Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse isn't just about physical terrain; it's about profound transformation. The "crooked" places, more literally "uneven" or "hilly," aren't just obstacles, but suggest misleading paths or difficult ascents that need to be made "straight" and easy. This highlights that preparing for God involves more than just smoothing out the obvious, but also correcting what is misleading and making truth accessible.
Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This prophecy unfolds in the context of God announcing His impending return to His people, promising comfort and deliverance after their long exile. To prepare for this glorious arrival, a divine highway must be constructed, leveling mountains and filling valleys. This immense earth-moving project signifies the radical transformation required, both in the physical landscape and within the hearts of the people, to make way for God's presence and salvific work.
Imagine an ancient king on the move. His subjects would literally reshape the land to make his journey smooth and swift. This isn't just about roads; it's about divine preparation.
The imagery in Isaiah 40:4 draws directly from how ancient Eastern monarchs prepared for travel. When a king was set to journey, heralds would go ahead to clear obstacles, build causeways over valleys, and level hills. This was a grand act of engineering to ensure the king's passage was unobstructed and dignified.
In this verse, the 'king' is God Himself, making His glorious return or presence known. The 'road construction' is a metaphor for removing every impediment that would hinder His arrival, not just physical ones, but spiritual and moral barriers too.
Mountains and valleys aren't just geographical features. In God's economy, they represent deep-seated human attitudes that need a radical transformation.
When Isaiah speaks of valleys being 'lifted up' and mountains being 'made low,' he's using powerful metaphors for spiritual change. The high places—mountains and hills—often symbolize pride, arrogance, and self-reliance. These need to be brought down, humbled, so they no longer stand as barriers to God.
The low places—the valleys—represent humility, brokenness, and those who feel overlooked or insignificant. These are 'lifted up,' meaning they are exalted, recognized, and brought into God's favor. It's a divine reversal of human status and ego.
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Life's journey can feel tangled and difficult. God's coming smooths out the complexities and removes the harshness, bringing clarity and ease.
The final part of the verse addresses the 'crooked' and 'rough places.' These speak to more than just literal terrain; they represent the twists and turns of life, the difficult doctrines, the moral crookedness, and the hard-heartedness that obstruct our walk with God.
'Making crooked places straight' suggests bringing truth to light, clarifying confusing prophecies, and setting people on the right path. 'Making rough places plain' implies smoothing out the difficult, the harsh, and the contentious aspects of life and doctrine into something accessible and easy to navigate.
It's about making the way of God not just passable, but clear, easy, and welcoming for all who seek Him.
The powerful imagery of leveling mountains and filling valleys wasn't just poetic; it echoed the actual, arduous journeys of conquest and return. This prophecy promised a divine intervention so profound that it would transform the very landscape, making the impossible path of return home a reality for a devastated people.
c. 705-690 BC
Sennacherib's Campaign
Assyrian King Sennacherib invaded Judah and captured many cities, though Jerusalem was miraculously spared. This event likely heightened anxieties about foreign invasion and the vulnerability of the kingdom.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquered Judah, and began deporting Jewish elites, including Daniel, to Babylon. This marked the beginning of the Babylonian exile and a period of national crisis.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
More Judeans, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel, were exiled to Babylon following a rebellion. The kingdom's sovereignty was further diminished.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Temple
Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple, ending the Davidic monarchy and scattering the remaining population into exile. This was the nadir of Israel's history, a time of profound loss and national grief.
c. 540 BC— this verse
Isaiah's Prophecies Written
These words of comfort and hope were written during the Babylonian exile, offering a vision of God's future restoration and glory for His people.
539 BC
Cyrus the Great Conquers Babylon
The Persian king Cyrus overthrew the Babylonian empire, paving the way for the exiles to return to Judah. This event set the stage for the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecies of return.
538 BC
Edict of Cyrus Allows Return
Cyrus issued a decree permitting the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. This marked the beginning of the return from exile.
This New Testament passage directly quotes Isaiah 40:3-4, explicitly applying the imagery of leveling mountains and filling valleys to the ministry of John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Jesus.
Luke 3:4-6Similar to Matthew, Luke also quotes Isaiah's prophecy, emphasizing that John's mission was to prepare the people by making the crooked paths straight and leveling the rough ways, symbolizing the transformation needed for encountering God.
Isaiah 11:16This passage in Isaiah uses similar imagery of a prepared path for God's people, speaking of a highway from Egypt to Assyria being made level, which echoes the grand scale of God's intervention and salvation.
Psalm 72:3This psalm describes a future king (understood as the Messiah) bringing righteousness and peace, stating that the mountains will yield prosperity and the hills will do the same, paralleling the idea of God transforming the landscape for His reign.
Revelation 21:1-4This passage describes God making all things new, including a new heaven and new earth, where there is 'no more death or mourning or crying or pain,' reflecting the ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah's imagery of a leveled and perfected creation.
cambridgeIsaiah 40:4: "Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:"
4 . and the crooked … plain ] More literally: and the uneven shall become a plain, and the rugged places a valley . rough places is a word of somewhat uncertain sense, which does not occur elsewhere. straight and plain are nouns in the original.
jfbIsaiah 40:4: "Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:"
- Eastern monarchs send heralds before them in a journey to clear away obstacles, make causeways over valleys, and level hills. So John's duty was to bring back the people to obedience to the law and to remove all self-confidence, pride in national privileges, hypocrisy, and irreligion, so that they should be ready for His coming (Mal…
This verse isn't just about physical terrain; it's about profound transformation. The "crooked" places, more literally "uneven" or "hilly," aren't just obstacles, but suggest misleading paths or difficult ascents that need to be made "straight" and easy. This highlights that preparing for God involves more than just smoothing out the obvious, but also correcting what is misleading and making truth accessible.
This prophecy unfolds in the context of God announcing His impending return to His people, promising comfort and deliverance after their long exile. To prepare for this glorious arrival, a divine highway must be constructed, leveling mountains and filling valleys. This immense earth-moving project signifies the radical transformation required, both in the physical landscape and within the hearts of the people, to make way for God's presence and salvific work.
This prophecy unfolds in the context of God announcing His impending return to His people, promising comfort and deliverance after their long exile. To prepare for this glorious arrival, a divine highway must be constructed, leveling mountains and filling valleys. This immense earth-moving project signifies the radical transformation required, both in the physical landscape and within the hearts of the people, to make way for God's presence and salvific work.
"Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain." — This verse isn't just about physical terrain; it's about profound transformation. The "crooked" places, more literally "uneven" or "hilly," aren't just obstacles, but suggest misleading paths or diff…
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Last reviewed October 2026