Discovery BoxMark 1:3-4 
Context1:3 the voice of one shouting in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make 1 his paths straight.’” 2
1:4 In the wilderness 3 John the baptizer 4 began preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5
Mark 1:15
Context1:15 He 6 said, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God 7 is near. Repent and believe the gospel!”
1 sn This call to “make his paths straight” in this context is probably an allusion to preparation through repentance.
2 sn A quotation from Isa 40:3.
3 tn Or “desert.”
4 tn While Matthew and Luke consistently use the noun βαπτίστης (baptisths, “[the] Baptist”) to refer to John, as a kind of a title, Mark prefers the substantival participle ὁ βαπτίζων (Jo baptizwn, “the one who baptizes, the baptizer”) to describe him (only twice does he use the noun [Mark 6:25; 8:28]).
5 sn A baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins was a call for preparation for the arrival of the Lord’s salvation. To participate in this baptism was a recognition of the need for God’s forgiveness with a sense that one needed to live differently as a response to it.
6 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
7 sn The kingdom of God is a reference to the sovereign activity of God as he rules over his creation and brings his plans to realization.
