“An idiom denoting preparation. John the Baptist used this phrase in parallel with his cry to ‘prepare the way of the Lord’ (1 Ne. 10:8; Matt. 3:3; cf. Isa. 40:3). Alma2 taught the Gideonites that they were ‘making his paths straight’ by walking in ‘paths of righteousness.’ It is this path ‘which leads to the kingdom of God’ (Alma 7:19). … In order, therefore, to ‘make his paths straight,’ one must remove all obstacles that create detours. Alma identified repentance as the principal means of doing so (Alma 7:9; cf. Matt. 3:1–3)” (Largey, Book of Mormon Reference Companion, 526).