A voice of one calling:This phrase introduces a prophetic voice, often understood as a herald or messenger. In the New Testament, this is identified with John the Baptist (
Matthew 3:3;
Mark 1:3;
Luke 3:4;
John 1:23), who prepares the way for Jesus Christ. The concept of a "voice" emphasizes the importance of proclamation and the divine message being delivered.
Prepare the way for the LORD in the wilderness;
The wilderness symbolizes a place of desolation and testing, reminiscent of Israel's journey through the desert after the Exodus. Preparing the way for the LORD suggests making ready for God's coming, both spiritually and physically. This preparation involves repentance and turning back to God, as seen in John the Baptist's ministry. The wilderness also reflects the spiritual barrenness of Israel at the time, needing renewal and divine intervention.
make a straight highway for our God in the desert.
The imagery of a straight highway signifies removing obstacles and creating a direct path for God's arrival. In ancient times, roads were prepared for the visit of a king, symbolizing honor and readiness. Spiritually, this calls for the removal of sin and the establishment of righteousness. The desert, a place of solitude and reflection, becomes a metaphor for the human heart, which must be prepared to receive the Lord. This passage foreshadows the coming of Christ, who is the way to God, fulfilling the prophecy of divine visitation and salvation.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
The VoiceThis refers to a prophetic figure who calls for preparation for the coming of the LORD. In the New Testament, this is identified with John the Baptist, who prepares the way for Jesus Christ.
2.
The LORDThe central figure for whom the way is being prepared. In the context of Isaiah, this refers to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and in the New Testament, it is understood as Jesus Christ.
3.
The WildernessA symbolic place representing spiritual barrenness or desolation. It is where the preparation for the LORD's coming is to occur.
4.
The HighwaySymbolizes the removal of obstacles and the creation of a direct path for God's arrival, indicating readiness and repentance.
5.
The DesertRepresents a place of testing and purification, where God's people are called to prepare for His coming.
Teaching Points
Preparation for the LordJust as the Israelites were called to prepare for God's coming, Christians today are called to prepare their hearts for Christ's return. This involves repentance, spiritual renewal, and removing obstacles that hinder our relationship with God.
Role of the MessengerJohn the Baptist's role as the forerunner of Christ serves as a model for believers to be messengers of the Gospel, preparing others to receive Christ.
Spiritual WildernessThe wilderness represents times of spiritual dryness or challenge. Believers are encouraged to seek God earnestly during these times, trusting that He is preparing them for greater things.
Straight PathsMaking straight paths involves aligning our lives with God's will, removing sin, and living in obedience to His Word.
Anticipation of Christ's ReturnJust as the people of Isaiah's time anticipated the coming of the LORD, Christians are called to live in anticipation of Christ's second coming, maintaining a posture of readiness and hope.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Isaiah 40:3?
2.How does Isaiah 40:3 prepare us for the coming of Jesus Christ?
3.What does "prepare the way of the LORD" mean in our daily lives?
4.How is Isaiah 40:3 fulfilled in the New Testament?
5.How can we "make straight" paths for God in our communities today?
6.What obstacles might hinder us from preparing the way for the LORD?
7.What is the historical context of Isaiah 40:3 in the Bible?
8.How does Isaiah 40:3 relate to John the Baptist's role in the New Testament?
9.What is the significance of "a voice of one calling" in Isaiah 40:3?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Isaiah 40?
11.Isaiah 40:3: If this prophecy supposedly points to John the Baptist, how does it align with the immediate historical setting of Isaiah’s time?
12.What does "voice in the wilderness" signify?
13.What is the Diatessaron's purpose and content?
14.Why do the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ baptism by John differ significantly?What Does Isaiah 40:3 Mean
A voice of one calling“ A voice cries out…” (Isaiah 40:3a)
• God initiates the message; the prophet hears and passes it on.
• Points ahead to John the Baptist, who identified himself as “the voice of one crying in the wilderness” (John 1:23; cf.Matthew 3:1-3;Malachi 3:1).
• Shows God’s faithfulness—He always raises a messenger before great redemptive acts (Amos 3:7).
Prepare the way for the LORD“ Prepare the way for the LORD…” (Isaiah 40:3b)
• Ancient kings sent crews ahead to repair roads; here the King is YHWH Himself (Psalm 24:7-10).
• The preparation is moral and spiritual—repentance, humility, expectation (Luke 3:3-6;Acts 2:38).
• Because the promise is certain, obedience is urgent (James 4:8).
in the wilderness“…in the wilderness…” (Isaiah 40:3c)
• Literally fulfilled in the Judean desert along the Jordan where John preached.
• Symbolically highlights Israel’s spiritual barrenness; God meets His people in desolate places (Hosea 2:14;Exodus 16:10).
