the Week of Christ the King / Proper 29 / Ordinary 34
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King James Version
John 3:3
Bible Study Resources
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Jesus answered, "I assure you, everyone must be born again. Anyone who is not born again cannot be in God's kingdom."
Iesus answered and sayde vnto him: Verely verely I saye vnto the: except a man be boren a newe he cannot se the kyngdom of God.
Yeshua answered him, "Most assuredly, I tell you, unless one is born anew, he can't see the kingdom of God."
Jesus replied to him, "Truly, truly I tell you, unless a person is born from aboveborn again">[fn] he cannot see the kingdom of God."John 1:13; Galatians 6:15; Titus 3:5; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23; 1 John 3:9;">[xr]
Jesus responded and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot be in God's kingdom."
Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, Except one be born anew, he can't see the kingdom of God.
Jesus answered and said to him, Verily, verily, I say to thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Jesus answered him, "Most assuredly, I tell you, unless one is born anew, he can't see the kingdom of God."
Jesus answered and said to him, Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
"In most solemn truth I tell you," answered Jesus, "that unless a man is born anew he cannot see the Kingdom of God."
Jhesus answerde, and seide to hym, Treuli, treuli, Y seie to thee, but a man be borun ayen, he may not se the kyngdom of God.
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Jesus replied, "Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
Jesus replied, "I tell you for certain that you must be born from above before you can see God's kingdom!"
Jesus answered him, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified], he cannot [ever] see and experience the kingdom of God."
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Jesus said to him, Truly, I say to you, Without a new birth no man is able to see the kingdom of God.
"Yes, indeed," Yeshua answered him, "I tell you that unless a person is born again from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God."
Jesus answered and said to him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except any one be born anew he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Jeshu answered and said to him, Amen, amen, I say to thee, Except a man be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of Aloha.
Jesus replied, and said to him: Verily, verily, I say to thee, That, unless a man be born anew, he cannot behold the kingdom of God.
Iesus answered, and said vnto him, Uerily, verily I say vnto thee, except a man be borne againe, he cannot see the kingdome of God.
Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God."
Jesus said to him, "For sure, I tell you, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the holy nation of God."
Jesus answered him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above."
Iesus answered, & said vnto him, Verely, verely I say vnto thee, except a man be borne againe, he can not see the kingdome of God.
Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, If a man is not born again,* he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Jesus answered, and said unto him - Verily, verily, I say unto thee: Except one be born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Jesus answered and said to him: Amen, amen, I say to thee, unless a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Iesus aunswered, & sayde vnto hym: Ueryly, veryly, I say vnto thee, except a man be borne agayne, he can not see the kyngdome of God.
Jesus answered, "I am telling you the truth: no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born again."
Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again,
Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly I say to you, unless someone is born from above, he is not able to see the kingdom of God."
Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, If oneis not generated from above, he is not able to see the kingdom of God.
Jesus answered and said to him, `Verily, verily, I say to thee, If any one may not be born from above, he is not able to see the reign of God;'
Iesus answered, and sayde vnto him: Verely verely I saye vnto the: Excepte a man be borne a new, he can not se the kyngdome of God.
Jesus answered him, I declare unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Jesus said, "You're absolutely right. Take it from me: Unless a person is born from above, it's not possible to see what I'm pointing to—to God's kingdom."
Jesus replied, "I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
But Jesus said, "I'm telling you the truth, unless you are born again, you will never see the inside of God's ranch."
Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Verily: John 1:51, Matthew 5:18, 2 Corinthians 1:19, 2 Corinthians 1:20, Revelation 3:14
Except: John 3:5, John 3:6, John 1:13, Galatians 6:15, Ephesians 2:1, Titus 3:5, James 1:18, 1 Peter 1:3, 1 Peter 1:23-25, 1 John 2:29, 1 John 3:9, 1 John 5:1, 1 John 5:18
again: or, from above, James 1:17, James 3:17
he cannot: John 3:5, John 1:5, John 12:40, Deuteronomy 29:4, Jeremiah 5:21, Matthew 13:11-16, Matthew 16:17, 2 Corinthians 4:4
Reciprocal: Numbers 5:22 - Amen Deuteronomy 30:6 - will circumcise Psalms 15:1 - Lord Psalms 87:5 - of Zion Isaiah 43:7 - for I Ezekiel 36:26 - new heart Ezekiel 44:9 - General Matthew 3:2 - for Matthew 3:14 - I have Matthew 5:20 - ye Matthew 18:3 - Verily Matthew 19:23 - enter Matthew 21:43 - The kingdom Mark 10:15 - General Mark 14:18 - Verily Luke 8:8 - other Luke 10:9 - The kingdom John 3:4 - How John 3:7 - Ye John 3:11 - verily John 3:12 - earthly John 3:36 - see John 5:19 - Verily John 6:26 - Verily John 6:44 - except John 6:53 - Verily John 8:34 - Verily John 10:1 - Verily John 13:16 - Verily Romans 8:8 - they that Romans 14:17 - kingdom 1 Corinthians 2:14 - receiveth 1 Corinthians 15:50 - that 2 Corinthians 5:17 - a new Ephesians 2:10 - we are Colossians 2:12 - the faith
Cross-References
And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.
Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.
But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.
Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me.
Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Jesus answered and said unto him,.... Not to any express question put by Nicodemus; unless it can be thought, that a question of this kind might be asked, what is the kingdom of God, so much spoken of in thy ministry? and what is requisite to the seeing and enjoying of it? though not recorded by the evangelist; but rather to the words of Nicodemus, concluding from his miracles, that he was the Messiah; and that the kingdom of God was now approaching, or the world to come, the Jews so much speak of; and in which all Israel, according to their notion, were to have a part o; and which notion, our Lord in the following words, seems to oppose:
verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God; Nicodemus, according to the general sense of the nation, thought that when the Messiah came, and his kingdom was set up, they should all share in it, without any more ado; they being the descendants of Abraham, and having him for their father: but Christ assures him, that he must be "born again"; in distinction from, and opposition to his first birth by nature; in which he was vile, polluted, carnal, and corrupt, being conceived in sin, and shapen in iniquity, and was a transgressor from the womb, and by nature a child of wrath; and in opposition to, his descent from Abraham, or being born of him, and of his seed; for this would be of no avail to him in this case, nor give him any right to the privileges and ordinances of the kingdom of God, or the Gospel dispensation; see Matthew 3:9; as also to birth by proselytism; for the Jews have a frequent saying p, that
"one that is made a proselyte, ×ק××× ×©× ××× ×××, "is like a child new born".''
Which they understand, not in a spiritual, but in a civil sense; such being free from all natural and civil relations, and from all obligations to parents, masters q, c. And by this phrase our Lord signifies, that no man, either as a man, or as a son of Abraham, or as a proselyte to the Jewish religion, can have any true knowledge of, or right unto, the enjoyment of the kingdom of God, unless he is born again or regenerated, and quickened by the Spirit of God; renewed in the spirit of his mind; has Christ formed in his heart; becomes a partaker of the divine nature; and in all respects a new creature; and an other in heart, in principle, in practice, and conversation; or unless he be "born from above", as the word is rendered in John 3:31; that is, by a supernatural power, having the heavenly image stamped on him; and being called with an heavenly calling, even with the high calling of God in Christ Jesus: if this is not the case, a man can have no true knowledge of the kingdom of the Messiah, which is not a temporal and carnal one; it is not of this world, nor does it come with observation; nor can he have any right to the ordinances of it, which are of a spiritual nature; and much less can he be thought to have any true notions, or to be possessed of the kingdom of grace, which lies in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost; or to have either a meetness for, or a right unto the kingdom of glory: though by the following words it seems, that the word is rightly rendered "again", or a second time, as it is by Nounus.
o Misn. Sanhedrin, c. 11. sect. 1. p T. Bab. Yebamot, fol. 22. 1. 48. 2. 62. 1. & 97. 2. q Vid. Maimon. Issure Bia, c. 14. sect. 11. & Eduth, c. 13. sect. 2.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Verily, 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; and that it is not wonderful, therefore, that Jesus should commence with one of the fundamental truths of his religion. It is no part of Christianity to conceal anything. Jesus declared to every man, high or low, rich or poor, the most humbling truths of the gospel. Nothing was kept back for fear of offending men of wealth or power; and for them, as well as the most poor and lowly, it was declared to be indispensable to experience, as the first thing in religion, a change of heart and of life.
Except a man - This is a universal form of expression designed to include all mankind. Of âeach and every manâ it is certain that unless he is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. It includes, therefore, men of every character and rank, and nation, moral and immoral, rich and poor, in office and out of office, old and young, bond and free, the slave and his master, Jew and Gentile. It is clear that our Saviour intended to convey to Nicodemus the idea, also, that âheâ must be born again. It was not sufficient to be a Jew, or to acknowledge him to be a teacher sent by God that is, the Messiah; it was necessary, in addition to this, to experience in his own soul that great change called the ânew birthâ or regeneration.
