Bible Verses About Only Begotten: 12

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

— John 3:16 (NIV)

People who search bible verses about only begotten want Scripture on monogenēs — the one-and-only Son — not only the Son of God confession cluster or the Jesus personal-name inventory alone. This page is a numbered list of twelve passages with the NIV text and a short note on each. Related lists: Bible verses about the Son of God, Bible verses about Jesus, Bible verses about incarnation, Bible verses about Immanuel, Bible verses about God's love, Bible verses about eternal life, Bible verses about faith, and Bible verse of the day. Only begotten here means the unique Son given for the world — distinct from a broad Son-of-God confession list.

Word study (lead theme). In Greek, "one and only" / "only begotten" is μονογενής monogenēs (Strong's G3439; Bible Hub G3439) — only, unique, one of a kind. John 3:16; John 1:14; John 1:18; and 1 John 4:9 use this word for the Son. This list centers monogenēs, not only a Son-of-God title inventory.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on John 3 presses God's love in giving his only Son (Bible Hub MHC John 3; Blue Letter Bible, Matthew Henry on John 3). (Son-of-God and Jesus inventories live on those pages; this list centers monogenēs.)

12 Bible verses about only begotten

1. John 3:16. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." His one and only Son — given. See Bible verses about God's love.

2. John 1:14. "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." Glory of the one and only Son. See Bible verses about incarnation.

3. John 1:18. "No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known." The one and only Son has made him known. See Bible verses about the Son of God.

4. 1 John 4:9. "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him." Sent his one and only Son. See Bible verses about God's love.

5. John 3:18. "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." God's one and only Son — believe. See Bible verses about faith.

6. Hebrews 11:17. "By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son," Abraham's one and only son — type. See Bible verses about faith.

7. Genesis 22:2. "Then God said, 'Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.'" Your only son, whom you love. See Bible verses about salvation.

8. John 3:13. "No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man." The one who came from heaven. See Bible verses about Jesus.

9. Romans 8:32. "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" Did not spare his own Son. See Bible verses about salvation.

10. Luke 7:12. "As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her." The only son of his mother. See Bible verses about Jesus.

11. Luke 8:42. "because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him." His only daughter. See Bible verses about faith.

12. John 5:23. "that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him." Honor the Son — who sent him. See Bible verses about the Son of God.

How to use these verses

Pick one verse when you need only begotten / one-and-only Son — not twelve as a grind. If you need John 3:16's gift language, start there or with 1 John 4:9. If you need glory of the one and only Son, open John 1:14. If you need the Abraham/Isaac type, open Hebrews 11:17 or Genesis 22:2. If you need monogenēs for an only child in Luke, open Luke 7:12 or Luke 8:42. For Son of God confession, open Bible verses about the Son of God. For God's love broadly, open Bible verses about God's love. For John 3:16's only begotten Son, see Bible verses about the only begotten Son. For a daily verse, open Bible verse of the day.

Questions people ask

What is a good Bible verse about only begotten?

John 3:16 (his one and only Son), John 1:14 (glory of the one and only Son), and 1 John 4:9 (sent his one and only Son) are clear starting places.

How do Bible verses about only begotten differ from Son of God or Jesus?

Son of God pages center confession of divine Sonship across titles. Jesus pages inventory his names and works. This page centers monogenēs — the unique Son given and sent — then cross-links those companions. See Bible verses about the Son of God.

What does monogenēs mean?

Greek monogenēs (G3439) means only, unique, or one of a kind. In John's Gospel it names the one-and-only Son.

Is "only begotten" the same as "one and only Son"?

Modern NIV often renders monogenēs as "one and only Son"; older English used "only begotten." Same Greek word cluster. See Bible verses about eternal life.

Where can I read more about the Son and the Father's love?

Start with Bible verses about God's love, then Bible verses about incarnation, Bible verses about Immanuel, and Bible verses about eternal life.

Sources

• Blue Letter Bible lexicon G3439 (monogenēs): https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3439/kjv/tr/0-1/
• Bible Hub G3439: https://biblehub.com/greek/3439.htm
• Matthew Henry on John 3: https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mhc/Jhn/Jhn_003.cfm ; https://biblehub.com/commentaries/mhc/john/3.htm