John 3:3

John 3:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
• New International Version (NIV)Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Context of John 3:3

1Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish council. 2He came to Jesus one night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that God has sent you as a teacher. No one can perform the miracles you perform unless God is with him.” Jesus replied to Nicodemus, “I can guarantee this truth: No one can see God’s kingdom without being born from above.” 4Nicodemus asked him, “How can anyone be born when he’s an old man? He can’t go back inside his mother a second time to be born, can he?” 5Jesus answered Nicodemus, “I can guarantee this truth: No one can enter God’s kingdom without being born of water and the Spirit.

John 3:3 word by word

Ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω σοι· ἐὰν μή τις γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν, οὐ δύναται ἰδεῖν τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Jesusὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
• answeredἀποκρίνωapokrinomai · to answerG611
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• unto himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• Verilyἀμήνamēn · amenG281
• I sayλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• unto theeσύsu · youG4771
• ·ἐάνean · ifG1437
• Exceptμήmē · notG3361
• a manτιςtis · oneG5100
• be bornγεννάωgennaō · to begetG1080
• againἄνωθενanōthen · from above/againG509
• he cannotοὐou · noG3756
• he cannotδύναμαιdunamai · be ableG1410
• seeὁράωhoraō · to see: seeG3708
• the kingdomβασιλείαbasileia · kingdomG932
• of Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316

Cross-references for John 3:3

• John 1:51Jesus said to Nathanael, “I can guarantee this truth: You will see the sky open and God’s angels going up and coming down to the Son of Man.”
• Matthew 5:18I can guarantee this truth: Until the earth and the heavens disappear, neither a period nor a comma will disappear from the Scriptures before everything has come true.
• 2 Corinthians 1:19God’s Son, Jesus Christ, whom I, Silvanus, and Timothy told you about, was true not false. Because of him our message was always true.
• Revelation 3:14“To the messenger of the church in Laodicea, write: The amen, the witness who is faithful and true, the source of God’s creation, says:
• John 3:5Jesus answered Nicodemus, “I can guarantee this truth: No one can enter God’s kingdom without being born of water and the Spirit.
• John 1:13These people didn’t become God’s children in a physical way—from a human impulse or from a husband’s desire ⌞to have a child⌟. They were born from God.
• Galatians 6:15Certainly, it doesn’t matter whether a person is circumcised or not. Rather, what matters is being a new creation.
• Ephesians 2:1You were once dead because of your failures and sins.
• James 1:18God decided to give us life through the word of truth to make us his most important creatures.
• 1 Peter 1:3Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! God has given us a new birth because of his great mercy. We have been born into a new life that has a confidence which is alive because Jesus Christ has come back to life.
• 1 John 2:29If you know that Christ has God’s approval, you also know that everyone who does what God approves of has been born from God.
• 1 John 3:9Those who have been born from God don’t live sinful lives. What God has said lives in them, and they can’t live sinful lives. They have been born from God.
• 1 John 5:1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah has been born from God. Everyone who loves the Father also loves his children.
• James 1:17Every good present and every perfect gift comes from above, from the Father who made the sun, moon, and stars. The Father doesn’t change like the shifting shadows produced by the sun and the moon.
• James 3:17However, the wisdom that comes from above is first of all pure. Then it is peaceful, gentle, obedient, filled with mercy and good deeds, impartial, and sincere.
• John 1:5The light shines in the dark, and the dark has never extinguished it.

Commentaries on John 3:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Jesus answered - Not in the language of compliment: - he saw the state of Nicodemus's soul, and he immediately addressed himself to him on a subject the most interesting and important. But what connection is there between our Lord's reply, and the address of Nicodemus? Probably our Lord saw that the object of his visit was to inquire about the Messiah's kingdom; and in reference to this he immediately says, Except a man be born again, etc. The repetition…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Verily, verily - An expression of strong affirmation, denoting the certainty and the importance of what he was about to say. Jesus proceeds to state one of the fundamental and indispensable doctrines of his religion. It may seem remarkable that he should introduce this subject in this manner; but it should be remembered that Nicodemus acknowledged that he was a teacher come from God; that he implied by that his readiness and desire to receive instruction…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3Born again: To experience spiritual birth, God's power must completely renew a person. Nicodemus thought Jesus was speaking about physical birth. He demonstrated that those in darkness, who do not have spiritual rebirth, cannot understand Jesus or other “heavenly things” (3:12). Jesus sometimes used ironic misunderstanding as a way to teach. He would say something with a deeper spiritual meaning. The listener would misunderstand his words in a simple or…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. Except, &c.--This blunt and curt reply was plainly meant to shake the whole edifice of the man's religion, in order to lay a deeper and more enduring foundation. Nicodemus probably thought he had gone a long way, and expected, perhaps, to be complimented on his candor. Instead of this, he is virtually told that he has raised a question which he is not in a capacity to solve, and that before approaching it, his spiritual vision required to be rectified…Read the comment

Topics related to John 3:3

• Heart
• Jesus, the Christ
• Life
• Man
• Nicodemus
• Regeneration
• Salvation

In the dictionaries

• God
• Jesus
• Jesus, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Kingdom of God
• Born Again
• Birth
• Born
• Condemn
• Condemnation

Commentaries on John 3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings