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Read the Bible

Good News Translation

John 3:9

"How can this be?" asked Nicodemus.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Blindness;   Jesus, the Christ;   Life;   Mysteries;   Nicodemus;   Salvation;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Nicodemus;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - John, gospel of;   Nicodemus;   Teacher;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Disciple, Discipleship;   Salvation;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Episcopacy;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Nicodemus;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Jesus Christ;   Nicodemus;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Holy Spirit;   Nicodemus;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Gospels;   John, Gospel of;   John, Theology of;   Mss;   Nicodemus;   Scribes;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Announcements of Death;   Discourse;   Holy Spirit;   Individuality;   Mental Characteristics;   Property (2);   Righteous, Righteousness;   Teaching of Jesus;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Nicodemus ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Regeneration;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Heart;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Tabernacle, the;   Jesus of Nazareth;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - How;   Nicodemus;   Sanctification;   Seed;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Birth, New;   Nicodemus;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for December 4;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“How can these things be?” asked Nicodemus.
King James Version (1611)
Nicodemus answered, and said vnto him, How can these things be?
King James Version
Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
English Standard Version
Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?"
New American Standard Bible
Nicodemus responded and said to Him, "How can these things be?"
New Century Version
Nicodemus asked, "How can this happen?"
Amplified Bible
Nicodemus said to Him, "How can these things be possible?"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Nicodemus said to Him, "How can these things be?"
Legacy Standard Bible
Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"
Berean Standard Bible
"How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.
Contemporary English Version
"How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.
Complete Jewish Bible
Nakdimon replied, "How can this happen?"
Darby Translation
Nicodemus answered and said to him, How can these things be?
Easy-to-Read Version
Nicodemus asked, "How is all this possible?"
Geneva Bible (1587)
Nicodemus answered, and said vnto him, Howe can these things be?
George Lamsa Translation
Nicodemus answered and said to him, How can these things be?
Lexham English Bible
Nicodemus answered and said to him, "How can these things be?"
Literal Translation
Nicodemus answered and said to Him, How are these things able to occur?
American Standard Version
Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
Bible in Basic English
And Nicodemus said to him, How is it possible for these things to be?
Hebrew Names Version
Nakdimon answered him, "How can these things be?"
International Standard Version
Nicodemus said to him, "How can that be?"John 6:52,60;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
Nikodimos answered and said to him, How can these things be?
Murdock Translation
Nicodemus answered, and said to him: How can these things be?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Nicodemus aunswered, and sayde vnto hym: howe can these thynges be?
English Revised Version
Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
World English Bible
Nicodemus answered him, "How can these things be?"
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Nicodemus answered and said to him, How can these things be?
Weymouth's New Testament
"How is all this possible?" asked Nicodemus.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Nychodeme answeride, and seide to hym, Hou moun these thingis be don?
Update Bible Version
Nicodemus answered and said to him, How can these things be?
Webster's Bible Translation
Nicodemus answered and said to him, How can these things be?
New English Translation
Nicodemus replied, "How can these things be?"
New King James Version
Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"
New Living Translation
"How are these things possible?" Nicodemus asked.
New Life Bible
Nicodemus said to Him, "How can this be?"
New Revised Standard
Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Nicodemus answered, and said unto him - How, can these things, come about?
Douay-Rheims Bible
Nicodemus answered and said to him: How can these things be done?
Revised Standard Version
Nicode'mus said to him, "How can this be?"
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And Nicodemus answered and sayde vnto him: how can these thinges be?
Young's Literal Translation
Nicodemus answered and said to him, `How are these things able to happen?'
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Nicodemus answered, and sayde vnto him: How maye these be?
Mace New Testament (1729)
Nicodemus answered, how can that be?
THE MESSAGE
Nicodemus asked, "What do you mean by this? How does this happen?"
Simplified Cowboy Version
"How can this happen though?" Nick asked.

