YHN 1:23 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

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

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT He said,
⇔  “I am a voice, crying out in the wilderness:
⇔  ‘Make the way of the Lord straight,’
§  just as Isaiah the prophet said.”

UST John told them, “I am the person shouting in the desolate area to prepare yourselves to receive the Lord when he comes. I am whom the prophet Isaiah foretold.”

BLB He was saying, "I am a voice crying in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,'" as Isaiah the prophet said.

AICNT He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”[fn]

1:23, Isaiah 40:3 LXX

OEB ‘I,’ he answered, ‘am –
⇔ “The voice of one crying aloud in the wilderness: make a straight road for the Lord”,
§ as the prophet Isaiah said.’

LSB He said, “I am A VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE d LORD d*,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”

WEBBE He said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”

WMBB (Same as above)

NET John said, “I am the voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”

LSV He said, “I [am] a voice of one crying in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the LORD, as Isaiah the prophet said.”

FBV “I am a voice calling in the desert, ‘Make the Lord's way straight!’ ” he said, using the words of the prophet Isaiah.[fn]

1:23 Quoting Isaiah 40:3.

TCNT He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

T4T John replied, “I am the one the prophet Isaiah said would proclaim this new message loudly to the people who would pass by in this desolate area: ‘Prepare yourselves to receive the Lord when he comes [MET], just like people prepare a road for an important official.

LEB He said,
• “I am ‘the voice of one crying out in the wilderness,
• “Make straight the way of the Lord,” ’[fn]
¶ just as Isaiah the prophet said.”

1:23 A quotation from Isa 40:3|link-href="None"

BBE He said, I am the voice of one crying in the waste land, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet.

Moff He said, "I am
⇔ the voice of one who cries in the desert,
⇔ 'level the way for the Lord'-- as the prophet Isaiah said."

Wymth "I am the voice," he replied, "of one crying aloud, `Make straight the Lord's way in the Desert,' fulfilling the words of the Prophet Isaiah."

ASV He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet.

DRA He said: I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaias.

YLT He said, 'I [am] a voice of one crying in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet.'

Drby He said, I [am] [the] voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the path of [the] Lord, as said Esaias the prophet.

RV He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet.

SLT He said, I the voice of him crying in the desert, Make ye straight the way of the Lord, as said Esaias the prophet.

Wbstr He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaiah.

KJB-1769 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.

KJB-1611 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wildernesse: Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the Prophet Esaias.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Bshps He sayde: I am the voyce of a cryer in the wildernesse, make strayght the way of the Lorde, as sayde the prophete Esaias.
(He said: I am the voice of a cryer in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.)

Gnva He said, I am the voyce of him that cryeth in the wildernesse, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the Prophet Esaias.
(He said, I am the voice of him that crieth/cries in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the Prophet Esaias. )

Cvdl He sayde: I am ye voyce of a cryer in the wyldernesse. Make straight ye waye of the LORDE. As ye prophet Esay sayde:
(He said: I am ye/you_all voice of a cryer in the wilderness. Make straight ye/you_all way of the LORD. As ye/you_all prophet Esay said:)

TNT He sayde: I am the voyce of a cryar in the wyldernes make strayght the waye of the Lorde as sayde the Prophete Esaias.
(He said: I am the voice of a cryar in the wilderness make straight the way of the Lord as said the Prophet Esaias. )

Wycl He seide, Y am a vois of a crier in deseert, Dresse ye the weie of the Lord, as Ysaie, the prophete, seide.
(He said, I am a voice of a crier in desert, Dresse ye/you_all the way of the Lord, as Isaiah, the prophet, said.)

Luth Er sprach: Ich bin eine Stimme eines Predigers in der Wüste: Richtet den Weg des HErr’s! wie der Prophet Jesaja gesagt hat.
(He spoke: I am a/one voice(n) one/a preacher in the/of_the desert: Richtet the way/path/road the LORD’s! as/like the/of_the Prophet Yesaya said has.)

ClVg Ait: Ego vox clamantis in deserto: Dirigite viam Domini, sicut dixit Isaias propheta.[fn]
(He_said: I voice crying in/into/on in_the_desert: Dirigite way/road Master, like he/she_said Isaiahs a_prophet. )

1.23 Ego vox clamantis in deserto. Non dicit, Ego sum homo, vel Joannes, vel filius Zachariæ. Non considerat humanam subsistentiam vel generationem, sed ultra hæc omnia exaltatus præcursor Verbi, deserit omnia quæ intra mundum continentur. Ascendit in altum factus vox Verbi, nullam in se substantiam fatetur præter abundantiam gratiæ, qua excedit omnem creaturam, ut sit vox Verbi. Vox est interpres animi, animus autem, id est intellectus omnium est Filius Dei. Joannes ergo vox est et interpres hujus animi, quia primo mundo eum demonstravit: Ecce agnus Dei. Isaias, Hoc de Joanne prophetavit: Ego vox clamantis in deserto, in qua verbum sonat, id est prophetia, et ostensio et lucerna verbi præsentis.

1.23 I voice crying in/into/on in_the_desert. Not/No he_says, I I_am human, or Yoannes, or son Zachariæ. Not/No considers human subsistentiam or generation, but beyond/besides these_things everything exalted/highly_spoken_of beforecursor Verbi, abandons everything which inside the_world are_contained. Ascendit in/into/on high became voice Verbi, none in/into/on himself substance fatetur besides abundancem thanks, which excedit all creature, as be voice Verbi. The_voice it_is interpres of_the_soul, animus however, that it_is understanding of_all it_is Son of_God. Yoannes therefore voice it_is and interpres of_this of_the_soul, because at_first to_the_world him demonstravit: Behold lamb of_God. Isaiahs, This from/about Yoanne prophesied: I voice crying in/into/on in_the_desert, in/into/on which the_word/saying sounds, that it_is prophecy, and ostensio and lamp words presents.

UGNT ἔφη, ἐγὼ φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, εὐθύνατε τὴν ὁδὸν Κυρίου, καθὼς εἶπεν Ἠσαΐας ὁ προφήτης.
(efaʸ, egō fōnaʸ boōntos en taʸ eraʸmōi, euthunate taʸn hodon Kuriou, kathōs eipen Aʸsaias ho profaʸtaʸs.)

SBL-GNT ἔφη· Ἐγὼ φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ· Εὐθύνατε τὴν ὁδὸν κυρίου, καθὼς εἶπεν Ἠσαΐας ὁ προφήτης.
(efaʸ; Egō fōnaʸ boōntos en taʸ eraʸmōi; Euthunate taʸn hodon kuriou, kathōs eipen Aʸsaias ho profaʸtaʸs.)

RP-GNT Ἔφη, Ἐγὼ φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, Εὐθύνατε τὴν ὁδὸν κυρίου, καθὼς εἶπεν Ἠσαΐας ὁ προφήτης.
(Efaʸ, Egō fōnaʸ boōntos en taʸ eraʸmōi, Euthunate taʸn hodon kuriou, kathōs eipen Aʸsaias ho profaʸtaʸs.)

TC-GNT Ἔφη, Ἐγὼ φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, Εὐθύνατε τὴν ὁδὸν Κυρίου, καθὼς εἶπεν Ἠσαΐας ὁ προφήτης.
(Efaʸ, Egō fōnaʸ boōntos en taʸ eraʸmōi, Euthunate taʸn hodon Kuriou, kathōs eipen Aʸsaias ho profaʸtaʸs. )

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN 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.

UTN 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.

Parallel YHN 1:23