John 3 · Verse 10

John 3:10

Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
John 3:10, King James Version

John 3:10 in other translations

BSB“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and you do not understand these things?
WEBJesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and don’t understand these things?
ASVJesus answered and said unto him, Art thou the teacher of Israel, and understandest not these things?
YLTJesus answered and said to him, ‘Thou art the teacher of Israel--and these things thou dost not know!
DARBYJesus answered and said to him, Thou art the teacher of Israel and knowest not these things!
BBEAnd Jesus, answering, said, Are you the teacher of Israel and have no knowledge of these things?
WebsterJesus answered and said to him, Art thou a teacher of Israel, and knowest not these things?

What does John 3:10 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on John 3:9-10

9-10. How, &c.--Though the subject still confounds Nicodemus, the necessity and possibility of the new birth is no longer the point with him, but the nature of it and how it is brought about [Luthardt]. "From this moment Nicodemus says nothing more, but has sunk unto a disciple who has found his true teacher. Therefore the Saviour now graciously advances in His communications of truth, and once more solemnly brings…

Read the full comment on John 3:9-10 →

Barnes' Notes
Verse 10. A master of Israel. A teacher of Israel; the same word that in the second verse is translated teacher. As such a teacher he ought to have understood this doctrine. It was not new, but was clearly taught in the Old Testament. See particularly Ps 51:10, 16, 17, Eze 11:19, 36:26. It may seem surprising that a man whose business it was to teach the people should be a stranger to so plain and important a doctrine; but when worldly-minded men are placed in offices of religion--when they seek those offices for the sake of ease or reputation, it is no wonder that they are strangers to the plain truths of the Bible; and there have been many, and there are still, who are in the ministry itself, to whom the plainest doctrines of the gospel are obscure. No man can understand the Bible fully unless he is a humble Christian, and the easiest way to comprehend the truths of religion is to give the heart to God and live to his glory. A child thus may have more real knowledge of the way of salvation than many who are pretended masters and teachers of Israel, Jn 7:17, Mt 11:25, Ps 8:2 compared with Mt 21:16.

Of Israel. Of the Jews; of the Jewish nation.

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 10 Art thou a master of Israel, etc. - Hast thou taken upon thee to guide the blind into the way of truth; and yet knowest not that truth thyself? Dost thou command proselytes to be baptized with water, as an emblem of a new birth; and art thou unacquainted with the cause, necessity, nature, and effects of that new birth? How many masters are there still in Israel who are in this respect deplorably ignorant; and, strange to tell, publish their ignorance and folly in the sight of the sun, by writing and speaking against the thing itself! It is strange that such people cannot keep their own secret. "But water baptism is this new birth." No. Jesus tells you, a man must be born of water and the Spirit; and the water, and its effects upon the body, differ as much from this Spirit, which it is intended to represent, and the effects produced in the soul, as real fire does from painted flame. "But I am taught to believe that this baptism is regeneration." Then you are taught to believe a falsity. The Church of England, in which perhaps you are a teacher or a member, asks the following questions, and returns the subjoined answers. "Q. How many sacraments hath Christ ordained in his Church?" "A. Two only, as generally necessary to salvation, that is to say, baptism and the supper of the Lord." "Q. How many parts are there in a sacrament?" "A. Two. The outward visible sign, and the inward spiritual grace." "Q. What is the outward visible sign, or form, in baptism?" "A. Water, wherein the person is baptized, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." "Q. What is the inward and spiritual grace?" "A. A death unto sin, and a new birth unto righteousness; for being by nature born in sin, and the children of wrath, we are hereby made the children of grace." Now, I ask, Whereby are such persons made the children of grace? Not by the water, but by the death unto sin, and the new birth unto righteousness: i.e. through the agency of the Holy Ghost, sin is destroyed, and the soul filled with holiness.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

John 3:10 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ἈπεκρίθηApekrithēAnsweredG611
ἸησοῦςIēsousJesusG2424
καὶkaiandG2532
εἶπενeipensaidG2036
αὐτῷ·autōto him;G846
σὺsuYou yourselfG4771
εἶeiareG1510
ὁhotheG3588
διδάσκαλοςdidaskalosteacherG1320
τοῦtou<the>G3588
ἸσραὴλIsraēlof IsraelG2474
καὶkaiandG2532
ταῦταtautathese thingsG3778
οὐounotG3756
γινώσκεις;ginōskeisknow?G1097

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for John 3:10

  • Matthew 22:29

    Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.

  • Jeremiah 8:8-9

    How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain. The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the Lord; and what wisdom is in them?

  • Ezekiel 11:19

    And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:

  • Matthew 15:14

    Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

  • Ezekiel 36:25-27

    Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

  • Psalms 51:10

    Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

  • Psalms 73:1

    A Psalm of Asaph. Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.

  • Psalms 51:6

    Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

  • Deuteronomy 10:16

    Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.

  • Deuteronomy 30:6

    And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.

  • Jeremiah 31:33

    But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

  • Isaiah 9:16

    For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Art.
Isa 9:16; 29:10-12; 56:10; Jer 8:8,9; Mt 11:25; 15:14; 22:29
and knowest.
De 10:16; 30:6; 1Ch 29:19; Ps 51:6,10; 73:1; Isa 11:6-9; 66:7-9
Jer 31:33; 32:39,40; Eze 11:19; 18:31,32; 36:25-27; 37:23,24
Ro 2:28; Php 3:3; Col 2:11

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • John 3:9

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

  • John 3:10

    Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

  • John 3:11

    Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.

Read all of John 3

John 3:10 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Respondió Jesús, y díjole: ¿Tú eres el maestro de Israel, y no sabes esto?
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Jésus répondit et lui dit: Tu es le docteur d’Israël, et tu ne connais pas ces choses?
German
Elberfelder 1871		Jesus antwortete und sprach zu ihm: Du bist der Lehrer Israels und weißt dieses nicht?
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Respondit Jesus, et dixit ei: Tu es magister in Israël, et hæc ignoras?