HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON

His only begotten son
St. John 3:16
　
Among the most famous scripture verses of all time, "John 3:16" is seen everywhere from modest church fronts to billboards and handmade signs at the Super Bowl. You must have noticed it often, as have I.
The hope in putting up these signs, no doubt, is that those who see them will be curious and read the whole verse for themselves. It’s a wonderful idea.
Recently I got curious myself, and checked it out in several popular translations of "the good book.". Here’s what I found:
John 3:16
God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
King James Version (KJV) first published 1611
God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son: that whosoever believeth in him may not perish, but may have life everlasting.
Douay-Rheims translation Challoner revision [Roman Catholic Bible] first published 1752
God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
for God did so love the world, that His Son -- the only begotten -- He gave, that every one who is believing in him may  not perish, but may have life age after.
Young's Literal Translation (YLT) first published 1898
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Revised Standard Version first published 1952
God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that everyone who has faith in him may not die but have eternal life.
New English Bible (NEB) first published1961
God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.
 Good News Bible (GNB) first published 1966
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.
New International Version (NIV) first published 1973
Among these various translations, obviously, there are some differences. Most of these, to me, don’t seem to be very significant. They just represent different choices of words to express the same meaning,
"Whosoever believeth in him," for example, is simply an old-fashioned way of saying "everyone who believes in him" or "everyone who has faith in him." No big difference, no big problem
The modern omission of the word "begotten’ in the phrase "Only begotten son," however, does present a problem: "Only son" and "only begotten son" definitely do not have the same meaning.
To call Jesus God’s "only son" or "one and only son" is incorrect, and is contradicted elsewhere in the bible. Consider Exodus 4:22-23:
Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: and I say unto thee [the Egyptian Pharaoh]: Let my son go, that he may serve me.
If Israel is God’s firstborn son, Jesus clearly is not God’s "only son."
Consider St. John 1:12:
As many as received him gave he power to become the sons of God
According to this verse, Jesus himself declared that all who believe in him are truly sons and daughters of His Father.
There are many kinds of sons.
There are adopted sons from orphanages. There are favorite sons at political conventions. There are Sons of the Pioneers. There are Sons of Hibernia at St. Patrick’s Day Parades.
Yes, there are indeed many kinds of sons.
What kind of son is Jesus Christ? He was one of a kind, unique in all the universe and all time. To describe him adequately is impossible. The closest anyone has come is this:
His only begotten sonSt. John 3:16