1:3a

A voice of one calling in the wilderness: The words A voice of one calling in the wilderness refer to the messenger who was mentioned in 1:2c. The messenger would prepare the way for the Christ by shouting out God’s message in the wilderness. The messenger had not yet come at the time when Isaiah was writing. He was writing about what would happen in the future. So in many languages it will be necessary to use the future tense here in 1:3a, as well as in 1:2b–c. For example:

A voice of one will be calling in the wilderness

A voice of one calling: In this context the phrase A voice is a figure of speech. The voice represents the “messenger” whom God was sending. If it will not be clear that the voice and the “messenger” refer to the same person, you may need to make this explicit.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

He is a voice shouting (New Living Translation)
-or-
He will call out…
-or-
The messenger’s voice will call out…

calling: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as calling refers to shouting or speaking in a loud voice. Be sure that your translation does not imply that John was angry or insane. Use a term that describes speaking loudly so that people can hear the words clearly.

in the wilderness: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as wilderness refers to an area where few people live. Some versions translate this word as “desert,” but this does not necessarily refer to a dry, sandy desert. Some languages have a special word to refer to such areas, such as “the bush” (Africa) or “steppes” (Asia).

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

land with few people
-or-
place with no inhabitants
-or-
wild, open area

Because the wilderness was an area where few or no people lived, 1:3a may imply that John was calling out loudly with no one to listen. If so, you may need to make explicit that people went to listen to him. For example:

He will shout out to those who go to listen to him in the wilderness.

1:3b–c

This part of the verse is from the Old Testament. It consists of two lines of poetry that have similar meanings. These two lines also contain a quote within a quote. See the General Comment on 1:3b–c below for advice on these two issues.

1:3b

Prepare the way: This phrase is a metaphor that has the same meaning as the similar phrase in 1:2c (see the note there). Both metaphors use the illustration of preparing a road for a king’s arrival. These metaphors indicate that people should prepare their minds and hearts for the coming of the Lord.

It is good to use similar words in translating both metaphors. However, if you made some details explicit in 1:2c, you may be able to translate more simply here. Your translation should sound like natural speech for someone who is proclaiming a message to people.

the Lord: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Lord means “master, one who has authority over others.” Here it refers to God. It is a translation of God’s personal name in Hebrew. In this context it indicates that God was coming to people as the Messiah.

Here are some other ways to translate Lord:

Master/Chief
-or-
Ruler

In some languages people may not naturally use a word that means “master” to refer to God. If speakers of your language do not understand that your word for “Lord” refers to God in this context, here are other ways to translate it:

• Use your word for God.

• Use your word for God and indicate that he is the Lord. For example:

God the Lord
-or-
Master God

If you include the word for God in your translation of Lord, you may want to include a footnote to give the literal Greek meaning. For example:

Here the Greek text is literally “Lord.”

See Lord, Context 2, in the Glossary.

1:3c

make straight paths for Him: The phrase make straight paths for Him is a metaphor. It refers to the same action as the metaphor in 1:3b. It explains how to prepare the way. People prepared a path by making the crooked places straight. The Good News Bible translates this as:

make a straight path for him to travel (Good News Bible)

General Comment on 1:3b–c

In 1:3b and 1:3c Mark referred to the same activity. In some languages you may need to make this clear in some way. For example:

Prepare the road/path for the Lord’s coming by making it straight.
-or-
Clear and straighten the road that the Lord will take so that it will be ready for his coming.

In 1:3b–c Mark was quoting God, and God was saying the words that his messenger would shout to people. This is a quote within a quote. In some languages you may need to use an indirect quote for the words of the messenger. For example:

3a–cHe will shout in the wilderness, announcing to those who go to listen that they should prepare the road for the Lord’s coming. They should make it straight and smooth.

© 2008 by SIL International®

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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