{The voice of one crying} (phon(8820)bo(936e)tos). God is coming to
his people to deliver them from their captivity in Babylon. So
the prophet cries like a voice in the wilderness to make ready
for the coming of God. When the committee from the Sanhedrin came
to ask John who he was, he used this very language of Isaiah
( Joh 1:23 ). He was only a voice, but we can still hear the echo
of that voice through the corridor of the centuries. {Paths
straight} (eutheias tas tribous). Automobile highways today
well illustrate the wonderful Persian roads for the couriers of
the king and then for the king himself. The Roman Empire was knit
together by roads, some of which survive today. John had a high
and holy mission as the forerunner of the Messiah.