According to 2 Chronicles 26, Uzziah was a powerful and successful king, but his power went to his head and he became proud. The Hebrew word behind “become proud” is gabah , related to gibeah , “high place.” Uzziah’s attempt to offer incense in the temple treated the temple as just another high place; it was a species of liturgical idolatry.
Importantly, this is the verb same word-group that Isaiah uses, especially in chapter 2, to describe the haughtiness and “loftiness” of proud Judah. Uzziah is a fitting king for the nation during this period: Wealthy, surrounded by armies, the land filled with wealth and weapons, but also full of pride. Uzziah is struck with leprosy, full of scabs, as is Israel (1:5-6) and the daughters of Zion (3:12).
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
