URIJAH (u-ri'jah), (Heb. same as URIAH).
1. A prophet, son of Shemaiah of Kirjath jearim in Judah, who, in the time of Jehoiakim, ut tered prophecies against Judwa and Jerusalem of the same tenor as those which Jeremiah was com missioned to deliver. Menaced with death by the king, Urijah sought refuge in Egypt ; but Judea was at that time subject to Pharaoh-Necho, who had no interest in protecting a proscribed fugitive who foretold the conquests of the Babylonians. He was therefore delivered up on the demand of Jehoiakim, who put him to death, and ordered him to be buried dishonorably in one of the graves of the meanest of the people (Jer. xxvi:2o, (B. C. about 6o9.) 2. A priest of the family of Hakkoz, or Koz, who stood by Ezra while he instructed the peo ple in the law (Neh. viii :4 ; Ezra viii :33). B. C. 457.
3. A high-priest of the Jews in the time of king Ahaz. He received from this young prince, who was then at Damascus, the model of an altar which had there engaged his attention, with or ders to make one like it at Jerusalem. It was
his duty to refuse compliance with this danger ous order ;but hemade such haste in his obedience that the altar was completed by the time Ahaz returned; and he afterwards went so far in his subservience as to offer upon 'this new and un authorized altar the sacrifices prescribed by the law of Moses (2 Kings xvi :10-12). He was probably not so fully aware as he ought to have been of the crime and danger involved in this concession to a royal caprice, being a transgres sion of the law which fixed the form of the Mosaical altar (Exod. xxvii:i-8; xxxviii:i-7) : for he appears to have been in intention a good man, as he is one of the 'faithful witnesses' chosen by Isaiah (viii :2) to attest one of his prophecies (B. C. about 733.)