Note: This question is very broad - so made into a community Wiki Post.

1. Question Restatement:

• What are the most ancient translations of the Greek word: "μονογενής", in the New Testament?
• Is it "only" or "only-begotten"?

Answer:

μονογενής never just means - "Only". The construction always implies "a Child".

• μονο: Means "Sole", "Only", "Single", or "One".
• γενοῦς: Means, "Race", "Tribe", "Genetic Line", etc. It does not literally mean "Begotten", or "Born".
• μονο + γενοῦς: Is Idiomatic, and can mean: "only child", and also "sole heir".

Greek, "Sole Heir":

Ancient translations also understand - "μονο" to mean: "only one - out of all of the others". "A Single Heir".

Example: Of my two sons, there can only be one who inherits the kingship.

 

Plato, Laws: Plat. Laws 3.691e - [691e] your kingly line, (μονογενοῦς) no longer single but twofold. ...

Note: Usually, there was only one successor - which is the issue this passage is pointing out.

In Flavius Josephus, Isaac isn't the Only Child - but is the: "μονογενῆ":

Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, J. AJ 1.222 - Ἴσακον δὲ ὁ πατὴρ Ἅβραμος ὑπερηγάπα μονογενῆ ὄντα καὶ ἐπὶ γήρως οὐδῷ κατὰ δωρεὰν αὐτῷ τοῦ

 

Now Abraham greatly loved Isaac, as being his only begotten and given to him at the borders of old age,

Note: But, Abraham didn't have just one child - from his own loins - there is is also Ishmael.

Ancient Translations:

• Hebrew:
• Arabic:
• Luke 9:38, Latin Vulgate: filium meum quia unicus est mihi, (son, only);
• Old Latin:
• Aramaic: Luke 9:38, Syriac, Peshitta Hebrew Transliteration: ברי דיחידיא הו לי, (My son, alone, him, to me):
• Coptic: ... T.B.D.
• Ethiopic
• Georgian: ... T.B.D.
• Gothic:
• Slavonic:

Note: This question is very broad - so made into a community Wiki Post.

1. Question Restatement:

• What are the most ancient translations of the Greek word: "μονογενής", in the New Testament?
• Is it "only" or "only-begotten"?

Answer:

μονογενής never just means - "Only". The construction always implies "a Child".

• μονο: Means "Sole", "Only", "Single", or "One".
• γενοῦς: Means, "Race", "Tribe", "Genetic Line", etc. It does not literally mean "Begotten", or "Born".
• μονο + γενοῦς: Is Idiomatic, and can mean: "only child", and also "sole heir".

Greek, "Sole Heir":

Ancient translations also understand - "μονο" to mean: "only one - out of all of the others". "A Single Heir".

Example: Of my two sons, there can only be one who inherits the kingship.

Plato, Laws: Plat. Laws 3.691e - [691e] your kingly line, (μονογενοῦς) no longer single but twofold. ...

Note: Usually, there was only one successor - which is the issue this passage is pointing out.

In Flavius Josephus, Isaac isn't the Only Child - but is the: "μονογενῆ":

Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, J. AJ 1.222 - Ἴσακον δὲ ὁ πατὴρ Ἅβραμος ὑπερηγάπα μονογενῆ ὄντα καὶ ἐπὶ γήρως οὐδῷ κατὰ δωρεὰν αὐτῷ τοῦ

Now Abraham greatly loved Isaac, as being his only begotten and given to him at the borders of old age,

Note: But, Abraham didn't have just one child - from his own loins - there is is also Ishmael.

Ancient Translations:

• Hebrew:
• Arabic:
• Luke 9:38, Latin Vulgate: filium meum quia unicus est mihi, (son, only);
• Old Latin:
• Aramaic: Luke 9:38, Syriac, Peshitta Hebrew Transliteration: ברי דיחידיא הו לי, (My son, alone, him, to me):
• Coptic: ... T.B.D.
• Ethiopic
• Georgian: ... T.B.D.
• Gothic:
• Slavonic:

1. Question Restatement:

• What are the most ancient translations of the Greek word: "μονογενής"?
• Is it "only" or "only-begotten"?

Answer:

μονογενής never just means - "Only". The construction always implies "a Child".

• μονο: Means "Sole", "Only", "Single", or "One".
• γενοῦς: Means, "Race", "Tribe", "Genetic Line", etc. It does not literally mean "Begotten", or "Born".
• μονο + γενοῦς: Is Idiomatic, and can mean: "only child", and also "sole heir".

Greek, "Sole Heir":

Ancient translations also understand - "μονο" to mean: "only one - out of all of the others". "A Single Heir".

Example: Of my two sons, there can only be one who inherits the kingship.

