declares that no man, _Jew or Gentile_, could see the kingdom of God without undergoing a change as radical. This truth, that a man may bury his old life and begin a new one, with something of the freshness and hope of youth, is also foreshadowed in the O. T. (Isa. 1:18, 19; Jer. 31:33; Ezek. 11:19, 20; 36:26), and underlies the teaching of the N. T. (Rom. 6:8; 8:3; 12:2; 2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15; Ephes. 2:1-8; Col. 3:9, 10; Titus 3:5); and the metaphor itself frequently occurs in the teaching of the apostles (Rom. 8:15; James 1:18; 1 Pet. 1:3; 1 John 3:9). 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? =4. How can a man be born when he is old?= It seems to me clear that this question is asked in a spirit of irony. So Godet, Alford, Luther, and others. Considering that the metaphor was a common one, as Lightfoot has shown, and that the doctrine of a new life inspired from God could not have been unknown to any devout student of the O. T. (see references above), it is hardly possible to suppose that Nicodemus took Christ literally. This is however Meyer’s interpretation of the question; but it represents Nicodemus as not only “a somewhat narrow-minded man,” but also as a grossly ignorant and stupid one; and so, in truth, Meyer represents him throughout. In the following verses (5-8), Christ answers Nicodemus’ threefold question: _first_, by simply reasserting his declaration that no man can see the kingdom of God unless he is born anew; _second_, by declaring the nature of this new birth, as the commencement of a new spiritual life, not of a new physical or fleshly life; and _third_, by borrowing an illustration from nature to indicate the degree of knowledge attainable by man on this subject; he can perceive the results of the operations of the spirit of God, but he cannot trace them to their source nor comprehend their laws. 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water[89] and _of_ the Spirit,[90] he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. [89] Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38. [90] Rom. 8:2; 1 Cor. 2:12.