Translation commentary on John 1:23

This verse begins literally, “he said, I (am),” which is followed by the quotation from Isaiah and then the statement “as Isaiah the prophet said,” Most translations render “he said” literally, but Phillips omits it altogether and depends upon the English punctuation to carry its force. Many translations mistakenly include John the Baptist’s “I am” as part of the quotation from Isaiah. The Good News Translation distinguishes between John’s own words and the included quotation from Isaiah be setting off the second in single quotes.

The statement following the quotation (“as Isaiah the prophet said”) is probably not part of the word of John the Baptist (as in Revised Standard Version, Moffatt, Goodspeed, Jerusalem Bible), but rather those of the writer of this Gospel (as in Good News Translation, New English Bible, New American Bible, Zürcher Bibel, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch), to identify the source of the quotation for its readers. John’s hearers, of course, would immediately recognize the source. The fourth edition of Good News Translation places this information at the beginning of the verse: John answered by quoting the prophet Isaiah, and New English Bible does likewise (see also New American Bible). Placing this statement at the beginning of the verse may indicate more clearly that the response of John the Baptist consists of a quotation from the prophet Isaiah. One can say “John answered by quoting what the prophet Isaiah said: I am ‘the voice…’ ” or “John spoke the words of the prophet Isaiah when he answered: I am ‘the voice…?’ ”

The quotation is from the Septuagint of Isaiah 40.3, where it differs slightly from the Hebrew text. Whereas the Septuagint connects the phrase “in the desert” with “the one who shouts” (that is, “Someone shouts in the desert, ‘Prepare a way…’ ”), the Hebrew text connects “in the desert” with the verb phrase “make a straight path” (that is, “Someone shouts, ‘Prepare a way in the desert…’ ”).

In some languages it is difficult to translate “I am the voice of someone shouting in the desert,” for it may be impossible to speak of a person being merely a voice. But one can say “My voice is like the voice of one who shouts in the desert.” In languages which have no noun for “voice” verbs must be used. An equivalent may be “When I shout, it is like one who shouts in the desert.”

The literal Greek expression “the way of the Lord” is explicit in Good News Translation: path for the Lord to travel.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on John 1:23

1:23a

John replied: John answered by quoting words from Isaiah 40:3 in the LXX (the Greek translation of the OT). These words had been first written in Hebrew hundreds of years before. See the General Comment at the end of 1:23 for a way to reorder this verse.

1:23b

in the words of Isaiah the prophet: Isaiah was a Hebrew prophet who lived about seven hundred years before Christ. His words are recorded in the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament.

There are two ways to interpret the place where the words in the words of Isaiah the prophet belong:

(1) They belong inside the quotation marks. John the Baptist was the one who said these words. He said that he was quoting Isaiah. For example:

John said, “I’m a voice crying out in the desert, ‘Make the way for the Lord straight,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” (God’s Word)

(NET Bible, New American Standard Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, English Standard Version, Revised Standard Version, God’s Word)

(2) They belong outside the quotation marks. John the gospel writer was the one who said these words. He said that John the Baptist’s words were from Isaiah. For example:

John answered by quoting the prophet Isaiah: “I am ‘the voice of someone shouting in the desert: Make a straight path for the Lord to travel!’ ” (Good News Translation)

(Berean Standard Bible, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, New International Version, New Living Translation (2004), New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, Good News Translation)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). About the same number of translations and commentaries agree with each interpretation. But the Greek word order seems to be more suitable for interpretation (1).

prophet: A prophet was a man who spoke as a representative of God. He told people what God revealed to him. See the note at 1:21d.

1:23c–d

I am a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’: John the Baptist was quoting from Isaiah 40:3. He said that he was the fulfillment of the prophecy. The words I am are not part of the quotation. They are John’s own words. You may show this by where you place single quotation marks. For example:

“I am ‘the voice of someone shouting in the desert: Make a straight path for the Lord to travel.’” (Good News Translation)

1:23c

I am a voice of one calling in the wilderness: John indicated that he fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy that someone would shout a message in the wilderness (desert).

Here are other ways to translate this clause:

I am only someone shouting in the desert (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
I am ⌊the one who fulfills this saying/word⌋ : “A voice will cry out in the wilderness….”
-or-
It is I ⌊who fulfills what the prophet said⌋ : “Someone will shout in the wilderness….”

I: This pronoun refers to John the Baptist.

a voice: John used the word voice figuratively here to mean “a person talking.” Consider if it is natural to refer to a person as a voice. If not, you may need to say this:

I am the one who shouts/calls in the desert

calling: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as calling here means “shouting” or “speaking loudly.”

the wilderness: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as wilderness here refers to an empty place or place where nobody lived. Here is another way to translate this word:

desert (New International Version)

1:23d

Make straight the way for the Lord: This clause means “Straighten (Make straight) the road for the Lord to travel on.” It is a metaphor that compares preparing one’s life for the Lord to preparing a road for a king to travel on. In the metaphor, the road is curved and not flat and needs to be made straight and level. This is like a life that is sinful and needs to be corrected.

In some languages a literal translation of this metaphor may be difficult to understand. Here are some other ways to translate it:

• Change the metaphor to a simile and make the point of similarity explicit. For example:

Just as you (plur.) straighten/correct a road ⌊for the king⌋ , so you must straighten/correct ⌊your lives⌋ for the coming of the Lord!

• Indicate something of the meaning of the figure of speech. For example:

Straighten your ways/lives! Get ready for the Lord to come!
-or-
Prepare yourselves for the Lord to come to you!

General Comment on 1:23a–d

In the Greek text the mention of Isaiah the prophet comes at the end of the verse. This is reflected in the New Revised Standard Version translation. However in some languages it may be more natural to reorder the parts of this verse, like the Berean Standard Bible does. For example:

23a John replied, 23b–d “I am the one that Isaiah the prophet referred to when he said/wrote that a voice shouts in the desert. The voice says, ‘Prepare a straight path for the Lord!’”

General Comment on 1:19–1:23

These verses contain several short speeches. John 1:23 includes quotations inside quotations. In some languages it is more natural to use indirect quotes. For example:

The Jewish religious leaders sent priests and Levites to find out who John was. He told them clearly he was not the Christ. Then they asked him if he were Elijah or the Prophet. John replied no to both questions. The priests and Levites finally told him they had to know who he was. They had to know in order to give a report to the religious leaders. John answered by quoting from Isaiah the prophet. He was the one shouting in the wilderness to tell people to get ready for the Lord ⌊to come⌋ .

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