John 1:23 (ASV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

John 1:21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elijah? And he saith, I am not. Art thou the prophet? And he answered, No.

John 1:22 They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?

John 1:23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet.

John 1:24 And they had been sent from the Pharisees.

John 1:25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why then baptizest thou, if thou art not the Christ, neither Elijah, neither the prophet?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "said", "voice", "crying", "wilderness", "make", "straight", and "lord". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "said" and "voice", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "They said therefore unto him Who art..." into verse 24's "And they had been sent from the...", so "said" and "voice" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "said" and "voice" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.