YHN 3:9 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, cyan:dative/indirect object.
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 Nicodemus replied and said to him, “How are these things able to happen?”

AICNT Nicodemus answered and said to him, “How can these things be?”

OEB ‘How can that be?’ asked Nicodemus.

LSB Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”

WEBBE Nicodemus answered him, “How can these things be?”

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Nicodemus replied, “How can these things be?”

LSV Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How are these things able to happen?”

FBV “How is this possible?” Nicodemus asked.

TCNT In response Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?”

T4T Nicodemus replied to him, “How can that happen?”

LEB Nicodemus answered and said to him, “How can these things be?”

BBE And Nicodemus said to him, How is it possible for these things to be?

Moff Nicodemus answered, "How can that be?"

Wymth "How is all this possible?" asked Nicodemus.

ASV Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

DRA Nicodemus answered, and said to him: How can these things be done?

YLT Nicodemus answered and said to him, 'How are these things able to happen?'

Drby Nicodemus answered and said to him, How can these things be?

RV Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

SLT Nicodemus answered and said to him, How can these things be?

Wbstr Nicodemus answered and said to him, How can these things be?

KJB-1769 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

KJB-1611 Nicodemus answered, and said vnto him, How can these things be?
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps Nicodemus aunswered, and sayde vnto hym: howe can these thynges be?
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Gnva Nicodemus answered, and said vnto him, Howe can these things be?
(Nicodemus answered, and said unto him, How can these things be? )

Cvdl Nicodemus answered, and sayde vnto him: How maye these be?
(Nicodemus answered, and said unto him: How may these be?)

TNT And Nicodemus answered and sayde vnto him: how can these thinges be?
(And Nicodemus answered and said unto him: how can these things be? )

Wycl Nychodeme answeride, and seide to hym, Hou moun these thingis be don?
(Nychodeme answered, and said to him, How may/can these things be don?)

Luth Nikodemus antwortete und sprach zu ihm: Wie mag solches zugehen?
(Nikodemus replied and spoke to/for him: How likes such zugehen?)

ClVg Respondit Nicodemus, et dixit ei: Quomodo possunt hæc fieri?
(Respondit Nicodemus, and he/she_said to_him: How/In_what_manner they_can these_things to_be_done? )

UGNT ἀπεκρίθη Νικόδημος καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, πῶς δύναται ταῦτα γενέσθαι?
(apekrithaʸ Nikodaʸmos kai eipen autōi, pōs dunatai tauta genesthai?)

SBL-GNT ἀπεκρίθη Νικόδημος καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Πῶς δύναται ταῦτα γενέσθαι;
(apekrithaʸ Nikodaʸmos kai eipen autōi; Pōs dunatai tauta genesthai;)

RP-GNT Ἀπεκρίθη Νικόδημος καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Πῶς δύναται ταῦτα γενέσθαι;
(Apekrithaʸ Nikodaʸmos kai eipen autōi, Pōs dunatai tauta genesthai;)

TC-GNT Ἀπεκρίθη Νικόδημος καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Πῶς δύναται ταῦτα γενέσθαι;
(Apekrithaʸ Nikodaʸmos kai eipen autōi, Pōs dunatai tauta genesthai; )

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs (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 3:9–15

In this paragraph, in verse 10, Jesus began to talk about his authority. He claimed that he had the right to teach about God because he had come from God. In ancient Greek, quotation marks were not used, so it is not always easy to tell where a quotation ends. Different translations end Jesus’ speech at different points. Here are the possibilities:

Jesus’ own words end at the end of 3:21. (NASB, NRSV, ESV, NIV84, REB, NJB, NLT, NCV)
Jesus’ own words end at the end of 3:15. (RSV, NET, GW, NIV11)
Jesus’ own words end at the end of 3:13. (GNT)

It is not clear where the KJV and CEV end the quotation. It is recommended that you follow most English translations and end Jesus’ speech at the end of verse 21.

3:9

“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

¶ “How can that happen?” Nicodemus asked.
¶ “How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.

How can this be?: Nicodemus was confused. He did not understand Jesus’ statement about being born of the Spirit. He used his question as a request. Nicodemus wanted Jesus to explain what he had said: How can someone be born again, born of the Spirit? Here are other ways to translate this question:

How can this happen? (NCV)

How are these things possible? (NLT)

Nicodemus asked: Because this verse begins a new paragraph, it may be helpful to say explicitly that it was Jesus that Nicodemus was talking to. For example:

Nicodemus said to Jesus

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

πῶς δύναται ταῦτα γενέσθαι?

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἀπεκρίθη Νικόδημος καί εἶπεν αὐτῷ Πῶς δύναται ταῦτα γενέσθαι)

This question could be: (1) a genuine question that shows that Nicodemus is confused. Alternate translation: [How are these things possible] (2) a rhetorical question Nicodemus uses to add emphasis to the statement. Alternate translation: [These things cannot be!] or [These things are impossible!]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ταῦτα

these_‹things›

Here, these things refers to all that Jesus had spoken in [3:3–8](../03/03.md). If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: [these things you have just told me]

Parallel YHN 3:9

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

Paragraph 3:9–15

3:9