John 3:8

The wind bloweth, &c. This verse is sometimes taken very differently: the Spirit breatheth where He willeth, and thou hearest His voice, but canst not tell whence He cometh and whither He goeth; so is every one(born) who is born of the Spirit. The advantages of this rendering are (1) that it gives to Pneumathe meaning which it almost invariably has in more than 350 passages in N.T. in which it occurs, of which more than 20 are in this Gospel. Although pneumamay mean -the breath of the wind," yet its almost invariable use in N.T. is -spirit" or -the Spirit," while anemosis used for -wind:" (2) that it gives a better meaning to -willeth," a word more appropriate to a person than to anything inanimate: (3) that it gives to phônêthe meaning which it has in 14 other passages in this Gospel, viz., -articulate voice," and not -inarticulate sound." On the other hand this rendering (1) gives to pneithe meaning -breathes," a meaning quite unknown in N.T.: (2) uses the expression -the voice of the Spirit," also unknown to Scripture: (3) requires the insertion of -born" in the last clause, in order to make sense. For the usual rendering may be pleaded (1) that it gives to pneithe meaning which it has everywhere else in N.T., viz. in John 6:18 and five other passages. Although pneimay mean -breathes," yet its invariable use in N.T. is of the -blowing" of the wind, while another word (John 20:22) is used for -breathe:" (2) that it gives the most literal meaning to -hearest:" (3) that the last clause makes excellent sense without any repetition of -born." The Aramaic word probably used by our Lord has both meanings, -wind" and -spirit," so that it is not impossible that both meanings are meant to run concurrently through the passage. "It was late at night when our Lord had this interview with the Jewish teacher. At the pauses in the conversation, we may conjecture, they heard the wind without, as it moaned along the narrow streets of Jerusalem; and our Lord, as was His wont, took His creature into His service the service of spiritual truth. The wind was a figure of the Spirit. Our Lord would have used the same word for both." (Liddon.) There is a clear reference to this passage in the Ignatian Epistles, Philad. vii. Thus we have evidence of the Gospel being known certainly as early as a.d. 150, and probably a.d. 115.

so is every one i.e. such is the case of every one: he feels the spiritual influence, but finds it incomprehensible in its origin, which is from above, and in its end, which is eternal life.

born of the Spirit The Sinaitic MS. and two ancient versions read, born of water and of the Spirit. The inserted words are a gloss.