# John 3.5

<!-- type: passage | created: 2026-07-29 | updated: 2026-07-29 -->

**Book:** [John](/codex/john-the-apostle/) · NASB95

## Immediate context (±2 verses)

**ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/))
> 3. Jesus answered and said unto him, <span class="rl-speech">Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.</span> 4. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter a second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
>
> **5. Jesus answered, <span class="rl-speech">Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God!</span>**
>
> 6. <span class="rl-speech">That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.</span> 7. <span class="rl-speech">Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born anew.</span> (John 3:3-7, ASV)

**WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/))
> 3. Jesus answered him, <span class="rl-speech">“Most certainly, I tell you, unless one is born anew, he can’t see God’s Kingdom.”</span> 4. Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?”
>
> **5. Jesus answered, <span class="rl-speech">“Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born of water and spirit, he can’t enter into God’s Kingdom.</span>**
>
> 6. <span class="rl-speech">That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.</span> 7. <span class="rl-speech">Don’t marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born anew.’</span> (John 3:3-7, WEB)

**KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/))
> 3. Jesus answered and said unto him, <span class="rl-speech">Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. <sup>again: or, from above</sup></span> 4. 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?
>
> **5. Jesus answered, <span class="rl-speech">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.</span>**
>
> 6. <span class="rl-speech">That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.</span> 7. <span class="rl-speech">Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. <sup>again: or, from above</sup></span> (John 3:3-7, KJV)

**YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/))
> 3. Jesus answered and said to him, <span class="rl-speech">'Verily, verily, I say to thee, If any one may not be born from above, he is not able to see the reign of God;'</span> 4. Nicodemus saith unto him, 'How is a man able to be born, being old? is he able into the womb of his mother a second time to enter, and to be born?'
>
> **5. Jesus answered, <span class="rl-speech">'Verily, verily, I say to thee, If any one may not be born of water, and the Spirit, he is not able to enter into the reign of God;</span>**
>
> 6. <span class="rl-speech">that which hath been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which hath been born of the Spirit is spirit.</span> 7. <span class="rl-speech">'Thou mayest not wonder that I said to thee, It behoveth you to be born from above;</span> (John 3:3-7, YLT)

## Setting

- **Speaker:** _TBD_
- **Audience:** _TBD_
- **Location:** _TBD_
- **Time period:** _TBD_

## Theological reading

_Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added._

## Key words

_Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word._

- _TBD_
- _TBD_
- _TBD_
- _TBD_


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## Quoted in

**Arguments and defeaters:**

- [Argument from Transformed Lives](/codex/argument-from-transformed-lives/), via [John 3.1-8](/codex/john-3-1-8/), [John 3.3-8](/codex/john-3-3-8/)

**Concepts:**

- [100 Common Questions](/codex/100-common-questions/), via [John 3.5-8](/codex/john-3-5-8/)
- [Baptism](/codex/baptism/), via [John 3.5-8](/codex/john-3-5-8/)
- [Jesus Said](/codex/jesus-said/), via [John 3](/codex/john-3/)
- [Paraclete, Identity and Recipients](/codex/paraclete-identity-and-recipients/), via [John 3.5-8](/codex/john-3-5-8/)
- [Preaching to Non-Believers](/codex/preaching-to-non-believers/), via [John 3.1-21](/codex/john-3-1-21/)
- [Soul and Spirit, Origin and Awareness](/codex/soul-and-spirit-origin-and-awareness/), via [John 3.3-8](/codex/john-3-3-8/), [John 3.5-8](/codex/john-3-5-8/)
- [Trinity](/codex/trinity/), via [John 3.5-8](/codex/john-3-5-8/)

**Lexicon:**

- [H3820 - lev](/codex/h3820-lev/), via [John 3.1-15](/codex/john-3-1-15/)
- [H3824 - lebab](/codex/h3824-lebab/), via [John 3.3-8](/codex/john-3-3-8/)

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## Notes

_Your annotations._

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## Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the **most literal English translations available** (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the **public domain in the United States**, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

- **[ASV](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
- **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
- **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
- **[YLT](/codex/ylt/)** (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See [Bibles](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.