Plato, Laws: Plat. Laws 3.691e - [691e] your kingly line, (μονογενοῦς) no longer single but twofold. ...

Note: Usually, there was only one successor - which is the issue this passage is pointing out.

In Flavius Josephus, Isaac isn't the Only Child - but is the: "μονογενῆ":

Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, J. AJ 1.222 - Ἴσακον δὲ ὁ πατὴρ Ἅβραμος ὑπερηγάπα μονογενῆ ὄντα καὶ ἐπὶ γήρως οὐδῷ κατὰ δωρεὰν αὐτῷ τοῦ

Now Abraham greatly loved Isaac, as being his only begotten and given to him at the borders of old age,

Note: But, Abraham didn't have just one child - from his own loins - there is is also Ishmael.

Ancient Translations:

• Hebrew:
• Arabic:
• Luke 9:38, Latin Vulgate: filium meum quia unicus est mihi, (son, only);
• Old Latin:
• Aramaic: Luke 9:38, Syriac, Peshitta Hebrew Transliteration: ברי דיחידיא הו לי, (My son, alone, him, to me):
• Coptic: ... T.B.D.
• Ethiopic
• Georgian: ... T.B.D.
• Gothic:
• Slavonic:

Note: This question is very broad - so made into a community Wiki Post.

1. Question Restatement:

• What are the most ancient translations of the Greek word: "μονογενής", in the New Testament?
• Is it "only" or "only-begotten"?

Answer:

μονογενής never just means - "Only". The construction always implies "a Child".

• μονο: Means "Sole", "Only", "Single", or "One".
• γενοῦς: Means, "Race", "Tribe", "Genetic Line", etc. It does not literally mean "Begotten", or "Born".
• μονο + γενοῦς: Is Idiomatic, and can mean: "only child", and also "sole heir".

Greek, "Sole Heir":

Ancient translations also understand - "μονο" to mean: "only one - out of all of the others". "A Single Heir".

Example: Of my two sons, there can only be one who inherits the kingship.

Plato, Laws: Plat. Laws 3.691e - [691e] your kingly line, (μονογενοῦς) no longer single but twofold. ...

Note: Usually, there was only one successor - which is the issue this passage is pointing out.

In Flavius Josephus, Isaac isn't the Only Child - but is the: "μονογενῆ":

Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, J. AJ 1.222 - Ἴσακον δὲ ὁ πατὴρ Ἅβραμος ὑπερηγάπα μονογενῆ ὄντα καὶ ἐπὶ γήρως οὐδῷ κατὰ δωρεὰν αὐτῷ τοῦ

Now Abraham greatly loved Isaac, as being his only begotten and given to him at the borders of old age,

Note: But, Abraham didn't have just one child - from his own loins - there is is also Ishmael.

Ancient Translations:

• Hebrew:
• Arabic:
• Luke 9:38, Latin Vulgate: filium meum quia unicus est mihi, (son, only);
• Old Latin:
• Aramaic: Luke 9:38, Syriac, Peshitta Hebrew Transliteration: ברי דיחידיא הו לי, (My son, alone, him, to me):
• Coptic: ... T.B.D.
• Ethiopic
• Georgian: ... T.B.D.
• Gothic:
• Slavonic:

2. Answer:

3. Ancient Translations:

• Luke 9:38, Latin Vulgate: filium meum quia unicus est mihi, (son, only);
• Luke 9:38, Syriac, Peshitta Hebrew Transliteration: ברי דיחידיא הו לי, (My son, alone, him, to me)
• Aramaic, Targum Jonathan Judges 11:34: וֻבחִנגִין וֻלחוֹד הִיא יְחִידָא לאימהא - (Alone: "יְחִידָא"; but "לאימהא" is from the word "mothered" - in the sense of a "mother tongue", "mother race", I am not certain of an English equivalent);
• Coptic: ... T.B.D.
• Georgian: ... T.B.D.

4. Hebrew, "Only Child":

In Hebrew/Greek translations - "Only" is accompanied by the word "child", ("יחידה" in Hebrew, "γενὴς" in Greek)

Septuagint, Judges 11:34 - and she was his only child, (μονογενὴς); besides her he had neither son nor daughter.

Hebrew, Judges 11:34 - היא יחידה אין־לו ממנו

5. Greek, "Sole Heir":

Answer:

Greek, "Sole Heir":

Ancient Translations:

• Hebrew:
• Arabic:
• Luke 9:38, Latin Vulgate: filium meum quia unicus est mihi, (son, only);
• Old Latin:
• Aramaic: Luke 9:38, Syriac, Peshitta Hebrew Transliteration: ברי דיחידיא הו לי, (My son, alone, him, to me):
• Coptic: ... T.B.D.
• Ethiopic
• Georgian: ... T.B.D.
• Gothic:
• Slavonic: