As I began to reflect on the Messiah’s birth again this December, I immediately thought about the prophetic foreshadowing of “the only begotten Son” that is recorded for us in the story of Avraham and Yitzchak (Isaac) in Genesis 22. Even though Ishmael was technically Avraham’s first born son, the LORD used very specific language to speak of Yitzchak as Avraham’s only son. A direct translation of the first two verses of Genesis 22 reads as follows:

1 Then it came about after these things, that God tested Avraham. And He said to him, “Avraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 And He said, “Take now your son, your only son, the one whom you love, Yitzchak, and go forth to the land of Moriah and offer him up there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will tell you.” – Gen. 22:1-2 (DGLT) 

The LORD left no room for error regarding which son of Avraham He was referring to as He specifically named Yitzchak.

The Only Son

From the biblical narrative, Avraham clearly had two sons at that point in time but only one son was recognized according to the promises of God to Avraham. The LORD further identified Yitzchak as the beloved son and He considered him to be the only son of Avraham. 

The Hebrew word for “your only son” in Gen. 22:2 is יְחִידְךָ – Yechidecha with the root word being יָחִיד – Yachid which means sole, only, or solitary. The Hebrew word יָחִיד – Yachid is only used 12 times in all of the Old Testament Scriptures. The first three times this Hebrew word appears in the Bible is in this account when God tested Avraham regarding his son Yitzchak (Gen. 22:2,12,16). The twelfth and final time the Hebrew word Yachid appears in the Old Testament Scriptures is in Zechariah 12:

I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. – Zech. 12:10 (NASB1995)

It is the LORD who is speaking in this verse in the 6th century BC. The LORD prophesied that a day is coming when a spirit of grace and supplication will be poured out on the Jewish people as a whole enabling them to recognize that it was the LORD Himself who was crucified (pierced) for their sins (and the sins of the world). Their recognition of what they have done to the LORD (Yeshua the Son of God) is compared to the mourning for an “only son.”

The prophecy of Zechariah 12:10 is yet to be fulfilled!

The foreshadowing of the Son of God through Yitzchak as the only son of Avraham is a powerful picture of a loving father who was willing to offer his only son as a sacrifice in obedience to the Word of the LORD. Thankfully, the angel of the LORD stopped Avraham before he sacrificed his only son (Gen. 22:12).

Another point of prophetic foreshadowing of the Messiah in the life of Avraham’s son is that Yitzchak came into this world as the son of promise (Gen. 17:15-21). Yizchak was born as the promised son of Sarah 2,000 years before the Messiah’s birth. In a similar but more miraculous manner, the birth of the Messiah was prophesied throughout the Old Testament Scriptures (Ps. 2:7; Is. 7:14; Micah 5:2, etc…) before coming into the world as the promised Son.

The New Testament Fulfillment of The Only Son

In the New Testament, we read many details of the birth of the Messiah in Matthew and Luke’s gospels but it is only in the Gospel of John that we specifically read of Yeshua as “the only Son:”

14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John testified about Him and called out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who is coming after me has proved to be my superior, because He existed before me.’” 16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Yeshua Messiah. 18 No one has seen God at any time; God the only Son, who is in the arms of the Father, He has explained Him. – John 1:14-18 (NASB)

The Greek word for “the only Son” in verses 14 and 18 is μονογενής – monogenés which means only-born or sole and is used to mean only begotten (biblehub.com). This Greek word is only used nine times in all of the New Testament. It is used four times in the Gospel of John to speak of “the only Son” of God (John 1:14,18) and “the only begotten Son” (John 3:16,18). 

Then, in the book of Hebrews, this same Greek word (monogenés) is used of Avraham’s son where he is referred to in a Messianic manner:

17 By faith Avraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; 18 it was he to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.” 19 He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type. – Hebrews 11:17-19 (NASB1995)

The birth, sacrifice, and resurrection of the Messiah were all uniquely foreshadowed through the life of Isaac (Yitzchak). Although Avraham’s son was used to foreshadow the plan of God, the manifestation of God’s plan of salvation was only realized through the only begotten Son of God.

The final use of the Greek word monogenés in the New Testament is found in John’s first epistle:

By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. – 1 John 4:9 (NASB1995)

As we celebrate the birth of the Messiah again this year, it is a blessing to remember that God’s promises are true, His Word is faithful, and that we have eternal life in the only begotten Son of God!

Merry Christmas!

DGLT: Daniel Goldstein Literal Translation (a literal translation from the Hebrew into English)