the altar of God. See how hard it is to avoid one extreme, and not run into another. Pride of heart was at the bottom of his sin; a lust that ruins many. Instead of lifting up the name God in gratitude to him who had done so much for him, his heart was lifted up to his hurt. Men's pretending to forbidden knowledge, and seeking things too high for them, are owing to pride of heart. The incense of our prayers must be, by faith, put into the hands of our Lord Jesus, the great High Priest of our profession, else we cannot expect it to be accepted by God, Re 8:3. Though Uzziah strove with the priests, he would not strive with his Maker. But he was punished for his transgression; he continued a leper to his death, shut out from society. The punishment answered the sin as face to face in a glass. Pride was at the bottom of his transgression, and thus God humbled him, and put dishonour upon him. Those that covet forbidden honours, forfeit allowed ones. Adam, by catching at the tree of knowledge which he might not eat of, debarred himself of the tree of life which he might have eaten of. Let all that read say, The Lord is righteous. And when the Lord sees good to throw prosperous and useful men aside, as broken vessels, if he raises up others to fill their places, they may rejoice to renounce all worldly concerns, and employ their remaining days in preparation for death.Then Uzziah was wroth,.... With the priests, and, as Josephus (b) says, threatened to kill them:

and had a censer in his hand to burn incense; ready to do it, and resolved upon it:

and while he was wroth with the priests; and expressing his indignation, and do what he would do to them, if they continued to oppose him:

the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord, from beside the incense altar; which seems not only to describe the position of the priests, being beside the altar of incense, to keep the king from it, when the leprosy was seen by them in his forehead, but the quarter from whence the stroke invisibly came. Josephus (c) says, there was earthquake at the same time, and a mountain was rent.

(b) Antiqu. l. 9. c. 10. sect. 4. (c) lbid.