John 3:4

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?

Nicodemus {G3530} saith {G3004} unto {G4314} him {G846}, How {G4459} can {G1410} a man {G444} be born {G1080} when he is {G5607} old {G1088}? can {G3361}{G1410} he enter {G1525} the second time {G1208} into {G1519} his {G846} mother's {G3384} womb {G2836}, and {G2532} be born {G1080}?

Nakdimon said to him, “How can a grown man be ‘born’? Can he go back into his mother’s womb and be born a second time?”

“How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time to be born?”

Nicodemus saith unto 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?

In John 3:4, Nicodemus responds to Jesus's profound statement about the necessity of being "born again." This verse highlights a common human tendency to interpret spiritual truths literally, missing their deeper, transformative meaning.

Context

This verse is part of a crucial night conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus, a prominent Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews. Nicodemus approaches Jesus by night, acknowledging His divine authority, as seen in John 3:2. In the preceding verse, Jesus declares, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus’s question in verse 4 is a direct, perplexed reaction to this seemingly impossible concept for an adult.

Key Themes

  • Literal vs. Spiritual Understanding: Nicodemus, steeped in Jewish law and tradition, interprets "born again" in a purely physical sense. His questions—"How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?"—reveal his confusion and inability to grasp the spiritual dimension of Jesus’s teaching. This illustrates the human struggle to comprehend divine truths without spiritual revelation.
  • The Necessity of New Birth: While Nicodemus struggles, Jesus’s statement in John 3:3 remains foundational. Nicodemus's question serves to underscore just how radical and counter-intuitive the concept of spiritual regeneration was, and still is, without the Spirit's work.

Linguistic Insights

Nicodemus's misunderstanding stems in part from the Greek word anothen (ἄνωθεν) used by Jesus in John 3:3. This word can mean both "again" (as Nicodemus interprets it, leading to his confusion about physical re-entry into the womb) and "from above" (referring to a divine, spiritual birth). Jesus clarifies this dual meaning in subsequent verses, emphasizing the heavenly origin of this new birth, as further explained in John 3:5.

Reflection and Application

Nicodemus's bewilderment in John 3:4 serves as a timeless reminder that true spiritual understanding comes not from human logic or physical means, but from God's Spirit. For us today, it highlights the profound truth that entry into God's kingdom requires a radical, spiritual transformation—a new birth initiated by God, not by human effort or religious rituals. This conversation invites us to move beyond superficial or literal interpretations of faith and seek a genuine, Spirit-led renewal of life, as described in other Scriptures like Titus 3:5, which speaks of the "washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost."

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • 1 Corinthians 2:14

    But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.

  • 1 Corinthians 1:18

    For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

  • John 4:11

    The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?

  • John 4:12

    Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

  • John 3:3

    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.

  • John 6:53

    Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

  • John 6:60

    ¶ Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard [this], said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?

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