John 3:7-9

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. John 3:7 tn “All” has been supplied to indicate the plural pronoun in the Greek text.
2. John 3:7 tn Or “born again.” The same Greek word with the same double meaning occurs in v. 3.
3. John 3:8 tn The same Greek word, πνεύματος (pneumatos), may be translated “wind” or “spirit.”
4. John 3:8 sn Again, the physical illustrates the spiritual, although the force is heightened by the word-play here on wind-spirit (see the note on wind at the beginning of this verse). By the end of the verse, however, the final usage of πνεύματος (pneumatos) refers to the Holy Spirit.
5. John 3:9 tn Grk “Nicodemus answered and said to him.”
6. John 3:9 sn “How can these things be?” is Nicodemus’ answer. It is clear that at this time he has still not grasped what Jesus is saying. Note also that this is the last appearance of Nicodemus in the dialogue. Having served the purpose of the author, at this point he disappears from the scene. As a character in the narrative, he has served to illustrate the prevailing Jewish misunderstanding of Jesus’ teaching about the necessity of a new, spiritual birth from above. Whatever parting words Nicodemus might have had with Jesus, the author does not record them.