Mark 1:3 (YLT)

Passage

`A voice of one calling in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, straight make ye his paths,' --

Nearby Context

Mark 1:1 A beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, Son of God.

Mark 1:2 As it hath been written in the prophets, `Lo, I send My messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee,' --

Mark 1:3 `A voice of one calling in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, straight make ye his paths,' --

Mark 1:4 John came baptizing in the wilderness, and proclaiming a baptism of reformation--to remission of sins,

Mark 1:5 and there were going forth to him all the region of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and they were all baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "As it hath been written in the..." into verse 4's "John came baptizing in the wilderness and...", so "voice" and "calling" 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 "calling" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.