Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Daily Bread
John 3:8 - "The Spirit breathes out where He wills and His voice you hear but you do not know where He comes from and where He is going, so are those who are begotten by the Spirit."

The Greek word, 'pneuma,' is found both at the beginning and at the end of this verse. One of the important issues under consideration is that as the Spirit is so are those begotten by the Spirit. Now it would make no sense at all if for the sake of consistency pneuma was translated wind for then as the wind is so are those begotten of the wind. Although 'pneuma' can be translated wind, of the 360 times that it occurs in the New Testament it never means wind. There is no reason to translate pneuma, wind even though it may be translated both wind and spirit. The Latin version also translates 'pneuma' as "Spirit" in this verse. The Holy Spirit is not only the subject of this passage He is the one who we are begotten by. The mystery surrounding the Spirit's activity also surrounds those begotten of Him, for as the world cannot know Him neither can the world know those begotten of Him (John 14:17; 17:14; 1 John 4:17). In support of this translation is Green's Literal Translation by JP Green Sr., "The Spirit breaths where he desires and you hear His voice; but you do not know from where He comes, and where he goes - so is everyone who has received birth from the Spirit."

Blessings,

Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org

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