YHN 1:23 Interlinear View

1. Greek word
2. Greek lemma
3. OET-LV words
4. OET-RV words
5. Strongs
6. Role/Morphology
7. OET Gloss
8. VLT Gloss
9. CAPS codes
10. Confidence
11. OET tags
12. OET word #
1. Ἔφη
2. fēmi
3. He was saying
4. -
5. 53460
6. VIIA3··S
7. ˱he˲ ˓was˒ saying
8. ˱he˲ ˓was˒ saying
9. S
10. Y5; TJohn's_Witness
11. 62710
1. Ἐγώ
2. egō
3. I am
4. -
5. 14730
6. R···1N·S
7. I ‹am›
8. I ‹am›
9. D
10. Y5; TJohn's_Witness
11. 62711
1. Φωνή
2. fōnē
3. +A voice
4. voice
5. 54560
6. N····NFS
7. ˓a˒ voice
8. ˓a˒ voice
9. B
10. Y5; TJohn's_Witness
11. 62712
1. βοῶντος
2. boaō
3. shouting
4. shouting
5. 9940
6. VPPA·GMS
7. shouting
8. shouting
9. -
10. Y5; TJohn's_Witness
11. 62713
1. ἐν
2. en
3. in
4. -
5. 17220
6. P·······
7. in
8. in
9. -
10. Y5; TJohn's_Witness
11. 62714
1. τῇ
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····DFS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y5; TJohn's_Witness
11. 62715
1. ἐρήμῳ
2. erēmos
3. wilderness
4. -
5. 20480
6. S····DFS
7. wilderness
8. desert
9. -
10. Y5; TJohn's_Witness
11. 62716
1. Εὐθύνατε
2. euthunō
3. straighten
4. -
5. 21160
6. VMAA2··P
7. straighten
8. straighten
9. D
10. Y5; TJohn's_Witness
11. 62717
1. τήν
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····AFS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y5; TJohn's_Witness
11. 62718
1. ὁδόν
2. hodos
3. way
4. path
5. 35980
6. N····AFS
7. way
8. way
9. -
10. Y5; TJohn's_Witness
11. 62719
1. Κυρίου
2. kurios
3. of +the master
4. Yahweh
5. 29620
6. N····GMS
7. ˱of˲ ˓the˒ master
8. ˱of˲ ˓the˒ Lord
9. GN
10. Y5; TJohn's_Witness
11. 62720
1. εὐθείας
2. euthus
3. -
4. -
5. 21170
6. A····AFP
7. straight
8. straight
9. -
10. -
11. 62721
1. ποιεῖτε
2. poieō
3. -
4. -
5. 41600
6. VMPA2··P
7. ˓be˒ making
8. ˓be˒ making
9. -
10. -
11. 62722
1. τάς
2. ho
3. -
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····AFP
7. ¬the
8. ¬the
9. -
10. -
11. 62723
1. τρίβους
2. tribos
3. -
4. -
5. 51470
6. N····AFP
7. paths
8. paths
9. -
10. -
11. 62724
1. αὐτοῦ
2. autos
3. -
4. -
5. 8460
6. R···3GMS
7. ˱of˲ him
8. ˱of˲ him
9. -
10. -
11. 62725
1. καθώς
2. kathōs
3. as
4. -
5. 25310
6. C·······
7. as
8. as
9. -
10. Y5; TJohn's_Witness
11. 62726
1. εἶπεν
2. legō
3. said
4. -
5. 30040
6. VIAA3··S
7. said
8. said
9. -
10. Y5; TJohn's_Witness
11. 62727
1. Ἠσαΐας
2. ēsaias
3. Aʸsaias/(Yəshaˊyāh)
4. -
5. 22680
6. N····NMS
7. Aʸsaias/(Yəshaˊ\sup yāh\sup*)
8. Isaiah
9. U
10. Person=Isaiah; Y5; TJohn's_Witness
11. 62728
1. ὁ
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····NMS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y5; TJohn's_Witness
11. 62729
1. προφήτης
2. profētēs
3. prophet
4. prophet
5. 43960
6. N····NMS
7. prophet
8. prophet
9. -
10. Y5; TJohn's_Witness
11. 62730

1:23 We’ve deliberately omitted putting a comma here, because it’s also possible that the comma should go after ‘wilderness’.

