Luke 1:80

1:80 And the child kept growing ¹  and becoming strong ²  in spirit, and he was in the wilderness ³  until the day he was revealed ⁴  to Israel.

Isaiah 40:3

40:3 A voice cries out,

“In the wilderness clear a way for the Lord;

construct in the desert a road for our God.

Matthew 3:1

The Ministry of John the Baptist

3:1 In those days John the Baptist came into the wilderness ⁵  of Judea proclaiming,

Matthew 11:7

11:7 While they were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness ⁶  to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ⁷ 

Mark 1:3

1:3 the voice of one shouting in the wilderness,

‘Prepare the way for the Lord,

make ⁸  his paths straight.’” ⁹ 

John 1:23

1:23 John ¹⁰  said, “I am the voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Make straight ¹¹  the way for the Lord,’ ¹²  as Isaiah the prophet said.”

[1:80]  ¹ tn This verb is imperfect.

[1:80]  ² tn This verb is also imperfect.

[1:80]  ³ tn Or “desert.”

[1:80]  ⁴ tn Grk “until the day of his revealing.”

[3:1]  ⁵ tn Or “desert.”

[11:7]  ⁶ tn Or “desert.”

[11:7]  ⁷ tn There is a debate as to whether one should read this figuratively (“to see someone who is easily blown over?”) or literally (Grk “to see the wilderness vegetation?… No, to see a prophet”). Either view makes good sense, but the following examples suggest the question should be read literally and understood to point to the fact that a prophet drew them to the desert.

[1:3]  ⁸ sn This call to “make his paths straight” in this context is probably an allusion to preparation through repentance.

[1:3]  ⁹ sn A quotation from Isa 40:3.

[1:23]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “He”; the referent (John the Baptist) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:23]  ¹¹ sn This call to “make straight” is probably an allusion to preparation through repentance.

[1:23]  ¹² sn A quotation from Isa 40:3.