Isaiah 8:2

8:2 Then I will summon ¹  as my reliable witnesses Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah.”

Isaiah 33:16

33:16 This is the person who will live in a secure place; ² 

he will find safety in the rocky, mountain strongholds; ³ 

he will have food

and a constant supply of water.

[8:2]  ¹ tn The form in the text is a cohortative with prefixed vav (ו), suggesting that the Lord is announcing what he will do. Some prefer to change the verb to an imperative, “and summon as witnesses,” a reading that finds support from the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a. Another option is to point the prefixed conjunction as a vav consecutive and translate, “So I summoned as witnesses.” In this case Isaiah is recalling his response to the Lord’s commission. In any case, the reference to witnesses suggests that the name and the child who bears it will function as signs.

[33:16]  ² tn Heb “he [in the] exalted places will live.”

[33:16]  ³ tn Heb “mountain strongholds, cliffs [will be] his elevated place.”