The Meaning of Matthew 3:3 Explained

Matthew 3:3

KJV: For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

YLT: for this is he who was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying, 'A voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, straight make ye His paths.'

Darby: For this is he who has been spoken of through Esaias the prophet, saying, Voice of him that crieth in the wilderness: prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.

ASV: For this is he that was spoken of through Isaiah the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make ye ready the way of the Lord, Make his paths straight.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For  this  is he  that was spoken  of by  the prophet  Esaias,  saying,  The voice  of one crying  in  the wilderness,  Prepare ye  the way  of the Lord,  make  his  paths  straight. 

What does Matthew 3:3 Mean?

Verse Meaning

In Isaiah 40:3 the voice exhorts the people to prepare for God"s coming as He brings Israel back from her dispersion. The prophet then proceeded to describe the blessings that would follow her return. Matthew identified Yahweh in Isaiah 40:3 with Jesus in Matthew 3:3. This means the kingdom of God is the kingdom of Jesus. While this is not an implicit statement of Jesus" deity, it certainly presents Jesus as more than just Yahweh"s representative.

Context Summary

Matthew 3:1-12 - The Herald Prepares The Way
Matthew's Gospel heralds the Kingdom. We are allowed to see and listen to the forerunner, whose voice again awoke the hearts of men with prophetic utterance after a silence of four hundred years. He leaps into the arena with the suddenness of Elijah.
His message was twofold-the need for repentance and the announcement of the nearness of the Kingdom; it thrilled his generation with a strange wonder and interest. All of the southern part of the country seemed to empty itself into the Jordan valley. Yes, if a man is not a reed shaken by the wind, not effeminate in court dress, not a copy but an original, who speaks what he sees and knows of God, men will come to Him in every age.
To us also John the Baptist must come, if we shall properly appreciate the Redeemer. We must expose ourselves to the fire, the ax, the winnowing-fan, that we may learn what we really are and come, like Paul, to reckon our own righteousness as loss, if only we may win Christ and be found in Him. [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 3

1  John preaches: his office, life, and baptism
7  He reprimands the Pharisees,
13  and baptizes Jesus in Jordan

What do the individual words in Matthew 3:3 mean?

This for is the [One] having been spoken of through Isaiah the prophet saying [The] voice of one crying in the wilderness Prepare the way of [the] Lord straight make the paths of Him
οὗτος γάρ ἐστιν ῥηθεὶς διὰ Ἠσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος Φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ Ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν Κυρίου εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους αὐτοῦ

οὗτος  This 
Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: οὗτος  
Sense: this.
  the  [One] 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ῥηθεὶς  having  been  spoken  of 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Passive, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to utter, speak, say.
διὰ  through 
Parse: Preposition
Root: διά  
Sense: through.
Ἠσαΐου  Isaiah 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Ἠσαί̈ας  
Sense: a famous Hebrew prophet who prophesied in the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.
προφήτου  prophet 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: προφήτης  
Sense: in Greek writings, an interpreter of oracles or of other hidden things.
λέγοντος  saying 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
Φωνὴ  [The]  voice 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: φωνή  
Sense: a sound, a tone.
βοῶντος  of  one  crying 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: βοάω  
Sense: to raise a cry, of joy pain etc.
ἐρήμῳ  wilderness 
Parse: Adjective, Dative Feminine Singular
Root: ἔρημος  
Sense: solitary, lonely, desolate, uninhabited.
Ἑτοιμάσατε  Prepare 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Imperative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: ἑτοιμάζω  
Sense: to make ready, prepare.
ὁδὸν  way 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: ὁδός 
Sense: properly.
Κυρίου  of  [the]  Lord 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: κύριος  
Sense: he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord.
εὐθείας  straight 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Feminine Plural
Root: εὐθύσ1 
Sense: straight, level.
ποιεῖτε  make 
Parse: Verb, Present Imperative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: ποιέω  
Sense: to make.
τρίβους  paths 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Plural
Root: τρίβος  
Sense: a worn way, a path.
αὐτοῦ  of  Him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.