• Reminds believers that God still speaks where the world hears only silence (1 Kings 19:11-13).
make a straight highway“…make straight a highway…” (Isaiah 40:3d)
• Calls for removing obstacles—crooked motives, pride, unbelief (Proverbs 3:6;Hebrews 12:13).
• Straightness implies clarity and sincerity; God’s truth tolerates no detours (Isaiah 57:14).
• A highway suggests accessibility: God desires to dwell with His people (Revelation 21:3).
for our God“…for our God…” (Isaiah 40:3e)
• The One coming is both “LORD” and “our God,” underscoring the deity of the Messiah (John 20:28;Titus 2:13).
• Personal pronoun “our” invites covenant relationship—He comes for His own (John 10:14-16).
• Encourages confidence: the path we clear is for the very God who saves us (Psalm 118:14).
in the desert“…in the desert.” (Isaiah 40:3f)
• Echoes the picture of life without God—dry, harsh, seemingly hopeless (Jeremiah 17:5-6).
• God promises transformation: “The wilderness and the desert will rejoice” (Isaiah 35:1; 43:19-21).
• Assurance that no environment is too barren for His coming or too broken for His renewal (Ezekiel 37:1-14).
summaryIsaiah 40:3 announces a divinely sent voice urging people to ready themselves for God’s personal arrival. Historically fulfilled in John the Baptist and ultimately in Jesus, the verse insists that hearts be cleared of sin’s obstacles so the King’s path is straight. Whether in literal deserts or spiritual droughts, God comes, bringing salvation and restoration to all who prepare Him room.
(3)
The voice of him that crieth . . .--The laws of Hebrew parallelism require a different punctuation:
A voice of one crying, In the wilderness, prepare ye. . . The passage is memorable as having been deliberately taken by the Baptist as defining his own mission (
John 1:23). As here the herald is not named, so he was content to efface himself--to be a
voiceor nothing. The image is drawn from the march of Eastern kings, who often boast, as in the Assyrian inscriptions of Sennacherib and Assurbanipal (
Records of the Past, i. 95, vii. 64), of the roads they have made in trackless deserts. The wilderness is that which lay between the Euphrates and Judah, the journey of the exiles through it reminding the prophet of the older wanderings in the wilderness of Sin (
Psalm 68:7;
Judges 5:4). The words are an echo of the earlier thought of
Isaiah 35:8. We are left to conjecture to whom the command is addressed: tribes of the desert, angelic ministers, kings and rulers--the very vagueness giving a grand universality. So, again, we are not told whether the "way of Jehovah" is that on which He comes to meet His people, or on which He goes before and guides them. The analogy of the marches of the Exodus makes the latter view the more probable.
Verse 3. -
The voice of him that crieth; rather,
the voice of one that crieth. A voice sounds in the prophet's ear, crying to repentance. For God to come down on earth, for his glory to be revealed in any signal way, by the restoration of a nation, or the revelation of himself in Christ, or the final establishment of his kingdom, the "way" must be first "prepared" for him. The hearts of the disobedient must be turned to the wisdom of the just. In the wilderness; either, "the wilderness of this world" (Kay), or "the wilderness separating Babylonia from Palestine" (Delitzsch), in a part of which John the Baptist afterwards preached.
Prepare ye the way of the Lord. The "way of the Lord" is "the way of holiness" (
Isaiah 35:8). There is one only mode of "preparing" it - the mode adopted by John Baptist (
Matthew 3:2-12), the mode pointed out by the angel who announced him (
Luke 1:17), the mode insisted on in the Collect for the Third Sunday in Advent. The voice enjoins on the prophets of the captive nation to prepare the hearts of the people for the coming manifestation of God.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
A voiceק֣וֹל(qō·wl)Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6963:A voice, soundof one calling:קוֹרֵ֔א(qō·w·rê)Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 7121:To call, proclaim, read“Prepareפַּנּ֖וּ(pan·nū)Verb - Piel - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 6437:To turn, to face, appear, lookthe wayדֶּ֣רֶךְ(de·reḵ)Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 1870:A road, a course of life, mode of actionfor the LORDיְהוָ֑ה(Yah·weh)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068:LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israelin the wilderness;בַּמִּדְבָּ֕ר(bam·miḏ·bār)Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4057:A pasture, a desert, speechmake a straightיַשְּׁרוּ֙(yaš·šə·rū)Verb - Piel - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 3474:To be straight, even, to be, right, pleasant, prosperoushighwayמְסִלָּ֖ה(mə·sil·lāh)Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4546:A thoroughfare, a viaduct, a staircasefor our Godלֵאלֹהֵֽינוּ׃(lê·lō·hê·nū)Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common plural
Strong's 430:gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlativein the desert.בָּעֲרָבָ֔ה(bā·‘ă·rā·ḇāh)Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 6160:Arabah -- a steppe or desert plain, also a desert valley running south from the Sea of Galilee
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OT Prophets: Isaiah 40:3 The voice of one who calls out (Isa Isi Is) 
