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Mat 3 V1 V2 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17
OET (OET-LV) For/Because this is the one having_been_spoken through Aʸsaias/(Yəshaˊyāh) the prophet saying:
The_voice of_a_shouting one in the wilderness prepare the way of_the_master, be_making the paths of_him straight.
OET (OET-RV) This is the man that the prophet Yeshayah was talking about when he wrote:
⇔ ‘The voice of one shouting in the wilderness
⇔ prepare the road for Yahweh;
⇔ straighten his paths.’
The story starting at 3:1 occurred about twenty-eight years after 2:23. Matthew did not tell what happened during those twenty-eight years. But he restarted the story at this time in Jesus’ life because Jesus was ready to begin the work that God gave him to do. He began at the time God chose for him.
John the Baptist was the last prophet before Jesus. The story of how John was born is in Luke chapter 1. He was the prophet whom God said would come (3:3). John wore the kind of clothes prophets often wore (3:4). He baptized people who repented. John preached that Jesus would be greater than he was (3:11).
Here are some other possible headings for this section:
The work of John the Baptist/Baptizer
The work of John who baptized people
John the Baptizer preached repentance and submission to God’s rule
John the Baptizer prepared people to receive the Lord
There are parallel passages for this section in Mark 1:1, Luke 3:1–18 and John 1:19–28.
This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
This was the man whom Isaiah the prophet told about long ago, saying,
The person who was saying this is the man whom God’s spokesman Isaiah spoke about long ago when he said,
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 BSB 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
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.
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
“A voice of someone in the wilderness is shouting this:
“A person is calling with a loud voice in a land where no one lives, saying:
A voice of one calling in the wilderness: In the BSB, 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.
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 BSB translates as calling means “shout or call out loudly.” Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
A man is shouting
Someone will call out
the wilderness: The word wilderness is the same word as in 3:1b. See how you translated it there.
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.
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
‘Make(plur) the road ready for the Lord to come,
‘Just as you prepare a road for an important person, so prepare your hearts for the Lord.
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
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
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 BSB 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.
make straight paths for Him.’”
make(plur) the paths straight for him.’ ”
I repeat, just as you(plur) make roads straight for receiving an important person, so make your lives straight for receiving the Lord.’ ”
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 BSB 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.
3cPrepare the road for the Lord, 3dmake it straight for him.
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases
γάρ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: οὗτος Γάρ ἐστίν ὁ ῥηθείς διά Ἠσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος Φωνή βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ Ἑτοιμάσατε τήν ὁδόν Κυρίου εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τάς τρίβους αὐτοῦ)
Here, the word For introduces a further explanation of what Matthew has said about John the Baptist. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces an explanation, or you could leave For untranslated. Alternate translation: [In fact,] or [Now]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive
ὁ ῥηθεὶς
the_‹one› (Some words not found in SR-GNT: οὗτος Γάρ ἐστίν ὁ ῥηθείς διά Ἠσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος Φωνή βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ Ἑτοιμάσατε τήν ὁδόν Κυρίου εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τάς τρίβους αὐτοῦ)
If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: [the one about whom the Lord spoke]
Note 3 topic: writing-quotations
λέγοντος
saying
In Matthew’s culture, saying was a normal way to introduce a quotation from an important text, in this case, the Old Testament book written by Isaiah the prophet (see [Isaiah 40:3](../isa/40/03.md)). If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable phrase that indicates that Matthew is quoting from an important text. Alternate translation: [who wrote in his book] or [who declared]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / synecdoche
φωνὴ βοῶντος
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: οὗτος Γάρ ἐστίν ὁ ῥηθείς διά Ἠσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος Φωνή βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ Ἑτοιμάσατε τήν ὁδόν Κυρίου εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τάς τρίβους αὐτοῦ)
Isaiah is using voice to represent a person speaking. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression from your culture or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [A person calling out] or [Someone calling out]
Note 5 topic: writing-quotations
βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ
˱of˲_˓a˒_shouting_‹one› in the desert
Consider natural ways of introducing direct quotations in your language. Alternate translation: [of one calling out in the wilderness and saying] or [of one calling out in the wilderness, declaring]
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / quotesinquotes
τῇ ἐρήμῳ: ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν Κυρίου; εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους αὐτοῦ
the desert (Some words not found in SR-GNT: οὗτος Γάρ ἐστίν ὁ ῥηθείς διά Ἠσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος Φωνή βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ Ἑτοιμάσατε τήν ὁδόν Κυρίου εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τάς τρίβους αὐτοῦ)
If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this so that there is not a quotation within a quotation. If you do, you will need to delete the single quotation mark at the end of this quotation. Alternate translation: [the wilderness that people must make ready the way of the Lord, that they must make his paths straight]
Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism
ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν Κυρίου; εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους αὐτοῦ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: οὗτος Γάρ ἐστίν ὁ ῥηθείς διά Ἠσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος Φωνή βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ Ἑτοιμάσατε τήν ὁδόν Κυρίου εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τάς τρίβους αὐτοῦ)
These two phrases mean basically the same thing. The second emphasizes the meaning of the first by repeating the same idea with different words. Hebrew poetry was based on this kind of repetition, and it would be good to show this to your readers by including both phrases in your translation rather than combining them. However, if it would be helpful to your readers, you could connect the phrases with a connecting word in order to show that the second phrase is repeating the first one, not saying something additional. Alternate translation: [Make ready the way of the Lord; yes, make his paths straight]
Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν Κυρίου; εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους αὐτοῦ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: οὗτος Γάρ ἐστίν ὁ ῥηθείς διά Ἠσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος Φωνή βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ Ἑτοιμάσατε τήν ὁδόν Κυρίου εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τάς τρίβους αὐτοῦ)
Here Isaiah speaks as if people should build and maintain roads for the Lord to travel on as he comes to visit his people. He means that people need to be living and acting in the proper ways when the Lord appears to his people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the metaphor in simile form or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [Live and behave in a way that pleases God, as if you were making a road ready for him to travel on]
3:3 Isaiah had spoken of a messenger preparing a highway in the wilderness for Israel’s God to return to the land (Isa 40:1-11). John’s ministry prepared the way for Jesus’ arrival (see Matt 11:10; cp. John 12:41).
OET (OET-LV) For/Because this is the one having_been_spoken through Aʸsaias/(Yəshaˊyāh) the prophet saying:
The_voice of_a_shouting one in the wilderness prepare the way of_the_master, be_making the paths of_him straight.
OET (OET-RV) This is the man that the prophet Yeshayah was talking about when he wrote:
⇔ ‘The voice of one shouting in the wilderness
⇔ prepare the road for Yahweh;
⇔ straighten his paths.’
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.
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