Matthew 3:3
Previous Verse < Matthew 3 > Next Verse
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. (ASV)
Pro
Edit this section if you suspect error.
See comments on John 1:23.
Misquote Of Jewish Bible
JW:
"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."
JW:
The quote from Isaiah:
"The voice of one that crieth, Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of Jehovah; make level in the desert a highway for our God."
JW:
The author of Matthew has quoted word for word from the LXX of Isaiah 40:3 (surprise) except for substituting the usual reference to Yahweh ("Jehovah") with a word normally used to refer to Jesus ("Lord").
--JoeWallack 11:01, 11 Feb 2007 (CST)
Taking Isaiah Quote Out Of Context
JW:
"6 Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in thy house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith Jehovah.
7 And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, whom thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.
8 Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of Jehovah which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days."
"14 Assemble yourselves, all ye, and hear; who among them hath declared these things? He whom Jehovah loveth shall perform his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm [shall be on] the Chaldeans.
15 I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called him; I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous.
16 Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; from the beginning I have not spoken in secret; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord Jehovah hath sent me, and his Spirit.
17 Thus saith Jehovah, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am Jehovah thy God, who teacheth thee to profit, who leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.
18 Oh that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:
19 thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the grains thereof: his name would not be cut off nor destroyed from before me.
20 Go ye forth from Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans; with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth: say ye, Jehovah hath redeemed his servant Jacob.
21 And they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts; he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them; he clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out.
22 There is no peace, saith Jehovah, to the wicked."
JW:
The context of Isaiah before and after chapter 40 indicates that Isaiah was referring to the Babylonian exile and subsequent return. So other than changing the general wording of Isaiah chapter 40, specifically changing the reference to the coming of Jesus instead of Yahweh and ignoring the context of the author's work, "Matthew" has made a perfect match.
--JoeWallack 09:08, 13 Feb 2007 (CST)
Con
For Error The context of Isaiah before and after chapter 40 indicates that Isaiah was referring to the Babylonian exile and subsequent return. So other than changing the general wording of Isaiah chapter 40, specifically changing the reference to the coming of Jesus instead of Yahweh and ignoring the context of the author's work, "Matthew" has made a perfect match.
--JoeWallack 09:08, 13 Feb 2007 (CST)
Answer All scholars recognize that Isaiah 40 begins on a new track, and thus chapter 39 cannot be used to interpret it. Isaiah 41 can only support the Messianic sense of chapter 40 (e.g. 41:27). Furthermore, the Messianic character of 40:5 is undeniable.
Neutral
Edit this section to note miscellaneous facts.
