What does it mean “born of water” in John 3:5?

Question

John 3:5 (NKJV)

Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Does "born of water" means baptism i.e., water being used in that or Jesus mean something else?

Answer 1

It is referring to Amniotic fluid, at least according to the sermons we hear in our Baptist Church.

Being born of water refers to natural birth, which everyone goes through and being born of the spirit refers to the gift of the Holy Spirit imparted at the time of salvation.

While this isn't explicitly stated in Scripture, it makes sense in context, where Nicodemus had just asked how he could re-enter is mother's womb to be born again. The idea of natural birth was clearly in the context of the current conversation. And of course, labor begins with the water breaking.

Answer 2

There are two common interpretations of this phrase. One is that "born of water" refers to baptism. This view is typically held by those who adhere to baptismal regeneration.

The other view, which I will argue for here, is that it refers to actual physical birth. In this view, the water might allude to amniotic fluid. This view seems far more likely to me as we view the passage in its context:

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:3-8 (NIV)

Notice that after Jesus says that we must be born of "water and the Spirit", he immediately contrasts flesh and Spirit. In the context, Jesus is answering Nicodemus's concern that he must be born "again". In one sentence, he mentions two births: water and Spirit. And in the next sentence, he again mentions two births: flesh and Spirit. The most natural interpretation is that flesh and water are referring to the same birth.

In addition, notice that Jesus says "So it is with everyone born of the Spirit". If he were intending to say that everyone must be born of flesh, water (baptism), and Spirit, then it seems that he would have said "So it is with everyone born of water and of Spirit". Water is painted here as the already accomplished (physical) birth.

Answer 3

Speaking of "born of water and of the Spirit" in John 3:5, D.A. Carson writes,

"Most important of all is Ezekiel 36:25-27, where water and spirit come together so forcefully, the first to signify cleansing from impurity, and the second to depict the transformation of heart that will enable people to follow God wholly. And it is no accident that the account of the valley of dry bones, where Ezekiel preaches and the Spirit brings life to dry bones, follows hard after Ezekiel’s water/spirit passage (cf. Ezk. 37; and notes on 3:8, below). The language is reminiscent of the ‘new heart’ expressions that revolve around the promise of the new covenant (Je. 31:29ff.). Similar themes were sometimes picked up in later Judaism (e.g. Jubilees 1:23-25)." (The Gospel According to John: An Introduction and Commentary, see 191-196; see larger excerpt)

Jesus rebuked Nicodemus because he should have been familiar with this kind of thing in the Old Testament.

On the view that "water" in John 3:5 refers to some kind of bodily fluid, Carson writes:

"there are no ancient sources that picture natural birth as ‘from water’, and the few that use ‘drops’ to stand for semen are rare and late. It is true that in sources relevant to the Fourth Gospel water can be associated with fecundity and procreation in a general way (e.g. Song 4:12-13; Pr. 5:15-18),1 but none is tied quite so clearly to semen or to amniotic fluid as to make the connection here an obvious one. The Greek construction does not favour two births here. Moreover the entire expression ‘of water and the Spirit’ cries out to be read as the equivalent of anōthen, ‘from above’, if there is genuine parallelism between v. 3 and v. 5, and this too argues that the expression should be taken as a reference to but one birth, not two."

1. For a defense of this first option, cf. Ben Witherington III, NTS 35, 1989, pp. 155-160; Morris, JC, pp. 150-151.

Answer 4

Being born of Spirit and water John 3:5. The water here doesn't refer to aminiotic fluid because that is of the flesh,Jesus clearly explained that born again is not the flesh but the Spirit .If this just qualifies you to see how much more the one that qualifies you to enter the kingdom of God. The water is the Word of God because in Ephesians 5:26 it says "that He might sanctify her (the church), having cleansed her by the washing of water by the Word. The Word has the cleansing effect of water as the person meditates and act on it continually, washing out your bad habits. While being born born of the Spirit is the regeneration that is brought about by the Holy Spirit.