Mark 1:3 (DBY)

Passage

Voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of [the] Lord, make his paths straight.

Nearby Context

Mark 1:1 Beginning of the glad tidings of Jesus Christ, Son of God;

Mark 1:2 as it is written in [Isaiah] the prophet, Behold, *I* send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way.

Mark 1:3 Voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of [the] Lord, make his paths straight.

Mark 1:4 There came John baptising in the wilderness, and preaching [the] baptism of repentance for remission of sins.

Mark 1:5 And there went out to him all the district of Judaea, and all they of Jerusalem, and were baptised by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "as it is written in Isaiah the..." into verse 4's "There came John baptising in the wilderness...", so "voice" and "crying" belong inside that flow. In Mark context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

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