JHN 3:1-21

Jesus and Nicodemus

1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. [3:2] He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you have come from God as a teacher — for no one can do these signs you do unless God is with him." [3:3] Jesus answered and said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you: unless one is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God." [3:4] Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother's womb a second time and be born?" [3:5] Jesus answered, "Amen, amen, I say to you: unless one is born of water and Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. [3:6] What is born of flesh is flesh, and what is born of Spirit is spirit. [3:7] Do not be astonished that I said to you, 'You must be born from above.' [3:8] The wind blows where it wills, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes — so it is with everyone born of the Spirit." [3:9] Nicodemus answered and said to him, "How can these things be?" [3:10] Jesus answered and said to him, "You are the teacher of Israel, and you do not understand these things? [3:11] Amen, amen, I say to you: we speak of what we know and we testify of what we have seen, and you do not receive our testimony. [3:12] If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? [3:13] And no one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven — the Son of Man. [3:14] And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, [3:15] so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. [3:16] For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [3:17] For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through him. [3:18] The one who believes in him is not judged; but the one who does not believe has already been judged, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. [3:19] And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, because their works were evil. [3:20] For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, so that his works will not be exposed. [3:21] But the one who does the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to have been done in God."

In the world it was spoken into

Nicodemus, a Pharisee and ruler of the Jews, approaches Jesus by night, a detail that reflects both caution and the honor-shame dynamics of 1st-century Jewish leadership. As a Pharisee, Nicodemus operates within a framework of strict Torah observance and purity codes, yet he acknowledges Jesus’ signs as evidence of divine authority. The term , meaning 'from above' or 'again,' introduces ambiguity central to the dialogue. For Nicodemus, steeped in Jewish thought, rebirth likely evokes ritual purification or proselyte baptism, not the radical spiritual transformation Jesus describes. Jesus’ use of , meaning 'spirit,' 'wind,' or 'breath,' draws on Jewish and Greco-Roman understandings of divine power and unpredictability. The mention of Moses lifting the serpent in the wilderness ties Jesus’ teaching to Israel’s history, while the reference to the 'unique Son' underscores Jesus’ singular role in God’s salvific plan. The (judgment) Jesus speaks of reflects a cosmic division between light and darkness, a theme resonant with Jewish apocalyptic expectations.

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How other translations render this

JHN 3:1

KJV: There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
BSB: Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews.
Koinōnos: Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

JHN 3:2

KJV: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
BSB: He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with him.”
Koinōnos: He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you have come from God as a teacher — for no one can do these signs you do unless God is with him.

JHN 3:3

KJV: Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
BSB: Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
Koinōnos: Jesus answered and said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you: unless one is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

JHN 3:4

KJV: 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?
BSB: “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Can he enter his motherʼs womb a second time to be born?”
Koinōnos: Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother's womb a second time and be born?

JHN 3:5

KJV: Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
BSB: Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
Koinōnos: Jesus answered, "Amen, amen, I say to you: unless one is born of water and Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

JHN 3:6

KJV: That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
BSB: Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit.
Koinōnos: What is born of flesh is flesh, and what is born of Spirit is spirit.

JHN 3:7

KJV: Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
BSB: Do not be amazed that I said, ‘You must be born again.’
Koinōnos: Do not be astonished that I said to you, 'You must be born from above.

JHN 3:8

KJV: The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
BSB: The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
Koinōnos: The wind blows where it wills, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes — so it is with everyone born of the Spirit.

JHN 3:9

KJV: Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
BSB: “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
Koinōnos: Nicodemus answered and said to him, "How can these things be?

JHN 3:10

KJV: Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
BSB: “You are Israelʼs teacher,” said Jesus, “and you do not understand these things?
Koinōnos: Jesus answered and said to him, "You are the teacher of Israel, and you do not understand these things?

JHN 3:11

KJV: Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
BSB: Truly, truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, and yet you people do not accept our testimony.
Koinōnos: Amen, amen, I say to you: we speak of what we know and we testify of what we have seen, and you do not receive our testimony.

JHN 3:12

KJV: If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
BSB: If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
Koinōnos: If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

JHN 3:13

KJV: And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
BSB: No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.
Koinōnos: And no one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven — the Son of Man.

JHN 3:14

KJV: And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
BSB: Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
Koinōnos: And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

JHN 3:15

KJV: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
BSB: that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.
Koinōnos: so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.

JHN 3:16

KJV: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
BSB: For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Koinōnos: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

JHN 3:17

KJV: For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
BSB: For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
Koinōnos: For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through him.

JHN 3:18

KJV: He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
BSB: Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of Godʼs one and only Son.
Koinōnos: The one who believes in him is not judged; but the one who does not believe has already been judged, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.

JHN 3:19

KJV: And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
BSB: And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil.
Koinōnos: And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, because their works were evil.

JHN 3:20

KJV: For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
BSB: Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
Koinōnos: For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, so that his works will not be exposed.

JHN 3:21

KJV: But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
BSB: But whoever practices the truth comes into the Light, so that it may be seen clearly that what he has done has been accomplished in God.”
Koinōnos: But the one who does the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to have been done in God.

Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.

Where the historical framing draws from

Josephus, AntiquitiesAntiquities 18.1.2

›Josephus, Antiquities Antiquities 18.1.2

“The Jews had for a great while had three sects of philosophy peculiar to themselves; the sect of the Essens, and the sect of the Sadducees, and the third sort of opinions was that of those called Pharisees”

Cited to ground: As a Pharisee, Nicodemus operates within a framework of strict Torah observance and purity codes

Translator's notes

JHN 3:3

shall be born:The word translated 'born' here carries a double meaning in the original language, referring to being born 'again' or being born 'from above.' This ambiguity is key to the conversation that follows.

JHN 3:5

and:The term used here for 'Spirit' also means 'wind' or 'breath.' This connection between the invisible, life-giving Spirit and the unseen, powerful wind or breath would have been clear to the original audience.

JHN 3:16

the:The word translated 'only begotten' or 'one and only' emphasizes the unique, singular nature of the Son, not merely that he was the first or sole offspring.

JHN 3:19

judgement:The word translated 'judgment' here implies a process of separation or distinguishing, leading to a decision or verdict, rather than just a negative condemnation.