John 3:10 kjv
Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
John 3:10 nkjv
Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?
John 3:10 niv
"You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things?
John 3:10 esv
Jesus answered him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?
John 3:10 nlt
Jesus replied, "You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don't understand these things?
John 3 10 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jno 3:3-8 | "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."... | Immediate context: new birth is essential. |
| Jno 1:13 | "who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." | Birth by God's will, not human effort. |
| Gal 6:15 | "For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation." | Emphasis on inner transformation, not ritual. |
| Tit 3:5 | "he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit." | Salvation by regeneration and Spirit's renewal. |
| 1 Pet 1:23 | "since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;" | Rebirth through God's Word. |
| Jer 31:31-34 | "Behold, the days are coming...when I will make a new covenant...I will put my law within them...I will write it on their hearts." | Prophecy of new covenant & inner law. |
| Ezek 11:19 | "And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh." | Prophecy of new heart and spirit. |
| Ezek 36:26-27 | "And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." | Explicit prophecy of spiritual transformation. |
| 1 Cor 2:14 | "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned." | Natural inability to understand spiritual truth. |
| Rom 8:7 | "For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot." | Carnal mind cannot grasp divine truth. |
| Matt 11:25 | "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children;" | Divine truth revealed to the humble, not learned. |
| Luke 10:21 | Similar to Matt 11:25, reinforces spiritual revelation over human intellect. | Truth revealed by the Father's will. |
| Isa 6:9-10 | "Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive...make the heart of this people dull..." | Prophecy of spiritual dullness/blindness. |
| Matt 23:13-36 | "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven against men..." | Jesus' woes on blind religious leaders. |
| Rom 2:17-23 | "If you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God...while you preach that one must not steal, do you steal?" | Reliance on law without inward obedience. |
| Jno 9:40-41 | "Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things...Jesus said to them, 'If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, 'We see,' your guilt remains.'" | Self-professed spiritual sight leads to greater sin. |
| Eph 4:18 | "They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart." | Spiritual blindness due to hardened hearts. |
| Col 2:8 | "See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ." | Warning against human tradition over Christ. |
| Rom 10:2-3 | "For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God..." | Zeal without understanding God's righteousness. |
| 2 Cor 3:6 | "who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." | Contrast of Law's letter vs. Spirit's life. |
| Acts 7:51 | "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you." | Resistance to the Holy Spirit's working. |
John 3 verses
John 3 10 Meaning
Jesus addresses Nicodemus, a prominent Jewish religious leader, expressing astonishment and rhetorical question about his inability to comprehend the fundamental spiritual truth of the necessity of spiritual regeneration or being "born again," which should have been understood from the Scriptures of Israel.
John 3 10 Context
John 3:10 occurs during a private night discourse between Jesus and Nicodemus. Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews, approaches Jesus with initial respect and curiosity (John 3:1-2), acknowledging Jesus as "a teacher come from God." In response, Jesus immediately declares the foundational truth: "Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). Nicodemus's confusion about physical re-entry into a mother's womb (John 3:4) prompts Jesus to clarify the spiritual nature of this birth: "born of water and the Spirit" (John 3:5-8). Despite these profound explanations concerning the Spirit's sovereign, mysterious work (like the wind), Nicodemus remains perplexed, asking "How can these things be?" (John 3:9). Jesus's statement in John 3:10 is a rhetorical question of incredulity, revealing Nicodemus's failure, as a highly respected teacher, to grasp truths embedded in Israel's own Scriptures, particularly regarding spiritual regeneration necessary for God's kingdom. It sets the stage for Jesus to further explain heavenly things and the purpose of His coming.
John 3 10 Word analysis
- Jesus answered and said unto him,
- This phrase indicates a direct and pointed response to Nicodemus's question ("How can these things be?"). It marks a pivot from explaining what is necessary to who is responsible for understanding such truths.
- Art thou/Are you
- A rhetorical question, not seeking information but expressing surprise, disapproval, or a direct challenge. Jesus is highlighting Nicodemus's position and expected knowledge.
- a master of Israel / the teacher of Israel (διδάσκαλος του Ἰσραήλ, didaskalos tou Israēl)
- διδάσκαλος (didaskalos): Literally "teacher," denoting someone professionally skilled in instruction, particularly in the Law and religious traditions. This points to Nicodemus's learned status among his people.
