Isaiah 40:4
New International Version
Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.

New Living Translation
Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places.

English Standard Version
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.

Berean Standard Bible
Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill made low; the uneven ground will become smooth, and the rugged land a plain.

King James Bible
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:

New King James Version
Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth;

New American Standard Bible
“Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the uneven ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley;

NASB 1995
“Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley;

NASB 1977
“Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley;

Legacy Standard Bible
Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley;

Amplified Bible
“Every valley shall be raised, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged places a broad valley.

Christian Standard Bible
Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill will be leveled; the uneven ground will become smooth and the rough places, a plain.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill will be leveled; the uneven ground will become smooth and the rough places, a plain.

American Standard Version
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the uneven shall be made level, and the rough places a plain:

Contemporary English Version
Fill in the valleys; flatten every hill and mountain. Level the rough and rugged ground.

English Revised Version
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:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Every valley will be raised. Every mountain and hill will be lowered. Steep places will be made level. Rough places will be made smooth.

Good News Translation
Fill every valley; level every mountain. The hills will become a plain, and the rough country will be made smooth.

International Standard Version
Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill will be lowered; the rough ground will become level, and the mountain ridges made a plain.

Majority Standard Bible
Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill made low; the uneven ground will become smooth, and the rugged land a plain.

NET Bible
Every valley must be elevated, and every mountain and hill leveled. The rough terrain will become a level plain, the rugged landscape a wide valley.

New Heart English Bible
Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be made low, and the uneven will be made level, and the rough places a plain.

Webster's Bible Translation
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.

World English Bible
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The uneven shall be made level, and the rough places a plain.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Every valley is raised up, "" And every mountain and hill become low, "" And the crooked place has become a plain, "" And the entangled places a valley.

Young's Literal Translation
Every valley is raised up, And every mountain and hill become low, And the crooked place hath become a plain, And the entangled places a valley.

Smith's Literal Translation
Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the acclivity was for evenness, and the mountain ranges for a valley:
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough ways plain.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Every valley will be exalted, and every mountain and hill will be brought low. And the crooked will be straightened, and the uneven will become level ways.

New American Bible
Every valley shall be lifted up, every mountain and hill made low; The rugged land shall be a plain, the rough country, a broad valley.

New Revised Standard Version
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.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Every valley shall be filled up, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the steep place shall be made straight, and the rough places smooth;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
All the valleys will be filled and all mountains and high places will be leveled, and the rugged place will be smooth, and the rough place a plain
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Every valley shall be lifted up, And every mountain and hill shall be made low; And the rugged shall be made level, And the rough places a plain;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low: and all the crooked ways shall become straight, and the rough places plains.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Prepare the Way for the LORD
3A voice of one calling: “Prepare the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert. 4Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill made low; the uneven ground will become smooth, and the rugged land a plain. 5And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all humanity together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”…

Cross References
Luke 3:5
Every valley shall be filled in, and every mountain and hill made low. The crooked ways shall be made straight, and the rough ways smooth.

Matthew 3:3
This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’”

Mark 1:3
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’”

Philippians 2:10-11
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, / and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Romans 14:11
It is written: “As surely as I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before Me; every tongue will confess to God.”

Malachi 3:1
“Behold, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple—the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—see, He is coming,” says the LORD of Hosts.

Psalm 68:4
Sing to God! Sing praises to His name. Exalt Him who rides on the clouds—His name is the LORD—and rejoice before Him.

Zechariah 4:7
What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain. Then he will bring forth the capstone accompanied by shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”

Jeremiah 31:9
They will come with weeping, and by their supplication I will lead them; I will make them walk beside streams of waters, on a level path where they will not stumble. For I am Israel’s Father, and Ephraim is My firstborn.”

Psalm 98:8
Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy

Psalm 97:5
The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth.

Psalm 114:4
the mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.

Psalm 114:6
O mountains, that you skipped like rams, O hills, like lambs?

Job 12:22
He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings deep shadows into light.

Ezekiel 36:4
therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD. This is what the Lord GOD says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, to the desolate ruins and abandoned cities, which have become a spoil and a mockery to the rest of the nations around you.


Treasury of Scripture

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:

valley

Isaiah 42:11,15,16
Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains…

1 Samuel 2:8
He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, and he hath set the world upon them.

Psalm 113:7,8
He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; …

every mountain

Isaiah 2:12-15
For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low: …

Job 40:11-13
Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath: and behold every one that is proud, and abase him…

and the

Isaiah 42:16
And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.

Isaiah 45:2
I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:

Proverbs 2:15
Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths:

straight.

