Translation Watch
How specific biblical words and phrases are rendered across major English translations — and what the original Hebrew or Greek actually says.
'Hell' in Matthew 5:22 — Gehenna, a physical valley
The Greek Gehenna is a real valley outside Jerusalem (Gei-Hinnom). Most English Bibles render it 'hell,' which loses the geographic referent.
'Only begotten Son' vs 'one and only Son' — John 3:16
KJV: 'only begotten.' BSB: 'one and only.' The Greek monogenēs derives from genos ('kind, lineage') in modern lexical analysis, not gennaō ('to beget').
'Repent' in Mark 1:15 — metanoeō, 'change your mind'
The Greek metanoeō literally means 'change your mind.' The Vulgate's paenitentiam agite ('do penance') shaped medieval reception in ways the Greek does not require.
'Virgin' vs 'young woman' — Isaiah 7:14
Hebrew almah can be read as 'virgin' or 'young woman.' The Septuagint's parthenos and Matthew 1:23 shape every Christian translation choice.
Two Greek words for 'love' — John 21:15-17
Three times Jesus asks 'do you love me?' but the Greek shifts between agapaō and phileō. Whether this is theologically significant or stylistic variation is genuinely debated.