Perhaps one of the most intriguing verses I’ve come across is John 1:18, where Yahshua (Jesus) is called “the only begotten god.” Most people are not aware of this because Bible translators have unanimously decided to translate this as “the only begotten son” in order to harmonize this verse with John 3:16. The problem is, that is just not what the Greek says. The word used is Theos, which can be translated as either “God” or “god,” depending on the context and the translator’s bias; “son” is not a recognized translation for Theos (see the screenshots below for the Greek Interlinear and translation of Theos). In the case of John 1:18, the correct translation should be “god,” with a small g. We can know this by examining the phrase used in the verse: “only begotten god.” Based on the definition of begotten, logically, we know that the correct translation cannot be “God,” with a capital G, because that would signify Yahweh God, and Scripture is abundantly clear that He was not begotten, or created. Therefore, we see that John 1:18 is speaking of a mighty one, or a god, that was begotten by Yahweh God; in this case, his son, Yahshua (for more information on why this is the correct name of our savior, see Jesus Christ, What is his name? A Quick Overview.). This is in harmony with the whole of Scripture, as covered in other articles on this site (found here). Understanding John 1:18 this way also gives credibility to the translation of John 1:1, earlier in the same chapter, that would have Yahshua be the “Word” and described as “a god”: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.” Many verses in the Bible have a dual meaning and can therefore be understood correctly in more than one way. John 1:1 is one such verse. For a second understanding of John 1:1, see “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” – John 1:1.