- του Ἰσραήλ (tou Israēl): "of Israel." Many scholars interpret the definite article tou here as implying Nicodemus was the teacher of Israel, or at least a highly prominent and exemplary one among their intellectual and spiritual elite. He represented the pinnacle of religious learning.
- Significance: This title highlights Nicodemus's considerable knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures and their theological interpretations. As a recognized authority, he was expected to understand God's covenantal requirements, including any prophecies of spiritual transformation. Jesus is pointing out that such fundamental spiritual truths should be apparent to one with his position and education within Israel.
- and knowest not these things? / and yet you do not understand these things? (καὶ ταῦτα οὐ γινώσκεις?, kai tauta ou ginōskeis?)
- καὶ (kai): "and yet," indicating a stark contrast between Nicodemus's elevated position and his apparent lack of understanding.
- οὐ γινώσκεις (ou ginōskeis): "you do not know/understand." The verb γινώσκω (ginōskō) refers to experiential knowledge, deep comprehension, or recognition, not merely factual recall. It's not just that he hasn't heard of these things, but that he fails to grasp their profound spiritual reality or their connection to the Old Testament.
- ταῦτα (tauta): "these things." This refers directly to the spiritual principles Jesus just expounded upon: being "born again," "born of water and the Spirit," and the Spirit's sovereign operation, likened to the wind (John 3:3-8). Jesus implies that these concepts, particularly the need for inward spiritual transformation, were not new ideas but had precedents in the Old Testament prophetic tradition (e.g., Jer 31, Ezek 36 about a new heart and spirit) which a "teacher of Israel" should have comprehended.
- Words-group Analysis:
- "Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?" This entire phrase encapsulates Jesus's astonishment and indictment of the Jewish religious leadership's spiritual blindness. It poses a profound rhetorical challenge to their authority and knowledge, implying a serious failure in their capacity to lead the people spiritually. The question itself suggests a chasm between intellectual scriptural knowledge and divine spiritual insight, which is only granted through God's revelation.
John 3 10 Bonus section
The force of Jesus's question "Are you the teacher of Israel, and you do not understand these things?" suggests a deep seated issue within the religious establishment Nicodemus represented. It implies that these spiritual realities, such as new birth by the Spirit, were not obscure mysteries but foundational truths inherent in the Hebrew Scriptures, which Israel's top teachers were supposed to explain. Nicodemus's confusion indicates a systemic spiritual blindness or a pre-occupation with nationalistic and external interpretations of the Law rather than its internal and spiritual fulfillment. This interaction served as a wake-up call, not just for Nicodemus, but for all who rely solely on human wisdom and external religion instead of seeking genuine, spiritual revelation from God. It also implicitly highlights the difference between human teaching about God's ways and God's own direct teaching and revelation.
John 3 10 Commentary
John 3:10 reveals Jesus's profound disappointment with the spiritual leaders of Israel. Nicodemus, as a "master of Israel," epitomized the Jewish religious elite, holding extensive knowledge of the Law and the Prophets. His inability to grasp the concept of spiritual regeneration – being "born of the Spirit" – signifies a critical failing of the existing religious system. The Old Testament, particularly prophetic books like Jeremiah and Ezekiel, spoke clearly of a new covenant involving God giving a "new heart" and putting "a new spirit" within His people, fundamentally transforming them.
Jesus's rhetorical question exposes the irony: those entrusted with teaching God's Word had missed its central spiritual message about divine transformation. Their focus on outward obedience, rituals, and human traditions had overshadowed the fundamental need for an internal, supernatural work of God. This verse underscores that intellectual knowledge of Scripture, no matter how vast or esteemed, is insufficient without the spiritual discernment enabled by God's Spirit. True entry into God's kingdom and understanding His ways depends on this spiritual birth, a truth that even Israel's foremost teachers struggled to comprehend due to their hardened hearts or misplaced theological priorities.
Practical examples:
- A theologian highly educated in doctrine but unable to articulate personal faith or the transformative power of the gospel.
- Someone who meticulously practices religious rituals or adheres to traditions yet struggles with the concept of a personal, vital relationship with God.
- A person deeply familiar with biblical stories but failing to apply their spiritual truths to their own life.