And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done;
The king described is Azariah, also called Uzziah, reigning as one of the kings of Judah within a nearly three-hundred-year span extending from Joram of Israel through the dynasty of Jehu to Hoshea. That span closes with the end of the kingdom of Israel, when Shalmaneser and Sargon of Assyria carried the tribes into captivity. His reign therefore belongs to the final centuries of the divided kingdom, before the northern tribes were removed.
That era was marked by widespread prophetic activity, with Hosea, Jonah, and Amos prophesying, while Joel, Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah, Zephaniah, and Nahum prophesied in Judah. To do right according to all that his father Amaziah had done places Azariah among Judah's righteous and faithful rulers, under whom the kingdom always prospered. Such faithful reigns stand within Judah's spotted record, in which prosperity under faithful rule was so often followed by turning from God to gross idolatry. That turning repeatedly brought calamity upon both rulers and people.
The king described is Azariah, also called Uzziah, reigning as one of the kings of Judah within a nearly three-hundred-year span extending from Joram of Israel through the dynasty of Jehu to Hoshea. That span closes with the end of the kingdom of Israel, when Shalmaneser and Sargon of Assyria carried the tribes into captivity. His reign therefore belongs to the final centuries of the divided kingdom, before the northern tribes were removed.
That era was marked by widespread prophetic activity, with Hosea, Jonah, and Amos prophesying, while Joel, Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah, Zephaniah, and Nahum prophesied in Judah. To do right according to all that his father Amaziah had done places Azariah among Judah's righteous and faithful rulers, under whom the kingdom always prospered. Such faithful reigns stand within Judah's spotted record, in which prosperity under faithful rule was so often followed by turning from God to gross idolatry. That turning repeatedly brought calamity upon both rulers and people.