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THE MESSAGE
John 3:1
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
- Nave'sDictionaries:
- AmericanEncyclopedias:
- CondensedDevotionals:
- EveryParallel Translations
There was a man from the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of ye Iewes:
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;
There was a man named Nicodemus who was one of the Pharisees and an important Jewish leader.
Now there was a certain man among the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler (member of the Sanhedrin) among the Jews,
Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;
Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews.
There was a man named Nicodemus who was a Pharisee and a Jewish leader.
There was a man among the P'rushim, named Nakdimon, who was a ruler of the Judeans.
But there was a man from among the Pharisees, his name Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;
There was a man named Nicodemus, one of the Pharisees. He was an important Jewish leader.
There was nowe a man of the Pharises, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Iewes.
THERE was there a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews;
There was a Jewish leader named Nicodemus, who belonged to the party of the Pharisees.
Now there was a man of the Pharisees whose name was Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
But there was a man from the Pharisees, Nicodemus his name, a ruler of the Jews.
Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
Now there was among the Pharisees a man named Nicodemus, who was one of the rulers of the Jews.
Now there was a man of the Perushim named Nakdimon, a ruler of the Yehudim.
Now there was a man from the Pharisees, a leader of the Jews, whose name was Nicodemus.
But there was one of the Pharishee whose name was Nikodimos, a ruler of the Jihudoyee:
And there was a man of the Pharisees there, whose name was Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
There was a man of the pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Iewes.
Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
Now there was one of the Pharisees whose name was Nicodemus--a ruler among the Jews.
And there was a man of the Farisees, Nychodeme bi name, a prince of the Jewis.
Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
Now a certain man, a Pharisee named Nicodemus, who was a member of the Jewish ruling council,
There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee.
There was a man named Nicodemus. He was a proud religious law-keeper and a leader of the Jews.
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews.
There was however, a man from among the Pharisees, Nicodemus, his name, - ruler of the Jews.
And there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicode'mus, a ruler of the Jews.
Ther was a man of the pharises named Nicodemus a ruler amonge ye Iewes.
And there was a man of the Pharisees, Nicodemus his name, a ruler of the Jews,
There was a man of the Pharises, named Nicodemus a ruler amoge the Iewes.
Now one of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, was there, a ruler of the Jews:
There was a Jewish leader and Pharisee named, Nicodemus, or Nick for short.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
John 3:10, John 7:47-49
Reciprocal: Luke 14:1 - chief John 1:24 - were of John 7:50 - he that John 19:39 - Nicodemus Ephesians 2:3 - by
Cross-References
"The serpent seduced me," she said, "and I ate."
At that time God will unsheathe his sword, his merciless, massive, mighty sword. He'll punish the serpent Leviathan as it flees, the serpent Leviathan thrashing in flight. He'll kill that old dragon that lives in the sea.
"Stay alert. This is hazardous work I'm assigning you. You're going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack, so don't call attention to yourselves. Be as cunning as a snake, inoffensive as a dove.
Pseudo-Servants of God Will you put up with a little foolish aside from me? Please, just for a moment. The thing that has me so upset is that I care about you so much—this is the passion of God burning inside me! I promised your hand in marriage to Christ, presented you as a pure virgin to her husband. And now I'm afraid that exactly as the Snake seduced Eve with his smooth patter, you are being lured away from the simple purity of your love for Christ. It seems that if someone shows up preaching quite another Jesus than we preached—different spirit, different message—you put up with him quite nicely. But if you put up with these big-shot "apostles," why can't you put up with simple me? I'm as good as they are. It's true that I don't have their voice, haven't mastered that smooth eloquence that impresses you so much. But when I do open my mouth, I at least know what I'm talking about. We haven't kept anything back. We let you in on everything. I wonder, did I make a bad mistake in proclaiming God's Message to you without asking for something in return, serving you free of charge so that you wouldn't be inconvenienced by me? It turns out that the other churches paid my way so that you could have a free ride. Not once during the time I lived among you did anyone have to lift a finger to help me out. My needs were always supplied by the believers from Macedonia province. I was careful never to be a burden