Isaiah 40:3

Isaiah 40:3 in other versions

• King James Version (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.
• New International Version (NIV)A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
• English Standard Version (ESV)A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
• New King James Version (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.

Context of Isaiah 40:3

1Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. 2Speak ye kindly to Jerusalem, and cry to her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received from the LORD’S hand double for all her sins. 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. 4Every 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: 5And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh together shall see it : for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it .

Isaiah 40:3 word by word

ק֣וֹל קוֹרֵ֔א בַּמִּדְבָּ֕ר פַּנּ֖וּ דֶּ֣רֶךְ יְהוָ֑ה יַשְּׁרוּ֙ בָּעֲרָבָ֔ה מְסִלָּ֖ה לֵאלֹהֵֽינוּ׃Read the interlinear

• voiceקוֹלqôl qôl · voiceH6963
• criethקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call outH7121
• wildernessמִדְבָּרmidbâr · wildernessH4057
• Prepareפָּנָהpânâh · to turnH6437
• wayדֶּ֫רֶךְderek · way: roadH1870
• LORDיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• straightיָשַׁרyâshar · to smoothH3474
• desertעֲרָבָה‛ărâbâh · plainH6160
• highwayמְסִלָּהmesillâh · highwayH4546
• Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430

Cross-references for Isaiah 40:3

• Matthew 3:1In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
• Mark 1:2As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee.
• Luke 3:2Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
• John 1:23He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaiah.
• Isaiah 35:8And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err in it .
• Isaiah 57:14And shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumblingblock out of the way of my people.
• Isaiah 62:10Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people.
• Malachi 3:1Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
• Malachi 4:5Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD:
• Luke 1:16And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
• Isaiah 11:15And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod.
• Isaiah 43:19Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
• Isaiah 49:11And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.
• Psalms 68:4Sing to God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.

Commentaries on Isaiah 40:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3The voice of him that crieth to the wilderness "A voice crieth, In the wilderness" - The idea is taken from the practice of eastern monarchs, who, whenever they entered upon an expedition or took a journey, especially through desert and unpractised countries, 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…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3The voice of him that crieth - Lowth and Noyes render this, A voice crieth,‘ and annex the phrase in the wilderness‘ to the latter part of the sentence: A voice crieth, In the wilderness prepare ye the way of Yahweh.‘ The Hebrew (קורא קול qôl qôrē' ) will bear this construction, though the Vulgate and the Septuagint render it as in our common version. The sense is not essentially different, though the parallelism seems to require the translation…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3A voice of one calling: In Malachi 3:1, this person (possibly the Elijah of Malachi 4:5) was God's messenger who prepared the way for God's coming. In the Gospels, people identified this announcer as John the Baptist (Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4; John 1:23). Prepare the way … make a straight highway: The announcer's message would speed up God's coming (see Isaiah 35:8). As God made a way for Israel through the Red Sea (Isaiah 43:16), a way would also…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. crieth in the wilderness--So the Septuagint and Mt 3:3 connect the words. The Hebrew accents, however, connect them thus: "In the wilderness prepare ye," &c., and the parallelism also requires this, "Prepare ye in the wilderness," answering to "make straight in the desert." Matthew was entitled, as under inspiration, to vary the connection, so as to bring out another sense, included in the Holy Spirit's intention; in Mt 3:1, "John the Baptist…Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 40:3

• Herald
• Highways
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• John
• Minister, Christian
• Proclamation
• Prophecy
• Quotations and Allusions
• Readings, Select
• Straight

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Bosom
• Carry
• Cry
• Desert
• Feed
• Highway
• John the Baptist
• Renew

Commentaries on Isaiah 40

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings