Translation Watch
How specific biblical words and phrases are rendered across major English translations — and what the original Hebrew or Greek actually says.
All translation-comparison entries
Translation
'Only begotten Son' vs 'one and only Son' — John 3:16
KJV: 'only begotten.' BSB: 'one and only.' The Greek monogenēs derives from genos ('kind, lineage') in modern lexical analysis, not gennaō ('to beget').
Translation
'Virgin' vs 'young woman' — Isaiah 7:14
Hebrew almah can be read as 'virgin' or 'young woman.' The Septuagint's parthenos and Matthew 1:23 shape every Christian translation choice.
Translation
Two Greek words for 'love' — John 21:15-17
Three times Jesus asks 'do you love me?' but the Greek shifts between agapaō and phileō. Whether this is theologically significant or stylistic variation is genuinely debated.