This verse gives the setting for the dialogue; it took place one night. A number of reasons have been suggested as to why Nicodemus came to Jesus at night, but all are based on speculation, and none are important as far as the translation is concerned.
In some languages it may be important to identify the place as well as the time of this conversation. Though it is impossible to be specific about the place, however, it does seem natural to say, “One night he went to where Jesus was” or “… to where Jesus was staying.” To do so will provide a setting for the conversation and avoid the implication that Nicodemus met Jesus unexpectedly.
Nicodemus speaks not only for himself but for others as well. This is indicated by the use of the first person plural: We know. Commentators are not agreed as to whom the we includes. Elsewhere collective speech is used by the Pharisees (9.24; see Mark 12.14), so Nicodemus may be referring to the Pharisees as a group. It is also possible that he refers to the leaders as a group or even to the leaders and the Pharisees together. Most likely, however, the we refers back to the many of 2.23, that is, to those people who believed on the basis of Jesus’ miracles. In languages which distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first person plural, the form of we in this context is exclusive; it would not include Jesus.
In Greek he is literally “this man” (Revised Standard Version), and Jesus is literally “him.”
The word here translated Rabbi was used in 1.49 where it is rendered teacher by Good News Translation. Here Good News Translation transliterates this Greek word as a means of address, and so avoids the use of teacher twice in this verse. In the Good News Translation glossary Rabbi is defined as “a Hebrew word which means ‘my teacher.’ ” In languages in which one cannot address a person with a title which designates his function, it may be possible to incorporate the meaning of Rabbi in the introductory statement, for example, “and addressed Jesus as a teacher, saying to him….”
Sent by God (so also New English Bible) translates “you have come from God.” Good News Translation and New English Bible change the active construction to a passive, making God the explicit agent. The words by God (literally “from God”) are in the emphatic position in the sentence, thus indicating that Jesus is not simply any teacher but a teacher who has divine authority.
Miracles is the same term (literally “signs”) used in 2.11.
You are doing is in the present tense in Greek, signifying the continuous activity of Jesus in performing mighty works.
In some languages the conditional sentence with two negatives, No one could perform the miracles you are doing unless God were with him, presents a number of difficulties in translation. Accordingly, it may be more satisfactory to change the double negative into a positive statement, for example, “A person could only do the miracles you are doing if God were with him.” The inversion of the conditional clause, as required by some receptor languages, may result in such a sentence as “Only if God is with the person, can he then perform the miracles that you are performing.” However, the shift between third person and second person is rather complex in some languages. An equivalent expression in some instances may be “Only if God is with you, could you possibly perform the miracles that you are doing.”
Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .