The voice of one who calls out, “Prepare the way of Yahweh in the wilderness! Make a level highway in the desert for our God.
Parallel translations
- KJV The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
- BSB A voice of one calling: “Prepare the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert.
- NKJV The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God.
- NASB ¶The voice of one calling out, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
- NLT Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, “Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A voice cries to prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness. God himself is coming, and his people must make ready.
Overview
The herald calls for a clear road to be made for the Lord's advent through the desert. In the Gospels this prophecy is applied to John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Jesus. The verse joins the comfort of Isaiah to the coming of God in Christ, who arrives to save his people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Mal 3:1“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me; and the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, behold, he comes!” says Yahweh of Armies.
- Mark 1:2–5As it is written in the prophets, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you:
- John 1:23He said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
- Matt 3:1–3In those days, John the Baptizer came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying,
- Luke 1:16–17He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord, their God.
- Luke 1:76–77And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways,
- Mal 4:5–6Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Yahweh comes.
- Isa 57:14He will say, “Build up, build up, prepare the way! Remove the stumbling-block out of the way of my people.”
- Isa 43:19Behold, I will do a new thing. It springs out now. Don’t you know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
- Isa 62:10–11Go through, go through the gates! Prepare the way of the people! Build up, build up the highway! Gather out the stones! Lift up a banner for the peoples.
- Isa 35:8A highway will be there, a road, and it will be called The Holy Way. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it will be for those who walk in the Way. Wicked fools will not go there.
- Luke 3:2–6in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness.
- Isa 49:11I will make all my mountains a road, and my highways shall be exalted.
- Isa 11:15–16Yahweh will utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his scorching wind he will wave his hand over the River, and will split it into seven streams, and cause men to march over in sandals.
- Ps 68:4Sing to God! Sing praises to his name! Extol him who rides on the clouds: to Yah, his name! Rejoice before him!
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 40:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.