to you, and I never will be, you can count on it. With Christ as my witness, it's a point of honor with me, and I'm not going to keep it quiet just to protect you from what the neighbors will think. It's not that I don't love you; God knows I do. I'm just trying to keep things open and honest between us. And I'm not changing my position on this. I'd die before taking your money. I'm giving nobody grounds for lumping me in with those money-grubbing "preachers," vaunting themselves as something special. They're a sorry bunch—pseudo-apostles, lying preachers, crooked workers—posing as Christ's agents but sham to the core. And no wonder! Satan does it all the time, dressing up as a beautiful angel of light. So it shouldn't surprise us when his servants masquerade as servants of God. But they're not getting by with anything. They'll pay for it in the end. Let me come back to where I started—and don't hold it against me if I continue to sound a little foolish. Or if you'd rather, just accept that I am a fool and let me rant on a little. I didn't learn this kind of talk from Christ. Oh, no, it's a bad habit I picked up from the three-ring preachers that are so popular these days. Since you sit there in the judgment seat observing all these shenanigans, you can afford to humor an occasional fool who happens along. You have such admirable tolerance for impostors who rob your freedom, rip you off, steal you blind, put you down—even slap your face! I shouldn't admit it to you, but our stomachs aren't strong enough to tolerate that kind of stuff. Since you admire the egomaniacs of the pulpit so much (remember, this is your old friend, the fool, talking), let me try my hand at it. Do they brag of being Hebrews, Israelites, the pure race of Abraham? I'm their match. Are they servants of Christ? I can go them one better. (I can't believe I'm saying these things. It's crazy to talk this way! But I started, and I'm going to finish.) I've worked much harder, been jailed more often, beaten up more times than I can count, and at death's door time after time. I've been flogged five times with the Jews' thirty-nine lashes, beaten by Roman rods three times, pummeled with rocks once. I've been shipwrecked three times, and immersed in the open sea for a night and a day. In hard traveling year in and year out, I've had to ford rivers, fend off robbers, struggle with friends, struggle with foes. I've been at risk in the city, at risk in the country, endangered by desert sun and sea storm, and betrayed by those I thought were my brothers. I've known drudgery and hard labor, many a long and lonely night without sleep, many a missed meal, blasted by the cold, naked to the weather. And that's not the half of it, when you throw in the daily pressures and anxieties of all the churches. When someone gets to the end of his rope, I feel the desperation in my bones. When someone is duped into sin, an angry fire burns in my gut. If I have to "brag" about myself, I'll brag about the humiliations that make me like Jesus. The eternal and blessed God and Father of our Master Jesus knows I'm not lying. Remember the time I was in Damascus and the governor of King Aretas posted guards at the city gates to arrest me? I crawled through a window in the wall, was let down in a basket, and had to run for my life.
The same goes for you husbands: Be good husbands to your wives. Honor them, delight in them. As women they lack some of your advantages. But in the new life of God's grace, you're equals. Treat your wives, then, as equals so your prayers don't run aground.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
There was a man of the Pharisees,.... The Syriac version adds, "there"; that is, at Jerusalem; and who was among those that believed in the name of Christ, upon seeing the miracles he did at the feast of the passover, in that place. This man was not a common and ordinary man, but a man of note and eminence, of dignity and figure; and who was of the sect of the Pharisees, which was the strictest sect for religion and holiness, among the Jews; and which, as corrupt as it was, was also the soundest; as having not only a regard to a Messiah, and to all the writings of the Old Testament, but also believed the doctrines of angels and spirits, and the resurrection of the dead, which the Sadducees denied; but yet they were implacable enemies of Christ; and therefore it is the more to be wondered at, that such an one should come to him, and desire a conversation with him:
named Nicodemus; frequent mention is made of נקדימון בן גוריון, "Nicodemon ben Gorion", the brother of Josephus ben Gorion p, the writer of the Wars and Antiquities of the Jews; and there are some things which make it probable, that he was the same with this Nicodemus; for the Nicodemon the Jews speak so much of, lived in this age; as appears, not only from his being the brother of Josephus, but also from his being contemporary with R. Jochanan ben Zaccai, who lived in this time, and until the destruction of the temple; since these two are said q to be together at a feast, made for the circumcision of a child. Moreover, he is represented as very rich, and is said to be one of the three rich men in Jerusalem r, and who was able to have maintained מדינה, a city ten years s; and they speak of his daughter, as exceeding rich: they say, that she had for her dowry a thousand