Luke 3:4

Luke 3:4 in other versions

• King James Version (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.
• New International Version (NIV)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.
• English Standard Version (ESV)As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
• New King James Version (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.

Context of Luke 3:4

2in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. 3And he came into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins; 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! 5Every ravine will be filled, And every mountain and hill will be lowered; The crooked will become straight, And the rough roads smooth; 6And all flesh will see the salvation of God!’”

Luke 3:4 word by word

ὡς γέγραπται ἐν βίβλῳ λόγων Ἠσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν κυρίου, εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους αὐτοῦ.Read the interlinear

• as it is writtenγράφωgraphō · to writeG1125
• in the bookβίβλοςbiblos · bookG976
• of the wordsλόγοςlogos · wordG3056
• of IsaiahἩσαΐαςHēsaias · IsaiahG2268
• the prophetπροφήτηςprophētēs · prophetG4396
• The voiceφωνήphōnē · voice/sound: voiceG5456
• of one callingβοάωboaō · to cry outG994
• in the wildernessἔρημοςerēmos · desertedG2048
• Prepareἑτοιμάζωhetoimazō · to make readyG2090
• the wayὁδόςhodos · roadG3598
• of the Lordκύριοςkurios · lord: GodG2962
• Makeποιέωpoieō · to do/make: doG4160
• His pathsτρίβοςtribos · pathG5147
• straightεὐθύςeuthus · StraightG2117

Cross-references for Luke 3:4

• Isaiah 40:3The voice of one calling out, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
• Matthew 3:3For 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!’”
• Mark 1:3The voice of one calling out in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight!’”
• John 1:23He said, “I am the voice of one calling out in the wilderness, ‘Make the way of the Lord straight,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
• Luke 1:16And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.
• Isaiah 57:14And it will be said, “Build up, build up, prepare the way, Remove every obstacle from the way of My people.”
• Isaiah 62:10Go through, go through the gates, Clear a way for the people! Build up, build up the highway, Remove the stones, lift up a flag over the peoples.
• Malachi 4:6He will turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and strike the land with complete destruction.”
• John 1:7He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.
• John 3:28You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’

Commentaries on Luke 3:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Prepare ye the way - It was customary for the Hindoo kings, when on journeys, to send a certain class of the people two or three days before them, to command the inhabitants to clear the ways. A very necessary precaution where there are no public roads. - Ward.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3-9Verses 3-9 On the baptism of John - see the notes at Matthew 3.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4-6The quotation is from the ancient Greek version of Isaiah 40:3–5. It describes God bringing the Jews back from exile in Babylon. After they returned (Ezra 1–2). John shouted in the wilderness to prepare God’s people for the Lord’s coming. God’s salvation is portrayed as a new exodus, bringing deliverance like the first exodus from Egypt. make straight paths for Him … the rough ways smooth: This image reflects the Middle Eastern custom of preparing a road…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-20(See on Mt 3:1-12; Mr 6:17, &c.). 1-2. Here the curtain of the New Testament is, as it were, drawn up, and the greatest of all epochs of the Church commences. Even our Lord's own age (Lu 3:23) is determined by it [Bengel]. No such elaborate chronological precision is to be found elsewhere in the New Testament, and it comes fitly from him who claims it as the peculiar recommendation of his Gospel, that he had "accurately traced down all things from the…Read the comment

Topics related to Luke 3:4

• Jesus Continued
• John
• Prophecy
• Quotations and Allusions

In the dictionaries

• Demand
• Isaiah, The Book of
• Mary
• Reprove
• Unquenchable
• Violence
• Wages
• Antediluvian Patriarchs
• Jesus Christ
• Luke, the Gospel of

Commentaries on Luke 3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings