New International Version
John 3:4
4“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
John 3:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
- English Standard Version (ESV)Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"
- New King James Version (NKJV)Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
- New Living Translation (NLT)“What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”
Context of John 3:4
2He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” 3Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” 5Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
Read all of John 3John 3:4 word by word
Λέγει πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ Νικόδημος· πῶς δύναται ἄνθρωπος γεννηθῆναι γέρων ὤν; μὴ δύναται εἰς τὴν κοιλίαν τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ δεύτερον εἰσελθεῖν καὶ γεννηθῆναι;¶Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Nicodemusὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- NicodemusΝικόδημοςNikodēmos · NicodemusG3530
- saithλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- untoπρόςpros · to/withG4314
- himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- Howπῶςpōs · how?!G4459
- canδύναμαιdunamai · be ableG1410
- a manἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
- be bornγεννάωgennaō · to begetG1080
- when he isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- oldγέρωνgerōn · an old manG1088
- ·μήmē · notG3361
- enterεἰσέρχομαιeiserchomai · to enterG1525
- the second timeδεύτεροςdeuteros · secondlyG1208
- intoεἰςeis · towardG1519
- mother’sμήτηρmētēr · motherG3384
- wombκοιλίαkoilia · belly/womb/stomachG2836
- andκαίkai · andG2532
Cross-references for John 3:4
- John 3:3Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
- John 4:11“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?
- John 6:53Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
- 1 Corinthians 1:18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
- 1 Corinthians 2:14The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.
Commentaries on John 3:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4How can a man be born when he is old? - It is probable that Nicodemus was pretty far advanced in age at this time; and from his answer we may plainly perceive that, like the rest of the Jews, and like multitudes of Christians, he rested in the letter, without paying proper attention to the spirit: the shadow, without the thing signified, had hitherto satisfied him. Our Lord knew him to be in this state, and this was the cause of his pointed address to him.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4How can a man - It may seem remarkable that Nicodemus understood the Saviour literally, when the expression “to be born again” was in common use among the Jews to denote a change from “Gentilism” to “Judaism” by becoming a proselyte by baptism. The word with them meant a change from the state of a pagan to that of a Jew. But they never used it as applicable to a Jew, because they supposed that by his birth every Jew was entitled to all the privileges of…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. How, &c.--The figure of the new birth, if it had been meant only of Gentile proselytes to the Jewish religion, would have been intelligible enough to Nicodemus, being quite in keeping with the language of that day; but that Jews themselves should need a new birth was to him incomprehensible.Read the comment
Topics related to John 3:4
In the dictionaries
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
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