YHN 3:8 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) The wind blows wherever it wants, and you can hear its sound but you can’t actually see where it’s coming from or where it’s going to. So too with everyone who’s born from God’s spirit.”

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, red:negative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So is everyone having been born from the Spirit.”

UST The Holy Spirit is like the wind that blows wherever it wants to blow. Although you can hear the sound of the wind, you do not know where the wind came from or where it is going. Just as you do not understand these things, so also you do not understand everyone who is born again by the work of God’s Spirit.”

BLB The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know from where it comes and where it goes. Thus is everyone having been born of the Spirit."

AICNT “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from {and}[fn] where it goes; so is everyone who is born of the [[water and the]][fn] Spirit.”

3:8, and: Some manuscripts read “or.” A(02) Latin(a b)

3:8, water and the: Some manuscripts include. ℵ(01) Latin(a b e ff² it) Syriac(sy^s sy^c)

OEB The wind blows wherever it wants, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from, or where it goes; it is the same with everyone who owes his birth to the Spirit.’

LSB The wind blows where it wishes and you hear its sound, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who has been born of the Spirit.”

WEBBE The wind[fn] blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but don’t know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

3:8 The same Greek word (πνεῦμα) means wind, breath, and spirit.

WMBB (Same as above including footnotes)

NET The wind blows wherever it will, and you hear the sound it makes, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

LSV the Spirit blows where [that] One wills, and you hear [that] One’s voice, but you have not known from where [that] One comes, and to where [that] One goes; thus is everyone who has been born of the Spirit.”

FBV The wind blows wherever it wants, and just as you hear the sound it makes, but don't know where it's coming from or where it's going, that's how it is for everyone who is born of the spirit.”

TCNT The wind blows where it wishes. Yoʋ hear the sound of it, but yoʋ do not know where it is coming from or where it is going; so it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

T4T Let me illustrate: The wind blows wherever it wants to blow. You hear its sound, but you do not know where the wind comes from or where it is going. Similarly, those who do not know God cannot understand/control/predict how people are born again as a result of what God’s spirit does.”

LEB The wind blows wherever it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

BBE The wind goes where its pleasure takes it, and the sound of it comes to your ears, but you are unable to say where it comes from and where it goes: so it is with everyone whose birth is from the Spirit.

Moff The wind blows where it wills; you can hear its sound, but you never know where it has come from or where it goes: it is the same with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

Wymth The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So is it with every one who has been born of the Spirit."

ASV The wind bloweth where it will, and thou hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

DRA The Spirit breatheth where he will; and thou hearest his voice, but thou knowest not whence he cometh, and whither he goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

YLT the Spirit where he willeth doth blow, and his voice thou dost hear, but thou hast not known whence he cometh, and whither he goeth; thus is every one who hath been born of the Spirit.'

Drby The wind blows where it will, and thou hearest its voice, but knowest not whence it comes and where it goes: thus is every one that is born of the Spirit.

RV The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
(The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou/you hearest/hear the voice thereof, but knowest/know not whence/where it cometh/comes, and whither/where it goeth/goes: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. )

SLT The wind, where it wills, blows, and its voice thou hearest, but thou knowest not whence it comes, and where it goes: so is every one having been born of the Spirit.

Wbstr The wind bloweth where it will, and thou hearest the sound of it, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

KJB-1769 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.
( The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou/you hearest/hear the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence/where it cometh/comes, and whither/where it goeth/goes: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. )

KJB-1611 The winde bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tel whence it commeth, and whither it goeth: So is euery one that is borne of the Spirit.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation)

Bshps The wynde bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sounde therof: but canst not tell whence it commeth, and whither it goeth. So is euery one that is borne of the spirite.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Gnva The winde bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it commeth, and whither it goeth: so is euery man that is borne of the Spirit.
(The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou/you hearest/hear the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence/where it cometh/comes, and whither/where it goeth/goes: so is every man that is born of the Spirit. )

Cvdl The wynde bloweth where he wyl, and thou hearest his sounde: but thou canst not tell whece he commeth, and whither he goeth. So is euery one, that is borne of the sprete.
(The wind bloweth where he wyl, and thou/you hearest/hear his sounde: but thou/you canst not tell whence/where he cometh/comes, and whither/where he goeth/goes. So is every one, that is born of the spirit.)

TNT The wynde bloweth where he listeth and thou hearest his sounde: but canst not tell whence he cometh and whether he goeth. So is every man that is boren of the sprete.
(The wind bloweth where he listeth and thou/you hearest/hear his sounde: but canst not tell whence/where he cometh/comes and whether he goeth/goes. So is every man that is boren of the spirit. )

Wycl The spirit brethith where he wole, and thou herist his vois, but thou wost not, fro whennus he cometh, ne whidir he goith; so is ech man that is borun of the spirit.
(The spirit brethith where he will, and thou/you hearest/hear his voice, but thou/you know not, from whence/where he cometh/comes, nor whether he goeth/goes; so is each man that is born of the spirit.)

