Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
Parallel translations
- WEB Don’t marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born anew.’
- BSB Do not be amazed that I said, ‘You must be born again.’
- NKJV Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
- NASB Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
- NLT So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus tells Nicodemus not to be astonished at the necessity of being born again. The new birth is not optional but essential for all.
Overview
The 'you' here is plural, broadening the requirement beyond Nicodemus to everyone. Jesus reframes the new birth as a settled necessity that should not surprise a teacher familiar with the prophets' promise of inner renewal. The verse presses the universal need for regeneration that the gospel alone supplies through Christ and the Spirit.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- John 3:3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
- Eph 4:22–24That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
- Rom 12:1–2I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
- 1 Pet 1:22Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
- Rev 21:27And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
- John 3:12If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
- Col 1:12Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
- 1 Pet 1:14–16As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
- Matt 13:33–35Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
- Heb 12:14Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
- John 6:61–63When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
- Rom 3:9–19What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;
- Job 15:14What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
- Rom 9:22–25What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
- John 5:28Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 3:7 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.