John 1:18

 

(KJV)   No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

(1611 KJV) No man hath seene God at any time: the onely begotten Sonne, which is in the bosome of the Father, he hath declared him.

(1587 Geneva Bible) No man hath seene God at any time: that onely begotten Sonne, which is in the bosome of the Father, he hath declared him.

(1568 Bishops Bible) No man hath seene God at any tyme: The onely begotten sonne which is in the bosome of the father, he hath declared hym.

(The Great Bible 1539) No man hath sene God at eny tyme. The onely begotten sonne, whych is in the bosome of the father, he hath declared hym.

(Matthew's Bible 1537) No man hath sene God at anye tyme. The onlye begotten sonne which is in the bosome of the father, he hath declared hym.

(Coverdale Bible 1535) No man hath sene God at eny tyme. The onely begotte sonne which is in the bosome of the father, he hath declared the same vnto vs.

(Tyndale Bible 1526) No ma hath sene God at eny tyme. The only begotte sonne which is in ye bosome of ye father he hath declared him.

 

Counterfeit Versions

(AMP) No one has seen God [His essence, His divine nature] at any time; the [One and] only begotten God [that is, the unique Son] who is in the intimate presence of the Father, He has explained Him [and interpreted and revealed the awesome wonder of the Father].

(CSB) No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is himself God and is at the Father’s side—he has revealed him.

(CEB) No one has ever seen God. God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, has made God known.

(CEV) No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is truly God and is closest to the Father, has shown us what God is like.

(ERV) No one has ever seen God. The only Son is the one who has shown us what God is like. He is himself God and is very close to the Father.

(ESV) No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

(GNB) No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is the same as God and is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

(HCSB) No one has ever seen God. The One and Only Son— the One who is at the Father’s side— He has revealed Him.

(ISV) No one has ever seen God. The uniquely existing God, who is close to the Father’s side, has revealed him.

(LEB) No one has seen God at any time; the one and only, God, the one who is in the bosom of the Father—that one has made him known.

(THE MESSAGE) We all live off his generous bounty, gift after gift after gift. We got the basics from Moses, and then this exuberant giving and receiving, This endless knowing and understanding— all this came through Jesus, the Messiah. No one has ever seen God, not so much as a glimpse. This one-of-a-kind God-Expression, who exists at the very heart of the Father, has made him plain as day.

(NABRE) No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him.

(NASV) No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

(NET) No one has ever seen God. The only one, himself God, who is in closest fellowship with the Father, has made God known.

(NIRV) No one has ever seen God. But the One and Only is God and is at the Father’s side. The one at the Father’s side has shown us what God is like.

(NIV) 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.

(NLT) No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.

(NRSV) No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

(NWT-Jehovah’s Witnesses) No man has seen God at any time; the only-begotten god who is at the Father’s side is the one who has explained Him.

(RSV) No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known.

 

Textus Receptus – Traditional Text

θεον ουδεις εωρακεν πωποτε ο μονογενης υιος ο ων εις τον κολπον του πατρος εκεινος εξηγησατο

 

Hort-Westcott – Critical Text

θεον ουδεις εωρακεν πωποτε μονογενης θεος ο ων εις τον κολπον του πατρος εκεινος εξηγησατο

 

Corrupted Manuscripts

The Only Begotten Son

Aleph 01 - Sinaiticus - Nineteenth Century Counterfeit (original)
B 03 - Vaticanus - Fourth century

C 04 - Ephraemi Rescriptus - Fifth century (original)

L 019 - Seventh century

P 66 - Circa 200 A.D.

 

Manuscripts which agree with the Textus Receptus for this verse

Byzantine Text (450-1450 A.D.)

Stephanus (1550 A.D.)

Beza 1598

Elzevir 1624 - 1633

Aleph 01 - Sinaiticus - Nineteenth Century Counterfeit (corrected)
A 02 - Alexandrinus - Fifth century

C 04 - Ephraemi Rescriptus - Fifth century (corrected)

K 017 - Ninth century

W 032 - Fourth/fifth century

Gamma 036 - Ninth or Tenth century

Delta 037 - Ninth century

Theta 038 - Ninth century

1 (Minuscule) - Seventh century

13 (Minuscule) - Eighth century

P 75 - Third Century

 

Published Greek Texts with Corruptions

Tregelles, Samuel - 1857

Westcott and Hort - 1881

Weiss, Bernhard - 1894

Nestle - 1927 as revised in seventeenth edition in 1941

Nestle-Aland - 1979 - Twenty Sixth Edition

Nestle-Aland - 1993 - Twenty Seventh Edition

Nestle-Aland - 2012 - Twenty Eighth Edition

United Bible Societies - 1983 - Fourth Edition

 

Affected Teaching

“Son” is changed to “God” - Begotten is changed to “One and Only” in some versions

 

When Son is changed to “God” instead of keeping with the teaching that God is One God in three persons which is the doctrine of the Trinity, it alludes to the false teaching of two different Gods.  It endorses the belief of multiple Gods instead of keeping to the correct teaching of One God in three persons.

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