Luth Der Wind bläset, wo er will, und du hörest sein Sausen wohl; aber du weißt nicht, von wannen er kommt und wohin er fähret. Also ist ein jeglicher, der aus dem Geist geboren ist.
(The wind blows, where he will, and you(sg) hear/listen be Sausen probably/well; but you(sg) you_know not, from_where he comes and where he drives/rides/runs. So is a any/each, the/of_the out_of to_him spirit born is.)

ClVg Spiritus ubi vult spirat, et vocem ejus audis, sed nescis unde veniat, aut quo vadat: sic est omnis qui natus est ex spiritu.[fn]
(Spirit where wants spirat, and voice his audis, but you_don't_know from_where/who let_him_come, or where let_it_go: so it_is everyone who/which born it_is from in_spirit. )

3.8 Spiritus ubi vult. Qua in potestate habet cujus cor illustret. Vocem ejus audis in Scripturis, vel dum loquitur aliquis plenus Spiritu sancto, quæ et si audis, nescis unde venit, id est, quomodo cor illius intravit, vel quomodo redierit, quia natura ejus est invisibilis. Sic est omnis qui natus est ex Spiritu sancto, quia ipse invisibiliter agente Spiritu incipit esse quod non erat, ita ut infidelis nesciat unde veniat, et quo vadat, id est, qua gratia venit in adoptionem Filii, et vadit in regnum Dei. Quæ quia incognita sunt carnali, iterum quærit? Quomodo possunt hæc fieri, non habens spiritualem intellectum in littera legis; impossibile putat quod dicitur de nativitate per spiritum, unde redarguitur a Domino: Tu es magister, etc. Et vocem ejus, etc. Vox spiritus est vox Christi, quam audivit Nicodemus, sed quia nondum est natus de spiritu, nescit unde veniat, aut quo vadat, id est, qua occasione velit nasci hominem in spiritu, aut quo vadat, id est, ad quam perfectionem dicat ipsum nascentem ex se. Nam qui ex eo nascitur, unus cum ipso spiritus per gratiam efficitur, sicut etiam ipse spiritus unus est per naturam.

3.8 Spirit where wants. Qua in/into/on power has whose heart illustret. Voice his audis in/into/on Scripturis, or while speaks someone full By_Spirit holy, which and when/but_if audis, you_don't_know from_where/who he_came, that it_is, how heart of_that he_entered, or how redierit, because nature/element his it_is invisibilis. So it_is everyone who/which born it_is from By_Spirit holy, because exactly_that/himself invisibiliter agente By_Spirit begins to_be that not/no was, so/thus as unfaithful nesciat from_where/who let_him_come, and where let_it_go, that it_is, which grace he_came in/into/on adoptionem Children, and goes in/into/on kingdom of_God. Which because incognita are carnal, again seeks? How/In_what_manner they_can these_things to_be_done, not/no having spiritual understanding in/into/on letter law; impossible thinks that it_is_said from/about birth through spirit, from_where/who redarguitur from Master: You(sg) you_are teacher, etc. And voice his, etc. The_voice spirit it_is voice Christi, how he_heard Nicodemus, but because not_yet it_is born from/about in_spirit, doesn't_know from_where/who let_him_come, or where let_it_go, that it_is, which on_occasion wants to_be_born man in/into/on in_spirit, or where let_it_go, that it_is, to how perfection let_him_say him nascentem from himself. For/Surely who/which from by_him is_born, one when/with himself spirit through grace it_is_done, like also exactly_that/himself spirit one it_is through nature.

UGNT τὸ πνεῦμα ὅπου θέλει, πνεῖ, καὶ τὴν φωνὴν αὐτοῦ ἀκούεις, ἀλλ’ οὐκ οἶδας πόθεν ἔρχεται, καὶ ποῦ ὑπάγει; οὕτως ἐστὶν πᾶς ὁ γεγεννημένος ἐκ τοῦ Πνεύματος.
(to pneuma hopou thelei, pnei, kai taʸn fōnaʸn autou akoueis, all’ ouk oidas pothen erⱪetai, kai pou hupagei; houtōs estin pas ho gegennaʸmenos ek tou Pneumatos.)

SBL-GNT τὸ πνεῦμα ὅπου θέλει πνεῖ, καὶ τὴν φωνὴν αὐτοῦ ἀκούεις, ἀλλʼ οὐκ οἶδας πόθεν ἔρχεται καὶ ποῦ ὑπάγει· οὕτως ἐστὶν πᾶς ὁ γεγεννημένος ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος.
(to pneuma hopou thelei pnei, kai taʸn fōnaʸn autou akoueis, allʼ ouk oidas pothen erⱪetai kai pou hupagei; houtōs estin pas ho gegennaʸmenos ek tou pneumatos.)

