NOTES for Isa 40:3

This beginning of the Book of Consolation of the prophet Isaiah, predicting the liberation of Israel from the Babylonian captivity, and moreover, as usual in the prophetic books, and several more things. And the first image that he uses, is so clear and evident insomuch that another prophet John the Baptist, will quote it in his sermon. Indeed, imagine yourselves: God goes to a hilly wilderness separating the Promised Land and Babylon, to fulfill the new Exodus, and He sends forward His crier so that people may prepare the way, worthy for the King of Kings.

It is interesting, how refracted these words were in the consciousness of people afterward: the punctuation is put in another place, after the word "wilderness", and the meaning has changed. “Voice of him that crieth in the wilderness” – it is when someone shouts, and no one listens. It was not like that with Isaiah, neither with John. Why the accent was so moved? Certainly, because in Christians time people began naturally to interpret these words in the spiritual sense: God goes towards each of us to save us from sin and death, but in order that He enters our heart, confession and the correction of our life (" to prepare the way") are necessary, and here is where is shown our "deafness", and whoever call us to confession, find himself in emptiness...