King Uzziah of Judah

The first reign that Isaiah mentions is that of King Uzziah.  King Uzziah of Judah reigned in the middle of the 8th Century BCE.  However, the inscribed epitaph here dates to a much later time period, indicating that this plaque was used to mark the reburial of his remains.  The Bible notes that King Uzziah was a leper until his death, therefore he may have originally been buried in a special location due to the stigma of impurity associated with the disease.  

The Epitaph of King Uzziah reads:

“To this place were brought the bones of Uzziah, the king of Judah — do not open!”

2 Chronicles 26:3

Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem.