Bible Strands
John 3:9
“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Nicodemus speaks to Jesus immediately after Jesus describes the invisible, sovereign work of the Spirit in regeneration (John 3:8). The question arises at the precise moment Jesus introduces the concept of being born again.
The words — The Greek phrase πῶς δύνᾰται ταῦτα (pōs dunatai tauta) literally translates to "how are these things able?" or "how can this be?" This phrasing isolates Nicodemus's focus on the mechanics of a physical impossibility.
The thread — This expression of stunned disbelief echoes later scriptural reactions to divine actions that transcend human logic, such as the crowd's confusion over spiritual feeding (John 6:52) and the disciples' struggle with difficult teachings (John 6:60). It also parallels the prophetic theme of God leading people through ways they did not know (Isaiah 42:16).
Why it lands — The verse demands that the reader confront the limits of human reasoning when confronted with spiritual reality. It requires an acknowledgment that divine action operates outside established natural categories.
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 answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
Cross-references
- Isaiah 42:16 I will lead the blind by a way they did not know; I will guide them on unfamiliar paths. I will turn darkness into light before them and rough places into level ground. These things I will do for them, and I will not forsake them.
- John 6:52 At this, the Jews began to argue among themselves, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?”
- John 6:60 On hearing it, many of His disciples said, “This is a difficult teaching. Who can accept it?”
- Luke 1:34 “How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
- 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?”
- Proverbs 4:18 The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday.
- Mark 8:24 The man looked up and said, “I can see the people, but they look like trees walking around.”