Let’s start here
Your assignment
Read John 1:1–18 in the KJV and a modern translation. Record the edition. Compare verse 18 and inspect its notes. Do not assume every English difference has the same cause.
Clue 1
The KJV reading
John 1:18 uses “the only begotten Son.” Read the whole paragraph: its subject is the Word, his relation to God, and his becoming flesh. Preserve that context when comparing.
Read the KJV passage →Clue 2
A second English edition
The ESV publisher’s page checked for this study uses “God the only Son.” This is an observable difference, not by itself proof of a translator’s motive. Check the edition and notes before explaining the difference.
Compare the publisher’s ESV text →Clue 3
Two questions, not one
Translation asks how to express a text in another language. Textual investigation asks which wording a document originally contained. The Heavenly Witnesses study gives an example of a disputed transmission history.
Investigate a textual difference →Hear the objection
Could a wording difference change meaning? Yes. Calling something a translation choice does not settle whether it is a good choice. Compare context, underlying wording, and the translator’s explanation.
Conclusion of this investigation
These English phrases establish a difference. They do not settle the original Greek reading, the quality of every modern version, or whether a translator intended to weaken doctrine.
The argument above reaches a stated conclusion. The notebook below is for your own response.
Take the Test Now
What does the evidence establish?
A knowledge check, not a score for your faith. Read the evidence, then answer all three questions.
Choose an answer to each question to check your work.
Your investigator’s notebook
What convinced you—and what remains unanswered?
Optional and private. Nothing entered here is sent to Daniel. Saving stores notes only in this browser on this device, not on your other devices. Anyone using this browser may be able to read saved notes.