gennēthē anōthen

Semantic range

1. 1anōthen: from above; from the top; again, anew
2. 2gennaō: to beget, to bear, to bring forth

Anōthen genuinely means both "again" and "from above," and John 3 exploits the double sense to make Nicodemus's confusion into the point. He hears "again" and asks about re-entering the womb; Jesus answers by talking about water and the Spirit — birth from above.

The two readings are not rivals. To be born of water and of the Spirit is both a second birth and a birth from a higher source. Mosiah 27:24–26 and Alma 5:14 press the same doctrine hard and add a diagnostic question that Latter-day Saints have quoted ever since: "have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?"

See also

• βαπτίζωbaptizō
• πνεῦμαpneuma
• μετάνοιαmetanoia