Contextual Overview

1 There was a Jewish leader named Nicodemus, who belonged to the party of the Pharisees. 2 One night he went to Jesus and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher sent by God. No one could perform the miracles you are doing unless God were with him." 3 Jesus answered, "I am telling you the truth: no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born again." 4 "How can a grown man be born again?" Nicodemus asked. "He certainly cannot enter his mother's womb and be born a second time!" 5 "I am telling you the truth," replied Jesus, "that no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 A person is born physically of human parents, but is born spiritually of the Spirit. 7 Do not be surprised because I tell you that you must all be born again. 8 The wind blows wherever it wishes; you hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. It is like that with everyone who is born of the Spirit." 9 "How can this be?" asked Nicodemus. 10 Jesus answered, "You are a great teacher in Israel, and you don't know this?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

How: John 3:4, John 6:52, John 6:60, Proverbs 4:18, Isaiah 42:16, Mark 8:24, Mark 8:25, Luke 1:34

Reciprocal: Joshua 7:26 - So the Lord John 7:36 - manner John 9:10 - General John 14:22 - how 1 Corinthians 15:35 - How 1 Timothy 1:7 - understanding

Cross-References

Genesis 3:12
The man answered, "The woman you put here with me gave me the fruit, and I ate it."
Genesis 3:13
The Lord God asked the woman, "Why did you do this?" She replied, "The snake tricked me into eating it."
Genesis 3:17
And he said to the man, "You listened to your wife and ate the fruit which I told you not to eat. Because of what you have done, the ground will be under a curse. You will have to work hard all your life to make it produce enough food for you.
Genesis 3:19
You will have to work hard and sweat to make the soil produce anything, until you go back to the soil from which you were formed. You were made from soil, and you will become soil again."
Genesis 3:20
Adam named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all human beings.
Genesis 3:21
And the Lord God made clothes out of animal skins for Adam and his wife, and he clothed them.
Genesis 4:9
The Lord asked Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" He answered, "I don't know. Am I supposed to take care of my brother?"
Genesis 11:5
Then the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which they had built,
Genesis 16:8
and said, "Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?" She answered, "I am running away from my mistress."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Nicodemus answered and said unto him,.... Remaining still as ignorant as ever, though Christ had explained the phrase "born again", at which he stumbled, by a being "born of water and of the Spirit", or of the grace of the Spirit of God; and had illustrated this by the free, powerful, and invisible blowing of the wind:

how can these things be? The Arabic version reads, "how can this be?" referring either to the last thing said, that a man's being born of the Spirit, is like the blowing of the wind; or to the explanation of the first expression, that a man should be born of water, and of the Spirit; or to the first assertion itself, that a man should be born again; which notwithstanding the explanation and illustration, seemed as impossible, and as impracticable as ever; or rather to them all, and so the Persic version reads, "how can all these things be?"

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

How can these things be? - Nicodemus was still unwilling to admit the doctrine unless he understood it; and we have here an instance of a man of rank stumbling at one of the plainest doctrines of religion, and unwilling to admit a truth because he could not understand “how” it could be, when he daily admitted the truth of facts in other things which he could as little comprehend. And we may learn:

1.That people will often admit facts on other subjects, and be greatly perplexed by similar facts in religion.

2.That no small part of people’s difficulties are because they cannot understand how or why a thing is.

3.That people of rank and learning are as likely to be perplexed by these things as those in the obscurest and humblest walks of life.

4.That this is one reason why such men, particularly, so often reject the truths of the gospel.

5.That this is a very unwise treatment of truth, and a way which they do not apply to other things.

If the wind cools and refreshes me in summer if it prostrates the oak or lashes the sea into foam - if it destroys my house or my grain, it matters little how it does this; and so of the Spirit. If it renews my heart, humbles my pride, subdues my sin, and comforts my soul, it is a matter of little importance how it does all this. Sufficient for me is it to know that it is done, and to taste the blessings which flow from the renewing. and sanctifying grace of God.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse John 3:9. How can these things be? — Our Lord had very plainly told him how these things could be, and illustrated the new birth by one of the most proper similes that could be chosen; but so intent was this great man an making every thing submit to the testimony of his senses that he appears unwilling to believe any thing, unless he can comprehend it. This is the case with many-they profess to believe because they comprehend; but they are impostors who speak thus: there is not a man in the universe that can fully comprehend one operation, either of God or his instrument nature; and yet they must believe, and do believe, though they never did nor ever can fully comprehend, or account for, the objects of their faith.


 
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