Bible Strands
John 3:4
“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?”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Nicodemus poses a literal question to Jesus immediately after Jesus declares that no one can see God’s kingdom without being born again. The exchange occurs during a private nighttime conversation where Jesus introduces the concept of spiritual rebirth.
The words — The Greek πῶς (pōs) means “how” and δύνεται (dunatai) means “is able,” framing Nicodemus’s inquiry around physical possibility. ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos) = “a man” grounds the question in human biological limits, while Λέγει (Legei) = “says” and πρὸς αὐτὸν (pros auton) = “to Him” record the direct verbal address.
The thread — The disconnect between human reasoning and divine action echoes the theme in 1 Corinthians 2:14 and 1 Corinthians 1:18 regarding spiritual matters appearing as foolishness to natural understanding. Jesus’ immediate response in John 3:5 addresses this exact gap by defining the new birth as occurring through water and the Spirit.
Why it lands — The text requires a reader to acknowledge that spiritual regeneration operates outside natural biological processes. It demands the abandonment of literalistic frameworks when encountering claims of divine transformation.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
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?
Cross-references
- 1 Corinthians 2:14 The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
- 1 Corinthians 1:18 For 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.
- John 3:3 Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
- John 4:11 “Sir,” the woman replied, “You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where then will You get this living water?
- John 6:53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, you have no life in you.
- John 6:60 On hearing it, many of His disciples said, “This is a difficult teaching. Who can accept it?”