King James Bible
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight."
Mark identifies John the Baptist as the prophetic voice from Isaiah 40:3, positioning him as a herald in the desert regions of Judea. The wilderness setting evokes Israel's formative exodus experience and suggests a new beginning is at hand. The command echoes ancient Near Eastern practice where roads were cleared and leveled for approaching royalty. John calls for spiritual preparation—repentance and renewal—to ready hearts for the imminent arrival of the Messiah. This parallel phrase intensifies the urgency of removing moral and spiritual obstacles. The imagery shifts from preparing a highway to ensuring direct, unimpeded access, emphasizing the thoroughness of transformation needed for God's kingdom to break through.