Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill made low; the uneven ground will become smooth, and the rugged land a plain.
Parallel translations
- WEB Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The uneven shall be made level, and the rough places a plain.
- KJV Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
- NKJV Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth;
- NASB “Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the uneven ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley;
- NLT Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places.
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
Every valley is to be raised and every mountain made low to level the way for the Lord. Every obstacle to God's coming will be removed.
Overview
The imagery of leveling valleys and mountains pictures the removal of all that would hinder the Lord's approach. It promises that God's salvation will overcome every barrier. Quoted in Luke regarding John's ministry, the verse anticipates the way being cleared for the revealing of God's salvation in Christ to all flesh.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Luke 3:5Every valley shall be filled in, and every mountain and hill made low. The crooked ways shall be made straight, and the rough ways smooth.
- Ezek 21:26This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Remove the turban, and take off the crown. Things will not remain as they are: Exalt the lowly and bring low the exalted.
- Luke 18:14I tell you, this man, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
- Isa 42:15–16I will lay waste the mountains and hills and dry up all their vegetation. I will turn the rivers into dry land and drain the marshes.
- Isa 45:2“I will go before you and level the mountains; I will break down the gates of bronze and cut through the bars of iron.
- Ezek 17:24Then all the trees of the field will know that I am the LORD. I bring the tall tree down and make the low tree tall. I dry up the green tree and make the withered tree flourish. I, the LORD, have spoken, and I have done it.’”
- Job 40:11–13Unleash the fury of your wrath; look on every proud man and bring him low.
- Ps 113:7–8He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the dump
- Isa 2:12–15For the Day of the LORD of Hosts will come against all the proud and lofty, against all that is exalted—it will be humbled—
- Luke 1:52–53He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has exalted the humble.
- Isa 42:11Let the desert and its cities raise their voices; let the villages of Kedar cry aloud. Let the people of Sela sing for joy; let them cry out from the mountaintops.
- 1 Sam 2:8He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap. He seats them among princes and bestows on them a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s, and upon them He has set the world.
- Prov 2:15whose paths are crooked and whose ways are devious.
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 40:4 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.