2 Chronicles 26:21

And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD: and Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(21) Was a leper . . . several house.—2Kings 14:5. Rather, in the hospital, or lazar house.

For he was cut off (Psalm 88:5; Isaiah 53:8) from the house of the Lord.—This ground of Uzziah’s dwelling in a sick house is added by the chronicler. Having been formally excluded as a leper from the sacred precincts, he was obliged to isolate himself from society. (Comp. Leviticus 13:46.)

Benson Commentary

2 Chronicles 26:21. Uzziah was a leper unto the day of his death — God would have this leprosy to be incurable, as a lasting monument of his anger against such presumptuous invaders of the priest’s office. Dwelt in a several house, &c. — As he was obliged to do by law, which he durst not now resist, being under the hand of God, and under the fear of worse plagues, if he did not so. For he was cut off from the house of the Lord — He dwelt in a several house, because he might not come into the temple and courts, nor consequently into any public assembly. So the punishment answers the sin, as face does to face in a glass. He thrust himself into the temple of God, whither the priests only had admission: and for that was thrust out of the very courts of the temple, into which the meanest of his subjects might enter. He invaded the dignity of the priesthood, to which he had no right, and is for that deprived of the royal dignity, to which he had an undoubted right.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

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.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A several house - See the marginal reference "q" note; and compare Psalm 88, which is supposed by some to refer to Uzziah.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

21. dwelt in a several house—in an infirmary [Bertheau].

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Unto the day of his death: God would have this leprosy to be incurable, as a lasting monument of his anger against such presumptuous invaders of the priest’s office.

Dwelt in a several house; as he was obliged to do by law, Leviticus 13:16, which he durst not now resist, being under the hand and stroke of God, and under the fear of further and worse plagues, if he did so.

For he was cut off; so the following words are a reason of the former; he dwelt in a several house, because he might not come into the temple or courts, nor consequently into any public assembly, or the society of others. Or, and therefore, as the Hebrew chi often signifies; and the particle and is oft understood. So it is an inference from the next foregoing words, He was a leper, and therefore he was cut off, &c. He who could not content himself with God’s allowance, but usurped the priest’s place and office, is now deprived of the privilege of the meanest of his people. A just and most suitable judgment.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper,.... See Gill on 2 Kings 15:5,

for he was cut off from the house of the Lord; not, suffered to enter into that, because of his uncleanness:

and Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land; see 2 Kings 15:5.

Geneva Study Bible

And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a {l} several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD: and Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land.

(l) According to the commandment of the Lord, Le 13:46.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

21–23 (= 2 Kings 15:5-7). The End of Uzziah

21. a several house] i.e. separate, special; cp. Numbers 28:13; Matthew 25:15. The same Heb. word is used in Psalm 88:5, “free (R.V. “cast off”) among the dead.”

cut off] The same Heb. word is translated in the same way in Isaiah 53:8.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 21. - And dwelt in a several house. The Hebrew for "several house" is הַחָפְשׁות: the parallel (2 Kings 15:5) showing yod instead of van in the last syllable. The verbal root is חָפַשׁ, and occurs once (Leviticus 19:20, with the Authorized Version rendering "was free;" in the same verse is also found a feminine noun derived from it, and rendered in the Authorized Version "freedom"). The adjective חָפְשִׁי occurs sixteen times, and is always rendered in the Authorized Version "free," except once "at liberty" (Jeremiah 34:16). The "freedom" conveyed by the word is that of separation, in the use of it as found here. The leper and the house in which he lived were kept free from contact with others (Leviticus 13:46). Gesenius appears, however, to prefer the idea of "infirmity," "sickness," as determining the cast of the meaning of the word in our text, and goes so far as to translate it an "hospital," quoting the word of Suidas, τὸ νοσοκομεῖον. 2 Chronicles 26:21

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

But Uzziah had to bear his punishment until his death, and dwelt the rest of his life in a separate house, while his son conducted the government for him. This is also recorded in 2 Kings 15:5 (cf. for החפשׁית בּית the commentary on that passage). The reason of the separation of the king from intercourse with others, by his dwelling in the hospital, is given in the Chronicle in the words: "for he was cut off (shut out) from the house of Jahve." This reason can only mean, that because he, as a leper, was shut out from the house of the Lord, he could not live in fellowship with the people of God, but must dwell in a separate house. For the rest, we cannot exactly say how long Uzziah continued to live under the leprosy; but from the fact that his son Jotham, who at Uzziah's death was twenty-five years old, conducted the government for him, so much is clear, viz., that it can only have lasted a year or two.