John 3:9

9 Nicodemus answered, and said to him, How may these things be done [How be these things able to be done]?

John 3:9 Meaning and Commentary

John 3:9

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?"

John 3:9 In-Context

7 Wonder thou not, for I said to thee, It behooveth you to be born again.

8 The Spirit breatheth where he will, and thou hearest his voice, but thou knowest not, from whence he cometh, nor whither he goeth; so is each man that is born of the Spirit.

9 Nicodemus answered, and said to him, How may these things be done [How be these things able to be done]?

10 Jesus answered, and said to him, Thou art a master in Israel, and knowest not these things? [Jesus answered, and said to him, Art thou a master in Israel, and knowest not these things?]

11 Truly, truly, I say to thee, for we speak that that we know, and we witness that that we have seen, and ye take not our witnessing.