John 3:6

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible

That which hath been born of the flesh, is, flesh, and, that which hath been born of the spirit, is, spirit.

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
The only life people get from their human parents is physical. But the new life that the Spirit gives a person is spiritual.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
That which is boren of the flesshe is flesshe: and that which is boren of the sprete is sprete.

Hebrew Names Version
That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

International Standard Version
What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.

New American Standard Bible
"That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit.

New Century Version
Human life comes from human parents, but spiritual life comes from the Spirit.

Update Bible Version
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Webster's Bible Translation
That which is born of the flesh, is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit, is spirit.

English Standard Version
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

World English Bible
That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit, is spirit.

Weymouth's New Testament
Whatever has been born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever has been born of the Spirit is spirit.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
`That that is borun of the fleisch, is fleisch; and `that that is borun of spirit, is spirit.

English Revised Version
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Berean Standard Bible
Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit.

Contemporary English Version
Humans give life to their children. Yet only God's Spirit can change you into a child of God.

Amplified Bible
"That which is born of the flesh is flesh [the physical is merely physical], and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

American Standard Version
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Bible in Basic English
That which has birth from the flesh is flesh, and that which has birth from the Spirit is spirit.

Complete Jewish Bible
What is born from the flesh is flesh, and what is born from the Spirit is spirit.

Darby Translation
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Etheridge Translation
Whatever is born of the flesh, is flesh; and whatever is born of the Spirit, is spirit.

Murdock Translation
That which is born of the flesh, is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit, is spirit.

King James Version (1611)
That which is borne of the flesh, is flesh, and that which is borne of the spirit, is spirit.

New Living Translation
Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.

New Life Bible
Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh. Whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit.

New Revised Standard
What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Geneva Bible (1587)
That which is borne of the flesh, is flesh: and that that is borne of the Spirit, is spirit.

George Lamsa Translation
What is born of flesh is flesh; and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Douay-Rheims Bible
That which is born of the flesh is flesh: and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Revised Standard Version
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
That which is borne of the fleshe, is fleshe: and that which is borne of the spirite, is spirite.

Good News Translation
A person is born physically of human parents, but is born spiritually of the Spirit.

Christian Standard Bible®
Whatever is born of the flesh

King James Version
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Lexham English Bible
What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Literal Translation
That having been generated out of the flesh is flesh, and that having been generated out of the Spirit is spirit.

Young's Literal Translation
that which hath been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which hath been born of the Spirit is spirit.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
That which is borne of flesh, is flesh: & that which is borne of the sprete, is sprete.

Mace New Testament (1729)
the cleansing of the body is only external, but the purification of the spirit is spiritual.

New English Translation
What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.

New King James Version
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Simplified Cowboy Version
Humans can only make humans, but the Holy Spirit can give birth to spiritual life.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Legacy Standard Bible
That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit.

Contextual Overview

¹ There was however, a man from among the Pharisees, Nicodemus, his name, - ruler of the Jews. ² The same, came unto him, by night, and said unto him - Rabbi! we know that, from God, thou hast come, a teacher; for, no one, can be doing, these signs, which, thou, art doing, except, God, be with him. ³ 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. ⁴ Nicodemus saith unto him - How, can a man be born, when he is, old? Can he, into the womb of his mother, a second time, enter, and be born? ⁵ Jesus answered - Verily, verily, I say unto thee: Except one be born of water and spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which hath been born of the flesh, is, flesh, and, that which hath been born of the spirit, is, spirit. ⁷ Do not marvel, that I said unto thee: Ye must needs be born from above. ⁸ The spirit, where it pleaseth, doth breathe, and, the sound thereof, thou hearest; but knowest not, whence it cometh and whither it goeth: Thus, is every one who hath been born of the spirit. ⁹ Nicodemus answered, and said unto him - How, can these things, come about? ¹⁰ Jesus answered, and said unto him - Art, thou, the teacher of Israel, and, these things, knowest not?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

born of the flesh: Genesis 5:3, Genesis 6:5, Genesis 6:12, Job 14:4, Job 15:14-16, Job 25:4, Psalms 51:10, Romans 7:5, Romans 7:18, Romans 7:25, Romans 8:1, Romans 8:4, Romans 8:5-9, Romans 8:13, 1 Corinthians 15:47-49, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 5:16-21, Galatians 5:24, Ephesians 2:3, Colossians 2:11

that: Ezekiel 11:19, Ezekiel 11:20, Ezekiel 36:26, Ezekiel 36:27, Romans 8:5, Romans 8:9, 1 Corinthians 6:17, Galatians 5:17, 1 John 3:9

Reciprocal: Genesis 6:3 - is Genesis 8:21 - the imagination Job 12:10 - mankind Psalms 51:5 - shapen Psalms 78:39 - For he Proverbs 22:15 - Foolishness Luke 10:13 - repented Luke 11:13 - being John 1:13 - of God John 3:3 - Except Romans 8:8 - they that 1 Corinthians 15:48 - such are they also that are earthy Galatians 5:19 - the works Ephesians 1:19 - exceeding Hebrews 12:9 - fathers

Cross-References

Genesis 3:1
Now, the serpent, was more crafty than any living thing of the field which Yahweh God had made, so he said unto the woman, Can it really be that God hath said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Genesis 3:2
And the woman said unto the serpent, - Of the fruit of the trees of the garden, we may eat;

Genesis 3:12
And the man said, - The woman whom thou didst put with me, she, gave me of the tree, so I did eat.

Genesis 3:14
Then said Yahweh God unto the serpent - Because thou hast done this, Accursed, art thou above every tame-beast, and above every wild-beast of the field, - on thy belly, shall thou go, and dust, shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.

Genesis 3:15
And enmity, will I put between thee, and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed, - He shall crush thy head, but, thou, shalt crush his heel.

Genesis 3:17
And, to the man, he said, Because thou didst hearken to the voice of thy wife, and so didst eat of the tree as to which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it, Accursed be the ground for thy sake, In pain, shalt thou eat of it, all the days of thy life;

Genesis 3:19
In the sweat of thy face, shalt thou eat bread, until thou return to the ground, because therefrom, wast thou taken, - For, dust, thou art, And, unto dust, shalt thou return.

Genesis 6:2
that the sons of God saw the daughters of men! that they were, fair, - so they took to themselves wives of whomsoever they chose,

Genesis 39:7
And it came to pass after these things, that his lord's wife lifted up her eyes unto Joseph, - and she said - Come! lie with me.

Joshua 7:21
When I saw among the spoil a certain goodly mantle of Babylonia and two hundred shekels of silver and a certain wedge of gold - fifty shekels the weight thereof, then I coveted them, then I took them, - and, there they are, hid in the earth, in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

That which is born of the flesh, is flesh,.... Man by his natural birth, and as he is born according to the flesh of his natural parents, is a mere natural man; that is, he is carnal and corrupt, and cannot discern spiritual things; nor can he, as such, enter into, and inherit the kingdom of God; see 1 Corinthians 2:14. And therefore there is a necessity of his being born again, or of the grace of the Spirit, and of his becoming a spiritual man; and if he was to be, or could be born again of the flesh, or ever so many times enter into his mothers womb, and be born, was it possible, he would still be but a natural and a carnal man, and so unfit for the kingdom of God. By "flesh" here, is not meant the fleshy part of man, the body, as generated of another fleshy substance; for this is no other than what may be said of brutes; and besides, if this was the sense, "spirit", in the next clause, must mean the soul, whereas one soul is not generated from another: but by flesh is designed, the nature of man; not merely as weak and frail, but as unclean and corrupt, through sin; and which being propagated by natural generation from sinful men, cannot be otherwise; for "who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one", Job 14:4. And though the soul of man is of a spiritual nature, and remains a spirit, notwithstanding the pollution of sin; yet it being defiled with the flesh, and altogether under the power and influence of the lusts of the flesh, it may well be said to be carnal or fleshly: hence "flesh", as it stands opposed to spirit, signifies the corruption of nature, Galatians 5:17; and such who are in a state of unregeneracy, are said to be after the flesh, and in the flesh, and even the mind itself is said to be carnal, Romans 8:5.

And that which is born of the Spirit, is spirit: a man that is regenerated by the Spirit of God, and the efficacy of his grace, is a spiritual man; he can discern and judge all things of a spiritual nature; he is a fit person to be admitted to spiritual ordinances and privileges; and appears to be in the spiritual kingdom of Christ; and has a right to the world of blessed spirits above; and when his body is raised a spiritual body, will be admitted in soul, body, and spirit, into the joy of his Lord. "Spirit" in the first part of this clause, signifies the Holy Spirit of God, the author of regeneration and sanctification; whence that work is called the sanctification of the Spirit, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, 1 Peter 1:2. And "spirit", in the latter part, intends the internal work of grace upon the soul, from whence a man is denominated a spiritual man; and as a child bears the same name with its parent, so this is called by the same, as the author and efficient cause of it: and besides, it is of a spiritual nature itself, and exerts itself in spiritual acts and exercises, and directs to, and engages in spiritual things; and has its seat also in the spirit, or soul of man.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

That which is born of the flesh - To show the necessity of this change, the Saviour directs the attention of Nicodemus to the natural condition of man. By “that which is born of the flesh” he evidently intends man as he is by nature, in the circumstances of his natural birth. Perhaps, also, he alludes to the question asked by Nicodemus, whether a man could be born when he was old? Jesus tells him that if this could be, it would not answer any valuable purpose; he would still have the same propensities and passions. Another change was therefore indispensable.

Is flesh - Partakes of the nature of the parent. Compare Genesis 5:3. As the parents are corrupt and sinful, so will be their descendants. See Job 14:4. And as the parents are wholly corrupt by nature, so their children will be the same. The word “flesh” here is used as meaning “corrupt, defiled, sinful.” The “flesh” in the Scriptures is often used to denote the sinful propensities and passions of our nature, as those propensities are supposed to have their seat in the animal nature. “The works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,” etc., Galatians 5:19-20. See also Eph 2:3; 1 Peter 3:21; 1 Peter 2:18; 1 John 2:16; Romans 8:5.

Is born of the Spirit - Of the Spirit of God, or by the agency of the Holy Spirit.

Is spirit - Is spiritual, “like” the spirit, that is, holy, pure. Here we learn:

1.That all men are by nature sinful.

2.That none are renewed but by the Spirit of God. If man did the work himself, it would he still carnal and impure.

3.That the effect of the new birth is to make men holy.

4.And, that no man can have evidence that he is born again who is not holy, and just in proportion as he becomes pure in his life will be the evidence that he is born of the Spirit.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse John 3:6. That which is born of the flesh is flesh — This is the answer to the objection made by Nicodemus in John 3:4. Can a man enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born? Our Lord here intimates that, were even this possible, it would not answer the end; for the plant will ever be of the nature of the seed that produces it-like will beget its like. The kingdom of God is spiritual and holy; and that which is born of the Spirit resembles the Spirit; for as he is who begat, so is he who is begotten of him. Therefore, the spiritual regeneration is essentially necessary, to prepare the soul for a holy and spiritual kingdom.