Albert Barnes Commentary Isaiah 8:2

"and I will take unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah." — Isaiah 8:2 (ASV)

And I took unto me faithful witnesses—The precise object in calling in these witnesses is not known. Some have supposed that it was to bear testimony to the marriage of the prophet at that time.

However, it may have been for the purpose of a public record of the prophecy—a record made so that the precise time when it was delivered could be attested without dispute. The prophecy was an important one; and it was important to know, in the most authentic and undisputed manner, that such a prophecy had been delivered.

It is probable that the prophecy, attested by the names of those two men, was suspended in some public place in the temple, so that it might be seen by the people, allay their fears, and remove from the multitude every suspicion that it was a prophecy after the event.

That this was a real, and not a symbolic transaction, is perfectly manifest, not only from the narrative itself but also from Isaiah 8:18. They are called faithful, not on account of their private character, but because their public testimony would be credited by the people.

To record—To bear witness.

Uriah the priest—This is, doubtless, the same man who is mentioned in 2 Kings 16:10. He was a man of infamous character, the accomplice of Ahaz in corrupting the true religion; yet his testimony might have been the more valuable to Ahaz, as he was associated with him in his plans.

And Zechariah ...—It is not certainly known who this was. Perhaps he was one of the Levites whose name is mentioned in 2 Chronicles 29:13.