Mark 1:3 (DRB)

Passage

A voice of one crying in the desert: Prepare ye the way of the Lord; make straight his paths.

Nearby Context

Mark 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Mark 1:2 As it is written in Isaias the prophet: Behold I send my angel before thy face, who shall prepare the way before thee.

Mark 1:3 A voice of one crying in the desert: Prepare ye the way of the Lord; make straight his paths.

Mark 1:4 John was in the desert, baptizing and preaching the baptism of penance, unto remission of sins.

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "voice", "crying", "desert", "prepare", "lord", "make", "straight", and "paths". 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 Isaias the..." into verse 4's "John was in the desert baptizing and...", 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.