Be born again - The word translated here âagainâ means also âfrom above,â and is so rendered in the margin. It is evident, however, that Nicodemus understood, it not as referring to a birth âfrom above,â for if he had he would not have asked the question in John 3:4. It is probable that in the language which he used there was not the same ambiguity that there is in the Greek. The ancient versions all understood it as meaning âagain,â or the âsecond time.â Our natural birth introduces us to light, is the commencement of life, throws us amid the works of God, and is the beginning of our existence; but it also introduces us to a world of sin. We early go astray. All men transgress. The imagination of the thoughts of the heart is evil from the youth up. We are conceived in sin and brought forth in iniquity, and there is none that doeth good, no, not one. The carnal mind is enmity against God, and by nature we are dead in trespasses and sins, Genesis 8:21; Psalms 14:2-3; Psalms 51:5; Romans 1:29-32; Romans 3:10-20; Romans 8:7.
All sin exposes men to misery here and hereafter. To escape from sin, to be happy in the world to come, it is necessary that man should be changed in his principles, his feelings, and his manner of life. This change, or the beginning of this new life, is called the ânew birth,â or âregeneration.â It is so called because in many respects it has a striking analogy to the natural birth. It is the beginning of spiritual life. It introduces us to the light of the gospel. It is the moment when we really begin to live to any purpose. It is the moment when God reveals himself to us as our reconciled Father, and we are adopted into his family as his sons. And as every man is a sinner, it is necessary that each one should experience this change, or he cannot be happy or saved. This doctrine was not unknown to the Jews, and was particularly predicted as a doctrine that would be taught in the times of the Messiah. See Deuteronomy 10:16; Jeremiah 4:4; Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 11:19; Ezekiel 36:25; Psalms 51:12. The change in the New Testament is elsewhere called the ânew creationâ 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15, and âlife from the dead,â or a resurrection, Ephesians 2:1; John 5:21, John 5:24.
He cannot see - To âsee,â here, is put evidently for enjoying - or he cannot be fitted for it and partake of it.
The kingdom of God - Either in this world or in that which is to come - that is, heaven. See the notes at Matthew 3:2. The meaning is, that the kingdom which Jesus was about to set up was so pure and holy that it was indispensable that every man should experience this change, or he could not partake of its blessings. This is solemnly declared by the Son of God by an affirmation equivalent to an oath, and there can be no possibility, therefore, of entering heaven without experiencing the change which the Saviour contemplated by the ânew birth.â And it becomes every man, as in the presence of a holy God before whom he must soon appear, to ask himself whether he has experienced this change, and if he has not, to give no rest to his eyes until he has sought the mercy of God, and implored the aid of his Spirit that his heart may be renewed.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse John 3:3. Jesus 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, c.
The repetition of amen, or verily, verily, among the Jewish writers, was considered of equal import with the most solemn oath.
Be born again — Or, from above: different to that new birth which the Jews supposed every baptized proselyte enjoyed for they held that the Gentile, who became a proselyte, was like a child new born. This birth was of water from below: the birth for which Christ contends is ανÏθεν, from above-by the agency of the Holy Spirit. Every man must have two births, one from heaven, the other from earth-one of his body, the other of his soul: without the first he cannot see nor enjoy this world, without the last he can not see nor enjoy the kingdom of God. As there is an absolute necessity that a child should be born into the world, that he may see its light, contemplate its glories, and enjoy its good, so there is an absolute necessity that the soul should be brought out of its state of darkness and sin, through the light and power of the grace of Christ, that it may be able to see, ιδειν, or, to discern, the glories and excellencies of the kingdom of Christ here, and be prepared for the enjoyment of the kingdom of glory hereafter. The Jews had some general notion of the new birth; but, like many among Christians, they put the acts of proselytism, baptism, c., in the place of the Holy Spirit and his influence: they acknowledged that a man must be born again but they made that new birth to consist in profession, confession, and external washing. John 3:10; John 3:10.
The new birth which is here spoken of comprehends, not only what is termed justification or pardon, but also sanctification or holiness. Sin must be pardoned, and the impurity of the heart washed away, before any soul can possibly enter into the kingdom of God. As this new birth implies the renewing of the whole soul in righteousness and true holiness, it is not a matter that may be dispensed with: heaven is a place of holiness, and nothing but what is like itself can ever enter into it.