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Isaiah 40
1. The promulgation of the Gospel
3. The preaching of John Baptist foretold
9. The preaching of the apostles foretold
12. The prophet, by the omnipotence of God
18. And his incomparableness
26. Comforts the people.














Every valley shall be lifted up
The phrase "Every valley shall be lifted up" speaks to the transformative power of God’s intervention. In the Hebrew text, the word for "valley" is "גֵּיא" (gei), which often symbolizes lowliness or humility. Valleys, in a biblical context, can represent places of despair or insignificance. The promise that these valleys will be "lifted up" suggests a divine reversal of fortunes, where God elevates the humble and restores those who are downtrodden. This imagery is consistent with the biblical theme of God exalting the humble, as seen in passages like Luke 1:52, where Mary praises God for lifting up the lowly.

every mountain and hill made low
The phrase "every mountain and hill made low" continues the theme of divine leveling. Mountains and hills, represented by the Hebrew words "הַר" (har) and "גִּבְעָה" (giv'ah), often symbolize pride, power, and obstacles. The act of making them "low" signifies God's ability to humble the proud and remove barriers. This imagery is reminiscent of the prophetic vision of a world where human pride is subdued, and God's righteousness prevails. It echoes the message of humility found throughout Scripture, such as in James 4:6, which states that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

the uneven ground shall become smooth
The transformation of "the uneven ground" into something "smooth" speaks to the removal of difficulties and the creation of a path for God's purposes. The Hebrew word for "uneven ground" is "הֶעָקֹב" (he'aqov), which can imply crookedness or deceit. The promise of making it "smooth" suggests a divine correction of what is wrong or unjust. This aligns with the biblical theme of God making a way where there seems to be none, as seen in Proverbs 3:6, where believers are encouraged to trust in the Lord, who will make their paths straight.

and the rugged places a plain
Finally, "the rugged places a plain" completes the vision of transformation. The Hebrew term for "rugged places" is "הָרְכָסִים" (har'kasim), indicating rough or difficult terrain. Turning these into "a plain" symbolizes the removal of obstacles and the establishment of peace and accessibility. This imagery is a powerful reminder of God's ability to bring order out of chaos and to create a world where His glory is revealed. It reflects the eschatological hope found in Revelation 21:5, where God declares, "Behold, I am making all things new." This transformation is not just physical but spiritual, pointing to the ultimate redemption and restoration that God promises to His people.

(4) Every valley shall be exalted.--The figure is drawn from the titanic engineering operations of the kingly road-makers of the East, but the parable is hardly veiled. The meek exalted, the proud brought low, wrong ways set right, rough natures smoothed: that is the true preparation for the coming of the Lord, and therefore the true work of every follower of the Baptist in preparing the way. (Comp. Matthew 3:5-7; Luke 3:3-9.)

Verse 4. - Every valley shall be exalted, etc.; rather, let every valley be exalted. The prophets are to see that the poor and lowly are raised up; the proud and self-righteous depressed; the crooked and dishonest induced to change their ways for those of simplicity and integrity; the rude, rough, and harsh rendered courteous and mild. "In general, the meaning is that Israel is to [be made] take care that the God who is coming to deliver it shall find it in such an inward and outward state as befits his... purpose" (Delitzsch, 'Comment. on Isaiah,' vol. 2. p. 142).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Every
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

valley
גֶּיא֙ (ge)
Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 1516: A valley

shall be lifted up,
יִנָּשֵׂ֔א (yin·nā·śê)
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5375: To lift, carry, take

and every
וְכָל־ (wə·ḵāl)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

mountain
הַ֥ר (har)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2022: Mountain, hill, hill country

and hill
וְגִבְעָ֖ה (wə·ḡiḇ·‘āh)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 1389: A hillock

made low;
יִשְׁפָּ֑לוּ (yiš·pā·lū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 8213: To be or become low, to be abased

the uneven
הֶֽעָקֹב֙ (he·‘ā·qōḇ)
Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 6121: Insidious, deceitful, tracked by footprints

ground will become
וְהָיָ֤ה (wə·hā·yāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

smooth,
לְמִישׁ֔וֹר (lə·mî·šō·wr)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4334: A level, a plain, as a, straightness, justice

and the rugged land
וְהָרְכָסִ֖ים (wə·hā·rə·ḵā·sîm)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 7406: Perhaps roughness

a plain.
לְבִקְעָֽה׃ (lə·ḇiq·‘āh)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 1237: A split, a wide level valley between mountains


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 40:4 Every valley shall be exalted and every (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 40:3
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