SEV Biblia, Chapter 3:5
Todo valle se rellenar, y se bajar todo monte y collado; y los caminos torcidos sern enderezados, y los caminos speros allanados;
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Luke 3:5
Verse 5. Every they shall be filled] All hinderances shall be taken out of the way: a quotation from the Greek version of Isa. xl. 4, containing an allusion to the preparations made in rough countries to facilitate the march of mighty kings and conquerors. See the instance produced on Matt. iii. 3.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 5. Every valley shall be filled , etc.] Luke cites more out of the same prophecy, as relating to the times of John the Baptist, and the Messiah, than the other Evangelists Matthew and Mark do: in the prophet it is, every valley shall be exalted; which is done, by filling it up; the metaphor is persisted in, of preparing and clearing the way, for the coming of the Messiah, done by the ministry of John; under which, such souls as were lowly and humble, and depressed with the sense of sin, should be raised and directed to believe in Christ, and be filled with divine consolation from him. These words are owned by the Jews to belong to the world to come; that is, the times of the Messiah; though they understand them, of making way for the return of the Israelites from captivity, by the Messiah: just as they suppose such things were done by the miraculous cloud, for the children of Israel, as they passed through the wilderness; of which they say f183 , that it went before them, smote the serpents and scorpions, and fiery serpents, and the rock; and if there was any low place, it raised it up; or high place, it made it low, and caused them to be plain; as it is said, ( Isaiah 40:3) And every valley shall be exalted, etc. But what they say of this cloud literally, as preparing the way for the Israelites, is in a spiritual sense true, of the ministry of John; whereby many of the children of Israel, had the way prepared for them, for the reception of the Messiah; when as every humble soul had its expectation raised, and its faith encouraged, and its heart filled with spiritual joy; so such as were proud and haughty, were humbled: and every mountain and hill shall be brought low ; all such as are elated with their own abilities, and boast of their righteousness, trust in themselves, and look with disdain and contempt on others, their loftiness shall be bowed down, and their haughtiness made low; and the Messiah alone, in his person, grace, and righteousness, be exalted: and the crooked shall be made straight : such as are of a crooked spirit, and walk in crooked ways, with the workers of iniquity, shall have new spirits given them, and be directed to right ways, and be led in the paths of righteousness and truth: and the rough ways shall be made smooth ; and men of rough tempers, comparable to lions and bears, shall become quiet and peaceable, smooth and easy; and moreover, whatever difficulties were in the minds of men concerning the Messiah, the end of his coming, and the nature of his kingdom; and whatever impediments were in the way of embracing him when come, should now be removed at least from many persons: R. David Kimchi, a very noted Jewish commentator f184 , acknowledges that the whole of this passage is to be understood, lm rd , by way of parable, in a mystical and figurative sense.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-14 - The scope and design of John's ministry were, to bring the people from their sins, and to their Saviour. He came preaching, not a sect, or party, but a profession; the sign or ceremony was washing with water By the words here used John preached the necessity of repentance, i order to the remission of sins, and that the baptism of water was a outward sign of that inward cleansing and renewal of heart, whic attend, or are the effects of true repentance, as well as a professio of it. Here is the fulfilling of the Scriptures, Isa 40:3, in the ministry of John. When way is made for the gospel into the heart, by taking down high thoughts, and bringing them into obedience to Christ by levelling the soul, and removing all that hinders us in the way of Christ and his grace, then preparation is made to welcome the salvatio of God. Here are general warnings and exhortations which John gave. The guilty, corrupted race of mankind is become a generation of vipers hateful to God, and hating one another. There is no way of fleeing from the wrath to come, but by repentance; and by the change of our way the change of our mind must be shown. If we are not really holy, both i heart and life, our profession of religion and relation to God and his church, will stand us in no stead at all; the sorer will ou destruction be, if we do not bring forth fruits meet for repentance John the Baptist gave instructions to several sorts of persons. Thos that profess and promise repentance, must show it by reformation according to their places and conditions. The gospel requires mercy not sacrifice; and its design is, to engage us to do all the good we can, and to be just to all men. And the same principle which leads me to forego unjust gain, leads to restore that which is gained by wrong John tells the soldiers their duty. Men should be cautioned against the temptations of their employments. These answers declared the presen duty of the inquirers, and at once formed a test of their sincerity. A none can or will accept Christ's salvation without true repentance, s the evidence and effects of this repentance are here marked out.
Greek Textus Receptus
πασα 3956 A-NSF φαραγξ 5327 N-NSF πληρωθησεται 4137 5701 V-FPI-3S και 2532 CONJ παν 3956 A-NSN ορος 3735 N-NSN και 2532 CONJ βουνος 1015 N-NSM ταπεινωθησεται 5013 5701 V-FPI-3S και 2532 CONJ εσται 2071 5704 V-FXI-3S τα 3588 T-NPN σκολια 4646 A-NPN εις 1519 PREP ευθειαν 2117 A-ASF και 2532 CONJ αι 3588 T-NPF τραχειαι 5138 A-NPF εις 1519 PREP οδους 3598 N-APF λειας 3006 A-APF
Vincent's NT Word Studies
5. Valley (faragx). Strictly, of a chasm or ravine in a mountain side. Shall be filled - brought low. In allusion to the practice of Eastern monarchs. On occasions of their progress, heralds were sent out to call on the people to clear and improve the old roads or to make new ones. "When Ibrahim Pacha proposed to visit certain places in Lebanon, the emirs and sheiks sent forth a general proclamation, somewhat in the style of Isaiah's exhortation, to all the inhabitants to assemble along the proposed route and prepare the way before him. The same was done in 1845, on a grand scale, when the Sultan visited Brusa. The stones were gathered out, the crooked places straightened, and rough ones made level and smooth. I had the benefit of these labors a few days after his majesty's visit. The exhortation 'to gather out the stones' (Isa. lxii. 10) is peculiarly appropriate. These farmers do the exact reverse - gather up the stones from their fields and cast them into the highway; and it is this barbarous custom which, in many places, renders the paths uncomfortable and even dangerous" (Thomson, "Land and Book").
Robertson's NT Word Studies
3:5 {Valley} (faragx). Here only in the N.T., though in the LXX and ancient Greek. It is a ravine or valley hedged in by precipices. {Shall be filled} (plerwqesetai). Future passive indicative of plerow. In 1845 when the Sultan visited Brusa the inhabitants were called out to clear the roads of rocks and to fill up the hollows. Oriental monarchs often did this very thing. A royal courier would go ahead to issue the call. So the Messiah sends his herald (John) before him to prepare the way for him. Isaiah described the preparation for the Lord's triumphal march and John used it with great force. {Hill} (bounos). Called a Cyrenaic word by Herodotus, but later Greek writers use it as does the LXX. {Brought low} (tapeinwqesetai). Future passive indicative of tapeinow. Literal meaning here of a verb common in the metaphorical sense. {Crooked} (skolia). Common word, curved, opposite of orqos or euqus, straight.
