2 Chronicles 26:18

18 They took their stand against King Uzziah and said, “Uzziah, you have no right to offer incense to the LORD. Only the priests, the descendants of Aaron, are consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have acted unfaithfully; you will not receive honor from the LORD God.”

2 Chronicles 26:18 Meaning and Commentary

2 Chronicles 26:18

And they withstood Uzziah the king
They not only stood against him, but stood about him, surrounded him, so as to hinder him from approaching the altar of incense:

and said unto him, it appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn
incense unto the Lord;
it did not belong to his office as a king, it was no part of it

but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn
incense;
and to them only; for even the Levites might not do it, only those of the tribe of Levi, that descended from Aaron, see ( Numbers 16:35 ) ,

go out of the sanctuary, for thou hast trespassed;
by going into that:

neither shall it be for thine honour from the Lord God;
but to his hurt, and be a brand of infamy upon him; for more is designed than is expressed, and as the event showed.

2 Chronicles 26:18 In-Context

16 But when Uzziah became powerful, his arrogance led to his own destruction. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, for he entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.

17 Then Azariah the priest, along with eighty brave priests of the LORD, went in after him.

18 They took their stand against King Uzziah and said, “Uzziah, you have no right to offer incense to the LORD. Only the priests, the descendants of Aaron, are consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have acted unfaithfully; you will not receive honor from the LORD God.”

19 Uzziah, with a censer in his hand to offer incense, was enraged. But while he raged against the priests in their presence in the house of the LORD before the altar of incense, leprosy broke out on his forehead.

20 When Azariah the chief priest and all the priests turned to him and saw his leprous forehead, they rushed him out. Indeed, he himself hurried to get out, because the LORD had afflicted him.