Isaiah 40:4-5
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. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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It's easy to read this as just a dramatic depiction of making a road smooth, but look closer: the original Hebrew for "crooked" might actually mean "hilly" or "uneven ground." This suggests the imagery isn't just about leveling things out, but also about transforming genuinely difficult, impassable terrain into something accessible. This hints that the preparation for God's arrival involves overcoming not just pride and sin, but also the inherent difficulties and barriers in our lives and the world.
This verse is part of God's powerful message of comfort to His people, directly following the command to prepare the way for the Lord. It expands on the idea of a royal procession, describing how all natural obstacles—valleys, mountains, rough terrain—will be leveled and smoothed to ensure a clear, easy path for God's return. This imagery sets the stage for a radical transformation, both in the physical landscape and in the hearts of the people who are to encounter their returning King.
Imagine an ancient king traveling through his land. What kind of road would be prepared for him? It wouldn't be a bumpy, obstacle-filled path!
The prophet Isaiah uses imagery drawn from the ancient world for preparing a royal procession. Eastern monarchs would send ahead to ensure their path was clear and smooth.
This wasn't just about physical travel; it was about removing all barriers so the king could arrive without hindrance. This magnificent preparation is for none other than God Himself, coming to His people.
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Isaiah isn't just talking about dirt and rocks. He's using this vivid picture to speak about something much deeper within us and within society.
The 'valleys' and 'mountains' aren't just geographical features; they represent the spiritual and moral landscape of people's lives.
This preparation is about a societal and personal transformation, aligning hearts and lives with God's coming presence and purposes.
Sometimes, God's Word can feel like a jumbled mess of difficult prophecies. But the message of God's coming brings a new kind of understanding.
Beyond the personal and societal transformation, Isaiah's words also point to a new clarity coming with God's intervention.
This isn't just about making a physical path easy; it's about making the way to understand God and His salvation straightforward and accessible.
Understand the original words
kabod · Hebrew Noun
A term representing the weight, significance, and visible manifestation of God’s character, presence, and majesty; it is the outward expression of His inward divine essence.
basar · Hebrew Noun
A biblical term for humanity in its entirety; it emphasizes the temporary, mortal, and fragile nature of human beings compared to the eternal and sovereign God.
This prophecy of leveling mountains and filling valleys paints a vivid picture of God's powerful intervention to restore His people. It speaks to the immense effort required for their return from Babylonian exile, clearing obstacles and making a smooth path for their journey home and the rebuilding of their lives and worship.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the Northern Kingdom of Israel, scattering its people and disrupting its political and religious life. This event marks a significant loss of national identity and sovereignty for many Israelites.
605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian Empire begins its systematic deportation of Jewish elites and skilled workers to Babylon. This exile deeply impacts the Jewish people, severing them from their homeland and intensifying their longing for restoration.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Destruction of the Temple
Babylon destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, the heart of Israelite worship and national life. This catastrophic event plunges the remaining Judeans into exile and despair, making the prophetic promises of return and rebuilding even more crucial.
539 BC
Cyrus the Great Conquers Babylon
The Persian Empire under Cyrus overthrows the Babylonian Empire. Cyrus issues a decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple.
538 BC— this verse
Return of Exiles to Jerusalem
The first wave of Jewish exiles, led by figures like Zerubbabel, returns to Jerusalem. They face immense challenges in rebuilding the city and the Temple amidst ruins and local opposition.
c. 445 BC
Nehemiah Rebuilds Jerusalem's Walls
Nehemiah leads a critical effort to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, providing physical security and symbolizing the restoration of the community. This shows the ongoing process of rebuilding and establishing God's people.
This passage directly quotes Isaiah 40:4, applying it to John the Baptist's ministry of preparing the way for Jesus by calling people to repentance and making the crooked paths straight.
Matthew 3:3Similar to Luke, Matthew's Gospel quotes Isaiah 40:4 in the context of John the Baptist's ministry, emphasizing the leveling of mountains and hills as a metaphor for societal and spiritual transformation before the Messiah's arrival.
Isaiah 11:16This verse provides a parallel image of God's future deliverance, describing a highway out of Egypt that will be made smooth and level, mirroring the idea of removing obstacles for a divine journey.
Psalm 29:5This psalm speaks of the Lord breaking the cedars and making Lebanon (a mountainous region) like a calf, reflecting a theme of divine power leveling the proud and mighty, much like the mountains being made low in Isaiah.
Zechariah 4:7This verse describes a great mountain before Zerubbabel becoming a level ground, illustrating how God removes immense obstacles, which resonates with Isaiah's imagery of making rough places plain.
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…
It's easy to read this as just a dramatic depiction of making a road smooth, but look closer: the original Hebrew for "crooked" might actually mean "hilly" or "uneven ground." This suggests the imagery isn't just about leveling things out, but also about transforming genuinely difficult, impassable terrain into something accessible. This hints that the preparation for God's arrival involves overcoming not just pride and sin, but also the inherent difficulties and barriers in our lives and the world.
This verse is part of God's powerful message of comfort to His people, directly following the command to prepare the way for the Lord. It expands on the idea of a royal procession, describing how all natural obstacles—valleys, mountains, rough terrain—will be leveled and smoothed to ensure a clear, easy path for God's return. This imagery sets the stage for a radical transformation, both in the physical landscape and in the hearts of the people who are to encounter their returning King.
This verse is part of God's powerful message of comfort to His people, directly following the command to prepare the way for the Lord. It expands on the idea of a royal procession, describing how all natural obstacles—valleys, mountains, rough terrain—will be leveled and smoothed to ensure a clear, easy path for God's return. This imagery sets the stage for a radical transformation, both in the physical landscape and in the hearts of the people who are to encounter their returning King.
"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. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see…" — It's easy to read this as just a dramatic depiction of making a road smooth, but look closer: the original Hebrew for "crooked" might actually mean "hilly" or "uneven ground." This suggests the image…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
