the Week of Proper 24 / Ordinary 29
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Matthew 3:3
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John is the one Isaiah the prophet was talking about when he said, "There is someone shouting in the desert: ‘Prepare the way for the Lord. Make the road straight for him.'"
This is he of whom it is spoken by the Prophet Esay which sayeth: The voyce of a cryer in wyldernes prepare the Lordes waye and make hys pathes strayght.
He was the one the prophet Isaiah was referring to when he said,Isaiah 40:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 1:76; 3:4; John 1:23;">[xr] "He is a voice calling out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way for the Lord! Make his paths straight!'"Isaiah 40:3">[fn]
For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said, "THE VOICE OF ONE CALLING OUT IN THE WILDERNESS, 'PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT!'"
John the Baptist is the one Isaiah the prophet was talking about when he said: "This is a voice of one who calls out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way for the Lord. Make the road straight for him.'" Isaiah 40:3
For this is he that was spoken of through Isaiah the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make ready the way of the Lord, Make his paths straight.
For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
This is the one who was mentioned by the prophet Isaiah when he said, "THE VOICE OF ONE SHOUTING IN THE WILDERNESS, 'PREPARE THE ROAD FOR THE LORD, MAKE HIS HIGHWAYS STRAIGHT (level, direct)!'"
For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.'"
For 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."
For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, The voice of one crying aloud in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
He it is who was spoken of through the Prophet Isaiah when he said, "The voice of one crying aloud, `In the desert prepare ye a road for the Lord: make His highway straight.'"
For this is he, of whom it is seid bi Ysaie, the prophete, seyinge, A vois of a crier in desert, Make ye redi the weies of the Lord; make ye riyt the pathis of hym.
For this is he that was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make ye ready the way of the Lord, Make his paths straight.
This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.'"
John was the one the prophet Isaiah was talking about, when he said, "In the desert someone is shouting, ‘Get the road ready for the Lord! Make a straight path for him.'"
For this is he that was spoken of through Isaiah the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make ye ready the way of the Lord, Make his paths straight.
For this is he of whom Isaiah the prophet said, The voice of one crying in the waste land, Make ready the way of the Lord, make his roads straight.
This is the man Yesha‘yahu was talking about when he said, "The voice of someone crying out: ‘In the desert prepare the way of Adonai ! Make straight paths for him!'"
For this is he who has been spoken of through Esaias the prophet, saying, Voice of him that crieth in the wilderness: prepare ye the way of [the] Lord, make straight his paths.
For this is he of whom it was spoken by Eshaia the prophet: The voice which crieth in the desert, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths plain.
For this is he of whom it was said, by Isaiah the prophet: The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make smooth his paths.
For this is he that was spoken of by the Prophet Esaias, saying, The voyce of one crying in the wildernes, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
The prophet Isaiah was speaking about 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!'"
The early preacher Isaiah spoke of this man. He said, "Listen! His voice calls out in the desert! ‘Make the way ready for the Lord. Make the road straight for Him!'"
This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.'"
For this is he of whome it is spoken by the Prophet Esaias, saying, The voyce of him that crieth in the wildernes, Prepare ye the way of the Lord: make his pathes straight.
For it was he of whom it was said by the prophet Isaiah, The voice which cries in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, and straighten his highways.
For, this, is he who was spoken of through Isaiah the prophet, saying, A voice, of one crying aloud! In the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, straight, be making his paths.
For this is he that was spoken of by Isaias the prophet, saying: A voice of one crying in the desert, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.
For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight."
For this is he, of whom it is spoken by the prophete Esayas, saying. The voyce of one crying in the wyldernesse: prepare ye the way of the Lorde, make his pathes strayght.
John was the man the prophet Isaiah was talking about when he said, "Someone is shouting in the desert, ‘Prepare a road for the Lord; make a straight path for him to travel!'"
For he is the one spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, who said:
For this is he who was spoken of by Yesha`yahu the prophet, saying, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make ready the way of the Lord, Make his paths straight."
For this is the one who was spoken about by the prophet Isaiah, saying, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.'"
For this is he spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord! Make His paths straight!" Isa. 40:3
for this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, `A voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, straight make ye His paths.'
This is he, of whom it is spoke by ye Prophet Esay, which sayeth: The voyce of a cryer in ye wyldernes, prepare the LORDES waye, and make his pathes straight.
for it is of John the prophet Esaias spoke, when he said, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths clear."
John and his message were authorized by Isaiah's prophecy: Thunder in the desert! Prepare for God's arrival! Make the road smooth and straight!
For he is the one about whom Isaiah the prophet had spoken: " The voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘ Prepare the way for the Lord, make his paths straight .'"
For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness:'Prepare the way of the Lord;Make His paths straight.' " Isaiah 40:3 ">[fn]
John is who Isaiah was talkin' about when he said, "The dry country will have a voice, 'Blaze a trail for the Lord and make it true and straight.'"
For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said, "THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, 'MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT!'"
For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet, saying,"The voice of one crying in the wilderness,‘Make ready the way of the Lord,Make His paths straight!'"
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
by: Isaiah 40:3, Mark 1:3, Luke 3:3-6, John 1:23
Prepare: Isaiah 57:14, Isaiah 57:15, Malachi 3:1, Luke 1:17, Luke 1:76
Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 4:12 - only ye heard a voice 2 Samuel 15:23 - the wilderness Psalms 5:8 - make Psalms 95:7 - if ye Psalms 97:1 - Lord Proverbs 8:1 - General Jeremiah 31:9 - in a Daniel 2:44 - set up Matthew 11:10 - General Luke 3:4 - The voice John 3:28 - but John 7:37 - and cried Acts 18:25 - instructed
Cross-References
And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.
Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.
But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.
Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me.
Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
For this is he that was spoken of,.... These are not the words of the Baptist himself, as in John 1:23 but of the Evangelist, who cites and applies to John a passage in the Prophet Isaiah, Isaiah 40:3 and that very pertinently, since that "chapter" is a prophecy of the Messiah. The consolations spoken of in Isaiah 40:3, were to be in the days of the king Messiah, as a writer of note y among the Jews observes. The Messiah is more expressly prophesied of in Isaiah 40:9 as one that should appear to the joy of his people, and "come with a strong hand", vigorously prosecute his designs, faithfully perform his work, and then receive his reward; he is spoken of under the "character" of a "shepherd", who would tenderly discharge the several parts of his office as such, which character is frequently given to the Messiah in the Old Testament: now the person spoken of in Isaiah 40:3 was to be his harbinger to go before him, proclaim and make ready for his coming; and what is said of him agrees entirely with John the Baptist, as the character given of him,
the voice of one crying, Βοωντος, lowing like an ox; which expresses the austerity of the man, the roughness of his voice, the severity of his language; that he called aloud and spoke out, openly, publicly, and freely; and that he delivered himself in preaching with a great deal of zeal and fervency. The place where he preached was "in the wilderness", that is, of Judea, where he is said before, in Matthew 3:1 to come preaching. The doctrine he preached was,
prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight, which is best explained by what is said before, in Matthew 3:2
repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The Lord whom ye have sought, the Messiah whom you have expected, is just coming, he will quickly appear; prepare to meet him by repentance, and receive him by faith, relinquish your former notions and principles, correct your errors, and amend your lives, remove all out of the way which may be offensive to him. The allusion is to a great personage being about to make his public appearance or entrance; when a harbinger goes before him, orders the way to be cleared, all impediments to be removed, and everything got ready for the reception of him.
y R. David Kimchi in Isa. xl. 1.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
The prophet Esaias - The prophet Isaiah. Esaias is the Greek mode of writing the name. This passage is taken from Isaiah 40:3. It is here said to have been spoken in reference to John, the forerunner of Christ. The language is such as was familiar to the Jews. and such as they would understand. It was spoken at first with reference to the return from the captivity at Babylon. In ancient times, it was customary in the march of armies to send messengers, or pioneers, before them to proclaim their approach; to provide for them; to remove obstructions; to make roads, level hills, fill up valleys, etc. Isaiah, describing the return from Babylon, uses language taken from that custom. A crier, or herald, is introduced. In the vast deserts that lay between Babylon and Judea he is represented as lifting up his voice, and, with authority, commanding a public road to be made for the return of the captive Jews, with the Lord as their deliverer. “Prepare his ways, make them straight,” says he. The meaning in Isaiah is, “Let the valleys be exalted, or filled up, and the hills be levelled, and a straight, level highway be prepared, that they may march with ease and safety.” See the notes at Isaiah 40:3-4. The custom here referred to is continued in the East at the present time. “When Ibrahim Pasha proposed to visit certain places on Lebanon, the emeers and sheiks sent forth a general proclamation, somewhat in the style of Isaiah’s exhortation, to all the inhabitants, to assemble along the proposed route and prepare the way before him. The same was done in 1845, on a grand scale, when the present sultan visited Brousa. The stones were gathered out, the crooked places straightened, and the rough ones made level and smooth.” - The Land and the Book, Vol i. pp. 105, 106.
As applied to John, the passage means that he was sent to remove obstructions, and to prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah, like a herald going before an army on the march, to make preparations for its coming.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Matthew 3:3. The voice of one crying in the wilderness — Or, A voice of a crier in the wilderness. This is quoted from Isaiah 40:3, which clearly proves that John the Baptist was the person of whom the prophet spoke.
The idea is taken from the practice of eastern monarchs, who, whenever they entered upon an expedition, or took a journey through a desert country, sent harbingers before them, to prepare all things for their passage; and pioneers to open the passes, to level the ways, and to remove all impediments. The officers appointed to superintend such preparations were called by the Latins, stratores.
Diodorus's account of the march of Semiramis into Media and Persia, will give us a clear notion of the preparation of the way for a royal expedition. "In her march to Ecbatane, she came to the Zarcean mountain, which, extending many furlongs, and being full of craggy precipices and deep hollows, could not be passed without making a great compass about. Being therefore desirous of leaving an everlasting memorial of herself, as well as shortening the way, she ordered the precipices to be digged down, and the hollows to be filled up; and, at a great expense, she made a shorter and more expeditious road, which, to this day, is called from her, The road of Semiramis. Afterwards she went into Persia, and all the other countries of Asia, subject to her dominion; and, wherever she went, she ordered the mountains and precipices to be levelled, raised causeways in the plain country, and, at a great expense, made the ways passable." Diod. Sic. lib. ii. and Bp. Lowth.
The Jewish Church was that desert country, to which John was sent, to announce the coming of the Messiah. It was destitute at that time of all religious cultivation, and of the spirit and practice of piety; and John was sent to prepare the way of the Lord, by preaching the doctrine of repentance. The desert is therefore to be considered as affording a proper emblem of the rude state of the Jewish Church, which is the true wilderness meant by the prophet, and in which John was to prepare the way of the promised Messiah. The awful importance of the matter, and the vehemence of the manner of the Baptist's preaching, probably acquired him the character of the crier, βοων.
For the meaning of the word JOHN, see the note on Mark 1:4.
