3:3a
The Greek of 3:3a begins with conjunction that is often translated as “for.” This word often introduces a reason. However, here it introduces some information about John the Baptist. Do not translate this verse as if it were the reason for 3:2. The Berean Standard Bible and many English versions do not translate this conjunction.
This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: This clause means that God, through the prophet Isaiah, had spoken about John the Baptist. Many years before this time, the prophet Isaiah (in Isaiah 40:3) had prophesied about John the Baptist.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
This was the man whom ⌊God’s⌋ prophet Isaiah spoke about
-or-
⌊God,⌋ through the prophet Isaiah, spoke about this man ⌊when he wrote⌋
spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: See 1:22 and 2:23b for a similar phrase and consider how you translated it there.
3:3b
A voice of one calling in the wilderness: In the Berean Standard Bible, as in the Greek, this is not a complete sentence. In some languages, it may be necessary to make it into a complete sentence by including another form of the word calling. (See the note below for the meaning of calling in this context.) Isaiah was talking about something that would happen seven hundred years later. So you should use the verb form that is natural for a prophecy about the future. In English it is possible to use either the present or the future tense. For example:
There is a voice crying in the desert.
-or-
A voice will cry out in the desert.
A voice of one calling: The voice is the voice of a person. Someone was calling out in order to proclaim a message.
The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as calling means “shout or call out loudly.” Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
A man is shouting
-or-
Someone will call out
the wilderness: The word wilderness is the same word as in 3:1b. See how you translated it there.
3:3c–d
Before you translate 3:3c–d, there are at least two issues to consider:
Issue 1: Parallelism
Verse 3:3c–d is a Hebrew form of poetry called a parallelism. In a parallelism, an idea is repeated. In this particular parallelism, the idea in 3:3c is repeated and made more specific in 3:3d.
The parallel parts in 3:3c–d that are similar in meaning are shown here:
3c
Prepare the way for the Lord,
3d
make straight paths for Him.
In some languages, people will think that the parallel parts in 3:3c–d describe different events. In other words, they will think that “Prepare the way” and “make paths straight” describe different events.
If that is true in your language, you should:
• Indicate that both expressions refer to the same thing. For example:
3cPrepare the way for the Lord,
3d
⌊I repeat more specifically,⌋ make straight paths for Him
• Combine the parallel parts. For example:
Prepare straight paths for the Lord
Issue 2: Metaphor
In addition, 3:3c–d uses metaphors. In these metaphors, the person in the wilderness asked the people to prepare their hearts to receive the Lord. He did this by comparing preparing their hearts to preparing a road to welcome the Lord.
In biblical times, when someone important was about to visit a town, the people living there would make sure that the road was prepared for him to travel on. It had to be smooth and straight. This was a way to welcome and honor an important visitor. In the same way, people should prepare their hearts to receive and welcome the Lord. See below for some translation advice.
3:3c
Prepare the way for the Lord: This clause is the first part of the parallelism. It means approximately the same thing as 3:3d. The difference is that it is more general.
This clause is also a metaphor. In this metaphor, the person in the wilderness told the people to prepare themselves to receive/welcome the Lord. He compared preparing their hearts (or themselves) to preparing a way/road for the Lord to come. He was not literally commanding the people to make their roads better.
The way that “hearts” and “way/road” are similar is that people need to prepare these things to welcome the Lord.
Here are some other ways to translate this metaphor:
• Keep the metaphor and explain the meaning in a footnote. A possible footnote would be:
This is a metaphor. Matthew quoted Isaiah as saying that the people needed to get ready for the Lord to come. They needed to repent and prepare their hearts and lives for his coming. Isaiah compared this to improving a road to receive the Lord.
• Change the metaphors to similes. For example:
Prepare ⌊yourselves⌋ for the Lord ⌊like you prepare⌋ a road ⌊for an important person⌋
-or-
⌊Just as you⌋ prepare a road ⌊for a king when he comes,⌋ ⌊prepare your hearts⌋ for the Lord ⌊to come⌋.
• Translate the meaning without the metaphor. For example:
Prepare ⌊yourselves⌋ to ⌊receive⌋ the Lord
-or-
Make the necessary changes in your life to receive/welcome the Lord
This verse refers to people preparing themselves in a moral and spiritual way. Your translation should not imply that they should prepare themselves only in a physical way, such as cleaning their houses.
way: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as way refers to a “road/path.” In this metaphor, a person’s heart or life is compared to a “road” or “path.”
the Lord: Here the word Lord refers to the “Lord God.” Matthew understood this to mean that God would come to Israel in the person of Jesus the Messiah.
3:3d
make straight paths for Him: This clause is the second part of the parallelism. It means approximately the same thing as 3:3c. The difference is that it is more specific.
This clause also repeats the metaphor in 3:3c. In this metaphor, the person in the wilderness told the people to make their hearts (themselves) correct so that they could receive and welcome the Lord. He compared making themselves correct to making straight paths for the Lord. He was not literally commanding the people to make their paths straight.
The way that “hearts” and paths are similar is that people need to prepare these things to welcome the Lord.
Here are some other ways to translate this metaphor:
• Keep the metaphor and explain the meaning in a footnote. A possible footnote is presented above in 3:3c.
• Change the metaphors to similes. For example:
⌊Just as you⌋ make straight paths ⌊for a king⌋ ⌊make yourselves straight/correct⌋ for the Lord ⌊to come⌋.
• Translate the meaning without the metaphor. For example:
Make yourselves ready for him
You should translate 3:3d in a similar way to 3:3c.
straight paths: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as paths is a synonym of “way/road” in 3:3c. If your language translates both “road” and “path” with the same word, you can repeat it. Or you can use the pronoun “them” or “it.” For example:
3cPrepare the road for the Lord, 3dmake the road straight for him.
-or-
3cPrepare the road for the Lord, 3dmake it straight for him.
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