King James Bible
"The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit."
Jesus uses wind as a metaphor for the Spirit's activity—both are real and observable in their effects, yet move according to their own will. The Greek word 'pneuma' means both 'wind' and 'spirit,' creating a wordplay that connects the natural phenomenon to spiritual reality. Despite perceiving wind's presence, humans cannot control or fully comprehend its origin or destination. This emphasizes the mysterious, sovereign nature of God's work that transcends human understanding or manipulation. Jesus applies the wind analogy to spiritual rebirth: those born of the Spirit display transformed lives whose divine origin cannot be fully explained by natural means. This responds to Nicodemus's confusion about being 'born again,' illustrating that spiritual birth, like wind, is both undeniable and beyond human comprehension.