John 3:4

4 Nicodemus sayde vnto him: how can a man be boren when he is olde? can he enter into his moders wombe and be boren agayne?

John 3:4 Meaning and Commentary

John 3:4

Nicodemus saith unto him
Understanding him of a natural birth, to be repeated:

how can a man be born when he is old?
as it seems by this, he himself now was:

can he enter the second time into his mothers womb, and be born?
the Ethiopic version adds, "again"; and the Arabic version, "and then be born"; this he urges, as absurd, impracticable, and impossible; and which shows him to have been as yet a natural man, who could not receive nor discern spiritual things.

John 3:4 In-Context

2 The same cam to Iesus by nyght and sayde vnto him: Rabbi we knowe that thou arte a teacher whiche arte come from God. For no man coulde do suche miracles as thou doest except God were with him.
3 Iesus answered and sayde vnto him: Verely verely I saye vnto the: except a man be boren a newe he cannot se the kyngdom of God.
4 Nicodemus sayde vnto him: how can a man be boren when he is olde? can he enter into his moders wombe and be boren agayne?
5 Iesus answered: verely verely I saye vnto the: except that a man be boren of water and of ye sprete he cannot enter into the kyngdome of god.
6 That which is boren of the flesshe is flesshe: and that which is boren of the sprete is sprete.
The Tyndale Bible is in the public domain.