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 1:19–28: John the Baptist said that he was not the Messiah

In this section John the Baptist told messengers from the Jewish leaders that he himself was not the Messiah. He had come to prepare people for the coming of someone else, someone much greater than he was. He was referring to Jesus.

Here are other possible section headings:

John the Baptist said that he prepared people for someone much greater than him

John the Baptist told about his mission

John the Baptist was not the Messiah

Paragraph 1:19–23

The Jewish religious leaders sent priests and Levites to John to ask him who he claimed to be. They believed that he had no right to baptize if God had not sent him. He told them that he was preparing people to believe in the Messiah, the Chosen One. He quoted from Isaiah the prophet about a voice shouting in the wilderness to describe himself.

1:23a

John replied

John replied to them,
John told the priests and Levites,

John replied: John answered by quoting words from Isaiah 40:3 in the LXX (the Greek translation of the OT).In the Hebrew text of Isaiah 40:3, the straight path was to be built in the desert: “In the desert prepare a way for the Lord.” However, in the LXX, the voice calling out was in the desert: “The voice of one calling in the desert….” John was quoting from the LXX. 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 the prophet was speaking of me.
“It is just as Isaiah the prophet said/wrote long ago.

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:

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.” (GW) (NET, NASB, NJB, ESV, RSV, GW)
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!’ ” (GNT) (BSB, CEV, NCV, NIV, NLT, NRSV, REB, GNT)

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.’” (GNT)

1:23c

“I am a voice of one calling in the wilderness,

I am only ‘the one calling/crying out in the wilderness:
‘The voice shouting in the desert’—It is mine/me!
I fulfill this saying: ‘A person/man shouts in the desert,

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 (CEV)

I am the one who fulfills this saying/word: “A voice will cry out in the wilderness….”

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 BSB translates as calling here means “shouting” or “speaking loudly.”

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

desert (NIV)

1:23d

‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”

Make^(plur) a straight way/path for the Lord!’”
I am telling people to prepare for the Lord to arrive.
‘Straighten out your lives and get ready for the Lord!’”

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:

General Comment on 1:23a–d

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!
Prepare yourselves for the Lord to come to you!

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

^23aJohn 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.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / quotemarks

φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, εὐθύνατε τὴν ὁδὸν Κυρίου

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἔφη Ἐγώ Φωνή βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ Εὐθύνατε τήν ὁδόν Κυρίου καθώς εἶπεν Ἠσαΐας ὁ προφήτης)

In these phrases, John quotes from the Old Testament book of Isaiah ([Isaiah 40:3](../../isa/40/03.md)). It may be helpful to your readers to indicate this by setting off all of this material with quotation marks or with whatever other punctuation or convention your language uses to indicate a quotation.

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

ἐγὼ φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ

Here, voice refers to the person who is crying out in the wilderness. If this might confuse your readers, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [I am the one calling out in the wilderness]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / quotesinquotes

ἐγὼ φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, εὐθύνατε τὴν ὁδὸν Κυρίου

This clause is a quotation within a quotation. John is quoting from the book of Isaiah, and Isaiah is quoting the words of the person calling out in the wilderness. It would be best to indicate that by punctuating this material as a second-level quotation, since Luke is quoting from Scripture. However, if your language does not put one direct quotation within another, you could translate this material as an indirect quotation. Alternate translation: [I am a voice crying out in the wilderness to make the way of the Lord straight]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

εὐθύνατε τὴν ὁδὸν Κυρίου

John the Baptist quotes Isaiah, using this clause to refer to telling people to get ready to listen to the Lord’s message when it comes. They are to do this by repenting of their sins. If this might confuse your readers, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [Repent of your sins so that you will be ready to listen to the Lord’s message when it comes]

Note 5 topic: translate-names

Ἠσαΐας ὁ προφήτης

Isaiah the prophet

Isaiah is the name of the man who wrote the book of Isaiah, in the Bible.

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)