John 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee,

Spoken to: 

an individual

Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night. They discuss the nature of man's origin.

KJV: 

John 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

NIV : 

John 3:7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’

LISTENERS HEARD: 

You should not wonder because I tell you it was necessary for you to be begotten from above.

MY TAKE: 

We should not be surprised that our spirits come from beyond the earth.

GREEK (Each Word Explained Bottom of Page): 

LOST IN TRANSLATION: 

The "again" in biblical translation is dogma, not translation. The word Jesus used means "from above."

Jesus is clarifying what he meant. We should not be surprised to discover that some part of us comes "from above," that is, from a source of information because we are alive. Life does not arise from matter, but from some higher source of information.

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES: 

6
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "not" is the subjective negative of opinion with the sense of "not wanting," "not thinking" or not seeming when used with a non-opinion verb.
  • WF - Wrong Form -  The "marvel" is not a command but a subjunctive statement.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "should" needed from the form of the verb is not shown in the English translation.
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "you" should be something more like "it."
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "to" is not shown in the English translation.
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "again" should be something more like "from above."
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "not" is the subjective negative of opinion with the sense of "not wanting," "not thinking" or not seeming when used with a non-opinion verb.
  • WV - Wrong Voice - The verb here is translated as passive but it is active.
  • WF - Wrong Form -  The "marvel" is not a command but a subjunctive statement.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "should" needed from the form of the verb is not shown in the English translation.
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "you" should be something more like "it."
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "to" is not shown in the English translation.
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "again" should be something more like "from above."

EACH WORD of KJV : 

Marvel   - (WF)  "Marvel" is from a verb, that means "to wonder", "to marvel", "to honor", "to admire", "to worship," and "to say with awe." This word is not a command, but a subjunctive verb.

missing "should" or "might"-- (MW) A helping verb is necessary because the following verb is a verb of possibility, a subjunctive, something that "should" or "might" occur. The helping verb is not needed in a clause beginning with an "if" or a "when."

not -- (CW) The negative used here is the Greek negative of a subjective opinion, commands, and requests. The sense is that "you don't want" or "think" something, not that it isn't done or thought. Here it  applies to 'wonder" so it is appropriate by itself.

that -- The word translated as "that" introduces a statement of fact or cause, "for what," "because," "since," and "wherefore."

I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the verb.

said "  - The word translated as "speak" means "to say" and "to speak." It is one of the two most common words translated "speak," "say" and "tell," but it has more a sense of addressing and proclaiming.

unto -- This word "unto" comes from the dative case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is a "to" for the English indirect object.

thee, -- The word for "you" is the indirect object form of the singular, second-person pronoun.

Ye -- (WW) This is from the third-person, singular form of the verb.

must  - The verb translated as "must" is a 3rd singular statement. This is the usual form of this verb, which is normally translated as "it was needed" or "there was a need".

be -- This helping verb "be" indicates that the verb is passive. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.

missing "to"  -- (MW) The untranslated word "to" is added because the infinitive form of the verb requires a "to" in English.

born  - -   - "Born" is a word that means "to beget," "to bring forth," "to produce from oneself," "to create," and "to engender." There is a difference between being born and begotten, but this is close enough.

again. - - (WW) The word translated as "again" actually means "from above." It is not the word translated as again everywhere else in the NT.

EACH WORD of NIV : 

You -- This is from the second-person, singular form of the verb.

should -- This helping verb in English comes from the form of the Greek verb that indicates a possibility. We would usually say "might" or "should" in English.

not -- (CW) The negative used here is the Greek negative of a subjective opinion, commands, and requests. The sense is that "you don't want" or "think" something, not that it isn't done or thought.

be  - (WV) This helping verb "be" indicates that the verb is passive. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English. This verb is not passive.

surprised - "Surprised" is from a verb, that means "to wonder", "to marvel", "to honor", "to admire", "to worship," and "to say with awe."

at -- (WW) The word translated as "at" introduces a statement of fact or cause, "for what," "because," "since," and "wherefore."

my  -- (WW) This is from the first-person, singular form of the verb.

saying"  - (WF)  The word translated as "sanig " means "to say" and "to speak." It is one of the two most common words translated "speak," "say" and "tell," but it has more a sense of addressing and proclaiming. It is not a participle, "saying" but an active verb.

missing "you"  -- (MW) The untranslated word "you" is the indirect object form of the singular, second-person pronoun.

Ye -- (WW) This is from the third-person, singular form of the verb.

must  - The verb translated as "must" is a 3rd singular statement. This is the usual form of this verb, which is normally translated as "it was needed" or "there was a need".

be -- This helping verb "be" indicates that the verb is passive. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.

missing "to"  -- (MW) The untranslated word "to" is added because the infinitive form of the verb requires a "to" in English.

born  - -   - "Born" is a word that means "to beget," "to bring forth," "to produce from oneself," "to create," and "to engender." There is a difference between being born and begotten, but this is close enough.

again. - - (WW) The word translated as "again" actually means "from above." It is not the word translated as again everywhere else in the NT.

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV : 

μὴ [447 verses](conj) "Not" is from (me), which is the negative used in prohibitions and expressions of doubt meaning "not" and "no." As οὐ (ou) negates fact and statement; μή rejects, οὐ denies; μή is relative, οὐ absolute; μή subjective,οὐ objective.

θαυμάσῃς [3 verses](2nd sg aor subj act) "Marvel" is thaumazo, which means "to wonder", "to marvel", "to honor", "to admire", "to worship," and "to say with astonishment."

ὅτι [332 verses](adv/conj) "That" is hoti, which introduces a statement of fact "with regard to the fact that", "seeing that," and acts as a causal adverb meaning "for what", "because", "since," and "wherefore."

εἶπόν [162 verses] (1st sg aor ind act) "I said" is eipon, which means "to speak", "to say", "to recite", "to address", "to mention", "to name", "to proclaim", "to plead", "to promise," and "to offer."

σοὶ [81 verses](pron 2nd sg dat) "Unto you" is from soi which is the singular, second-person pronoun, "you". Oddly, this is in the nominative case, which is used for the subject of a sentence.

Δεῖ [28 verses](3rd sg imperf ind act) "Must" is from, δεῖ (dei), which means "needful," and "there is need."

ὑμᾶς [210 verses](pron 2nd pl acc) "You" is humas which is the plural objective form of the second-person pronoun, "you."

γεννηθῆναι [10 verse](aor inf pass) "Be born" is gennao, which means "to beget", "to bring forth", "to produce from oneself", "to create," and "to engender." This is the causal form of gignomai, which is translated as "done" in the NT, but which comes closer in meaning to "become."

ἄνωθεν [4 verses] (adv) "Again" is from anothen, which means "from above", "from on high," [in a narrative] "from the beginning" or "from further back", "higher", "more universal," [NT translation] "over again", "anew," and "afresh."

Related Verses: 

Front Page Date: 

Jan 14 2022