thousand golden denarii, or pence; and that her bed was strewed with (i.e. the furniture of it cost) twelve thousand golden denarii; and that a Tyrian golden denarius was spent upon her every week, for a certain kind of soup t; and the wise men decreed her four hundred golden denarii, for a box of spices every day u; and it is elsewhere w said, five hundred: and this our Nicodemus was very rich, as appears from his liberality at the funeral of our Lord, John 19:39. Moreover, the Nicodemon of the Jews, is said to be a counsellor x in Jerusalem; and so was this, as seems evident from John 7:32 and it may be further observed y, that the right name of Nicodemon, was Boni z; now Boni elsewhere a, is said to be one of the disciples of Jesus, as Nicodemus was secretly, and perhaps at, and after his death openly, as his associate Joseph of Arimathea was; to which may be added, the extreme poverty that his daughter is by them said to be reduced unto; for they report, that R. Jochanan ben Zaccai saw her gathering barley corns from under the horses' hoofs in Aco b; or as it is elsewhere said, out of the dung of the beasts of the Arabians; when she asked alms of him, and he inquired of her, what was become of her father's substance. Now to this low estate, the family of our Nicodemus might be reduced, through the persecution of the Christians by the Jews. The name is Greek, as at this time many Greek names were in use among the Jews, and signifies the same as Nicolas; but the Jews give an etymology of it, agreeably to the Hebrew language; and say, that he was so called, because the sun,
נקדה, "shone out for his sake": the occasion and reason of it, they tell us, were this c; Nicodemon, upon want of water at one of the feasts, agreed with a certain man for twelve wells of water, to be returned on such a day, or pay twelve talents of silver; the day being come, the man demanded the water, or the money; Nicodemon went and prayed, and a plentiful rain fell, and filled the wells with water; but meeting the man, he insisted on it that the day was past, the sun being set, and therefore required the money; Nicodemon went and prayed again, and the sun shone out; and they add, that there are three persons for whom the sun נקדמה, "was prevented", detained, or hindered in its course, (a word nearer his name than the former,) Moses, and Joshua, and Nicodemon ben Gorion; for the two former they produce Scripture, and for the latter tradition: hence it is elsewhere said d, that as the sun stood still for Joshua, so it stood still for Moses, and for Nicodemon ben Gorion: but to proceed with the account of our Nicodemus, he was
a ruler of the Jews; not a civil magistrate; for the civil government was now in the hands of the Romans; but an ecclesiastical ruler; he was a member of the sanhedrim, which consisted of the doctors, or wise men, and priests, Levites, and elders of the people; and so was a dignified person, and as afterwards called, a master in Israel.
p Ganz Tzemach David, par. 1. fol. 25. 1. Shalshalet Hakabala, fol. 19. 1. q Pirke Eliezer, c. 2. & Juchasin, fol. 23. 2. r T. Bab. Gittin, fol. 56. 1. s Midrash Kohelet, fol. 75. 4. t Abot R. Nathan, c. 6. fol. 3. 2. u T. Bab. Cetubot, fol. 66. 2. w Echa Rabbati, fol. 49. 2. x Echa Rabbati, fol. 46. 3. Midrash Kohelet, fol. 75. 1. y T. Bab. Taanith, fol. 20. 1. z T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 43. 1. a Echa Rabbati, fol. 49. 3. b T. Bab. Cetubot, fol. 66. 2. c T. Bab. Taanith, fol. 20. 1. d T. Bab. Avoda Zara, fol. 25. 1.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
A man of the Pharisees - A Pharisee. See the notes at Matthew 3:7.
Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews - One of the “Sanhedrin,” or great council of the nation. He is twice mentioned after this as being friendly to our Saviour; in the first instance as advocating his cause, and defending him against the unjust suspicion of the Jews John 7:50, and in the second instance as one who came to aid in embalming his body, John 19:39. It will be recollected that the design of John in writing this gospel was to show that Jesus was the Messiah. To do this he here adduces the testimony of one of the rulers of the Jews, who early became convinced of it, and who retained the belief of it until the death of Jesus.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
CHAPTER III.
The conversation between Nicodemus and our Lord, about the new
birth and faith in his testimony, 1-15.
The love of God, the source of human salvation, 16.
Who are condemned, and who are approved, 17-21.
Jesus and his disciples come to Judea, and baptize, 22.
John baptizes in AEnon, 23, 24.
The disciples of John and the Pharisees dispute about purifying,
25
The discourse between John and his disciples about Christ, in
which the excellence, perfection, and privileges, of the
Christian dispensation are pointed out, 26-36.
NOTES ON CHAP. III.
Verse John 3:1. Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. — One of the members of the grand Sanhedrin; for such were ordinarily styled rulers among the Jews. A person of the name of Nicodemus, the son of Gorion, is mentioned in the Jewish writings, who lived in the time of Vespasian, and was reputed to be so rich that he could support all the inhabitants of Jerusalem for ten years. But this is said in their usual extravagant mode of talking.
