John 3:5

John 3:5 in other versions

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

Context of John 3:5

3Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

John 3:5 word by word

Ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς· ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω σοι, ἐὰν μή τις γεννηθῇ ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ πνεύματος, οὐ δύναται εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ.¶Read the interlinear

• JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
• answeredἀποκρίνωapokrinomai · to answerG611
• “Trulyἀμήνamēn · amenG281
• I sayλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• to you, unlessἐάνean · ifG1437
• to you, unlessμήmē · notG3361
• oneτιςtis · oneG5100
• is bornγεννάωgennaō · to begetG1080
• waterὕδωρhudōr hudatos · waterG5204
• and the Spiritπνεῦμαpneuma · spirit/breath: spiritG4151
• he cannotδύναμαιdunamai · be ableG1410
• he cannotοὐou · noG3756
• enterεἰσέρχομαιeiserchomai · to enterG1525
• the kingdomβασιλείαbasileia · kingdomG932
• of Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316

Cross-references for John 3:5

• John 3:3Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
• Isaiah 44:3For I will pour out water on the thirsty land And streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring And My blessing on your descendants;
• Ezekiel 36:25Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.
• Matthew 3:11“As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
• Mark 16:16He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
• Acts 2:38Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
• Ephesians 5:26so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
• 1 Peter 1:2according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.
• 1 Peter 3:21Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you--not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience--through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
• 1 John 5:6This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.
• John 1:13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
• Romans 8:2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
• 1 Corinthians 2:12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,
• 1 Corinthians 6:11Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
• 1 John 2:29If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.
• 1 John 5:1Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.

Commentaries on John 3:5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5Of water and of the Spirit - To the baptism of water a man was admitted when he became a proselyte to the Jewish religion; and, in this baptism, he promised in the most solemn manner to renounce idolatry, to take the God of Israel for his God, and to have his life conformed to the precepts of the Divine law. But the water which was used on the occasion was only an emblem of the Holy Spirit. The soul was considered as in a state of defilement, because of…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5Be born of water - By “water,” here, is evidently signified “baptism.” Thus the word is used in Ephesians 5:26; Titus 3:5. Baptism was practiced by the Jews in receiving a Gentile as a proselyte. It was practiced by John among the Jews; and Jesus here says that it is an ordinance of his religion, and the sign and seal of the renewing influences of his Spirit. So he said Mark 16:16, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” It is clear from these…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5John the Baptist baptized with water. Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit (1:33).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. of water and of the Spirit--A twofold explanation of the "new birth," so startling to Nicodemus. To a Jewish ecclesiastic, so familiar with the symbolical application of water, in every variety of way and form of expression, this language was fitted to show that the thing intended was no other than a thorough spiritual purification by the operation of the Holy Ghost. Indeed, element of water and operation of the Spirit are brought together in a…Read the comment

Topics related to John 3:5

• Baptism
• Holy Spirit
• Jesus, the Christ
• Life
• Man
• Nicodemus
• Regeneration
• Salvation
• Symbols and Similitudes

In the dictionaries

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

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