Isaiah had spoken of John when he said, “He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!
Parallel translations
- WEB As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight.
- KJV As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
- BSB as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.
- NKJV as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.
- NASB as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “The voice of one calling out in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight!
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
John's ministry fulfills Isaiah's prophecy of a voice in the wilderness preparing the Lord's way. It matters because John is the foretold forerunner of the Messiah.
Overview
Luke cites Isaiah 40:3, identifying John as the voice crying in the wilderness to ready the Lord's path. John's call to make the way straight is a call to repentance that clears the heart for the Messiah. Scripture's prophecy finds precise fulfillment in his preaching.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Isa 40:3–5The voice of one who calls out, “Prepare the way of Yahweh in the wilderness! Make a level highway in the desert for our God.
- 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.”
- Luke 1:76–79And 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,
- Isa 62:10Go 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.
- John 3:28–36You yourselves testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before him.’
- John 1:26–36John answered them, “I baptize in water, but among you stands one whom you don’t know.
- John 1:7The same came as a witness, that he might testify about the light, that all might believe through him.
- Luke 1:16–17He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord, their God.
- Matt 3:3For this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, make ready the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight.”
- Isa 57:14He will say, “Build up, build up, prepare the way! Remove the stumbling-block out of the way of my people.”
- Mal 4:6He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”
- Mark 1:3the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord! Make his paths straight!’”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 3:4 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
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