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Luke 3:5

New Testament Gospel ASV (1901)

What does Luke 3:5 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Every valley shall be filled, And every mountain and hill shall be brought low; And the crooked shall become straight, And the rough ways smooth;” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Every valley shall be filled, And every mountain and hill shall be brought low; And the crooked shall become straight, And the rough ways smooth;
Luke 3:5 — American Standard Version

Context — Luke 3

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
2in the highpriesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
3And he came into all the region round about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance unto remission of sins;
4as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make ye ready the way of the Lord, Make his paths straight.
5Every valley shall be filled, And every mountain and hill shall be brought low; And the crooked shall become straight, And the rough ways smooth;
6And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
7He said therefore to the multitudes that went out to be baptized of him, Ye offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
← Luke 3:4Luke 3:6 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“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 f182 to belong to the world to come; that is, the times of the Messiah;…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Every valley, &c.--levelling and smoothing, obvious figures, the sense of which is in the first words of the proclamation, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord."”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“On the baptism of John - see the notes at Matthew 3:0. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Every valley shall be filled, &c. - That is, every hinderance shall be removed. Luke 3:6”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“valley: Luk 1:51-53; Isa 2:11-17, Isa 35:6-8, Isa 40:4, Isa 49:11, Isa 61:1-3; Eze 17:24; Jam 1:9 and the crooked: Isa 42:16, Isa 45:2; Heb 12:12, Heb 12:13 Luke 3:6”
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Related study paths

Read Luke 3 in contextBrowse Greek word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification