Uzzi

Biblical Record

Uzzi appears in Nehemiah 11, a list of those who settled in Jerusalem and the towns of Judah after the return from exile. Nehemiah 11:22 introduces him as the overseer of the Levites living in Jerusalem. An overseer was an official responsible for supervising and directing a body of work. The same verse records his genealogy: Uzzi was the son of Bani, the grandson of Hashabiah, the great-grandson of Mattaniah, and the great-great-grandson of Micha. He belonged to the descendants of Asaph, the family charged with singing in the house of God.

This single verse is all that Scripture records about Uzzi. Nothing further is said about his life or activities.

Significance Within Scripture

The record of Uzzi reflects how the returned community reorganized temple service. In particular, it shows that the family of Asaph, which held the office of singers, continued from generation to generation. The very next verse, Nehemiah 11:23, states that the singers received a fixed daily portion by royal command. This record indicates that temple praise had become an established institution within the community. Uzzi is not mentioned in the New Testament.

Interpretation and Issues

• Uzzi's great-grandfather Mattaniah and great-great-grandfather Micha share the same names and father-son relationship as Mattaniah (son of Micha) in Nehemiah 11:17. For this reason, some regard the two as the same person.
• Because of the structure of the Hebrew sentence, interpreters differ on whether the phrase "over the business of the house of God" modifies Uzzi or the singers.
• Several people named Uzzi appear in the Bible, all of them distinct individuals: Uzzi in the high-priestly line descended from Aaron (1 Chronicles 6:5–6; Ezra 7:4), the son of Tola of the tribe of Issachar, men of the tribe of Benjamin, and the head of the priestly family of Jedaiah in the days of Joiakim (Nehemiah 12:19). It is unclear whether the Uzzi listed among the singers at the dedication of the wall (Nehemiah 12:42) is the same person as this Uzzi.

In the Korean Church

Uzzi is rarely treated on his own in sermons or Sunday school lessons. Readers usually encounter him when reading the list of returnees in Nehemiah during programs for reading through the Bible.