RP-GNT Τὸ πνεῦμα ὅπου θέλει πνεῖ, καὶ τὴν φωνὴν αὐτοῦ ἀκούεις, ἀλλ' οὐκ οἶδας πόθεν ἔρχεται καὶ ποῦ ὑπάγει· οὕτως ἐστὶν πᾶς ὁ γεγεννημένος ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος.
(To pneuma hopou thelei pnei, kai taʸn fōnaʸn autou akoueis, all' ouk oidas pothen erⱪetai kai pou hupagei; houtōs estin pas ho gegennaʸmenos ek tou pneumatos.)

TC-GNT Τὸ πνεῦμα ὅπου θέλει πνεῖ, καὶ τὴν φωνὴν αὐτοῦ ἀκούεις, ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ οἶδας πόθεν ἔρχεται καὶ ποῦ ὑπάγει· οὕτως ἐστὶ πᾶς ὁ γεγεννημένος ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος.
(To pneuma hopou thelei pnei, kai taʸn fōnaʸn autou akoueis, all ouk oidas pothen erⱪetai kai pou hupagei; houtōs esti pas ho gegennaʸmenos ek tou pneumatos. )

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 3:1–21: A Pharisee named Nicodemus questioned Jesus

This section tells about how a Pharisee called Nicodemus went to visit Jesus. Jesus told Nicodemus that all people need God to change them. Nicodemus could be sure that Jesus was speaking the truth because Jesus came from God.

Here are some other possible section headings:

Jesus told a Pharisee that he needed to change

Everyone must be born again

All people need God to give them a new birth/life

Paragraph 3:3–8

Jesus told Nicodemus that he needed to be born again; that is, he needed God to give him new life. Nicodemus did not understand what he meant.

3:8a–d

The wind blows where it wishes…So it is with everyone born of the Spirit: This is a comparison. The action of the Holy Spirit is first described in a metaphor as The wind blowing. Then the metaphor is explained. Here are ways that the Spirit can be compared to The wind:

Both come and go freely.
No one knows where they will come from or where they will go.
However, there is evidence that they are active and change or affect things or people.

Here are other ways to translate this comparison:

Even though people cannot understand how someone is born again, it still happens. It is like the wind. We do not know where it comes from and where it goes, because it decides where it goes, but we hear it anyway. It’s the same with all who are born by the Holy Spirit.

The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit. (NLT)

In some languages you may want to reverse these parts of the verse. See the General Comment after 3:8d.

wind…Spirit: The Greek word that the BSB translates as wind here refers to the movement of air. In Greek (and Hebrew) the words for wind and Spirit/“spirit” are the same. So in the original Greek this comparison involved a play on words (using a word with more than one meaning). In most languages it will not be possible to translate this play on words. However, a footnote may help by saying that in Greek the words for wind and Spirit are the same.

3:8a

The wind blows where it wishes.

The wind blows anywhere it wants/likes.
The wind travels freely all around.

The wind blows where it wishes: The Greek verb that the BSB translates as wishes is more literally “wants.” In some languages, people cannot say that the wind wants or chooses something. So it may be necessary to translate this clause a different way. For example:

The wind blows anywhere/freely.

No one tells the wind where to blow.

3:8b

You hear its sound,

You^(sing) can hear its sound,
People can hear the wind blowing,

You hear its sound: This is part of the metaphor or comparison. People hear the noise the wind makes when it blows, as it affects things in the world. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

you can hear the wind (NLT)

You can hear its sound (NJB)

you hear the sound it makes (NET)

You: The singular pronoun You here is indefinite and does not refer to any particular person. In some languages it may be more natural to say:

One hears its sound

People hear its sound

3:8c

but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going.

but do not know where it comes from or where it is going to.
but they do not know its source and its destination.

but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going: In your translation, you should probably use the same subject (in the BSB you) that you used in 3:8b. So if you followed one of the last examples in 3:8b, here are ways to translate this clause:

but no one can tell where it comes from or where it is going

but people do not know where it came from or where it goes

or: People do not know either the source or the destination (place it goes to) of the wind. Both are unknown. So in some languages it may be natural to translate or as “and.” For example:

but do not know where it comes from and where it is going (NET)

General Comment on 3:8b–c

The verbs “you hear” and “you do not know” are both active. However, the subject is indefinite. So in some languages it may be more natural to use a passive verb for one or both of these verbs. For example:

Its sound is heard, but its source and destination are unknown.

3:8d

So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

It is the same with all who receive new birth/life from God’s Spirit.”
It is like that with everyone to whom the Spirit gives birth.”

So it is with everyone born of the Spirit: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as So it is means “in the same way.” This sentence compares the way the wind blows to the way God changes people. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

It is like that with people to whom God’s Spirit gives new life.

The same is also true with a person who is born from/by the power of the Spirit of God.

everyone born of the Spirit: This is a passive expression. There are at least two ways to translate it:

Use a passive verb. For example:
everyone who is born from the Spirit (REB)
Use an active verb. For example:
everyone to whom the Holy Spirit gives new birth/life

the Spirit: As in 3:5c, this refers to God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit.

Parallel YHN 3:8