The Great Earthquake in Uzziah's Time: Uncovering the True Story

When studying the Book of Kings, it becomes clear that not all the kings from the House of David who ruled in Jerusalem were righteous. Many of them did evil in the eyes of Hashem, worshipped idols, and persecuted the prophets of Hashem. Some started their reigns following Hashem's will, and even the prophets noted they did what was right in Hashem's eyes, but they later sinned. Nonetheless, one of the righteous and outstanding kings from the House of David was King Uzziah.

Uzziah was the tenth king in the line of King David. He was known for his righteousness. Chronicles states, "He sought Hashem in the days of Zechariah (Uzziah), who instructed him in the fear of Hashem; and as long as he sought Hashem, God gave him success.” The commentators explain that because Uzziah feared Hashem, the prophets of his time attained very high levels of prophecy, like the prophet Ezekiel who had the vision of the Divine Chariot during Uzziah's reign.

At the beginning of Uzziah's reign, it seemed that Hashem was granting him success — wherever he turned, he prospered. He captured territory from the Philistines and built Jewish cities there, defeated the Arabs in Gur Baal, and subdued the Ammonites in the south, even reaching the border of Egypt. He constructed fortified towers in Jerusalem and strongholds in the desert. He invested significantly in agriculture and dug wells across large parts of the land. He had a massive army, fully equipped with all types of weapons, and his era was marked by material and spiritual prosperity.

In the twenty-fifth year of Uzziah's reign, everything changed. All the prosperity vanished. Hashem afflicted Uzziah with leprosy, and he remained isolated until his death, while his son Jotham took over his duties.

In Chronicles, it says, "His pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to Hashem his God, and entered the temple of Hashem to burn incense on the altar of incense.” Although not a priest, Uzziah's pride from his successes made him believe he was worthy of burning incense. All the priests warned him against approaching to burn the incense. When Uzziah heard the priests’ warning, he became angry. While he was angry, leprosy appeared on his forehead. Seeing the leprosy, Uzziah quickly left the temple and isolated himself.

At the same time as Uzziah's leprosy, a strong earthquake shook the Land of Israel. The Book of Amos describes Amos’s prophecy, occurring two years before the earthquake during Uzziah's reign, and the Book of Zechariah states, "You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah.” Zechariah lived over two hundred years after Uzziah, yet everyone still remembered the "earthquake" from Uzziah's time. The verse in Zechariah indicates that the earthquake was a traumatic event passed down through generations. The Midrash tells that alongside Uzziah's punishment of leprosy, an earthquake occurred which resulted in the splitting of the Temple.

For years, there seemed to be no source for such a strong earthquake in Israel. However, with numerous recent archaeological excavations in the Judean region, suitable remains were found in Jerusalem, Hebron, Gezer, and other locations. One of the most intriguing sites is Tel Lachish, where clear layers of destruction dating to this period have been uncovered. The findings include collapsed walls, sunken floors, and completely destroyed buildings. In Jerusalem, shattered vessels, ruined houses, and extensive destruction were found without any signs of war. All this evidence is dated to around 750 BCE, precisely the era of King Uzziah. Today, there is no debate that there was indeed a very powerful earthquake in the Judean region during Uzziah's reign.

The earthquake destroyed all the prosperity Uzziah had achieved early in his reign, leaving the Kingdom of Judah impoverished and weak. This story is remembered by the prophets so that we all remember that all we achieve in our lives does not come from our own strength. Everything comes from above, and what is given can also be taken away.