The term "begets" is a significant concept in the Bible, often used to describe the act of fathering or producing offspring. It is a term that appears frequently in genealogical records, particularly in the Old Testament, and serves to trace lineage and heritage, which are crucial for understanding the fulfillment of God's promises and covenants.

Old Testament Usage

In the Old Testament, "begets" is commonly found in genealogical lists, such as those in Genesis, Chronicles, and other historical books. These genealogies are not merely historical records but are theological in nature, demonstrating God's sovereign plan through specific family lines. For example, Genesis 5:3 states, "When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth." Here, the term "fathered" is synonymous with "begets," indicating the continuation of the human race through Adam's lineage.

The genealogies in Genesis 10, often referred to as the Table of Nations, illustrate the spread of humanity after the Flood through the descendants of Noah's sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. These records are foundational for understanding the dispersion of nations and the fulfillment of God's command to "be fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 9:1).

New Testament Usage

In the New Testament, the concept of "begets" is pivotal in the genealogies of Jesus Christ, as recorded in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Matthew 1:2-16 traces Jesus' legal lineage through Joseph, emphasizing His rightful place in the line of David and Abraham, fulfilling Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah. For instance, Matthew 1:2 states, "Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers."

Luke's genealogy (Luke 3:23-38), on the other hand, traces Jesus' lineage through Mary, highlighting His biological descent and further affirming His identity as the Son of God and the Son of Man. These genealogies underscore the fulfillment of God's promises and the legitimacy of Jesus' messianic claims.

Theological Significance

The act of begetting in the Bible is not merely biological but carries profound theological implications. It signifies the transmission of covenantal promises and blessings from one generation to the next. The genealogies serve as a testament to God's faithfulness in preserving a remnant through whom He would bring about redemption.

Moreover, the concept of begetting is central to understanding the relationship between God the Father and Jesus Christ. In the New Testament, Jesus is referred to as the "only begotten Son" (John 3:16), emphasizing His unique and eternal relationship with the Father. This begetting is not a reference to a beginning in time but rather to the eternal generation of the Son, affirming His divinity and co-equality with the Father.

Cultural and Historical Context

In the ancient Near Eastern context, genealogies and the act of begetting were vital for establishing identity, inheritance rights, and social status. The biblical genealogies reflect this cultural importance while also serving a divine purpose in revealing God's redemptive plan through history.

The emphasis on begetting in Scripture highlights the importance of family and lineage in God's design. It underscores the continuity of God's work through successive generations and the unfolding of His covenantal promises, ultimately culminating in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Fragment iii. Adam, when 230 Years Old, Begets Seth; and after ...
... Fragment III. Adam, when 230 years old, begets Seth; and after living other
700 years he died? ... Enos, when 190 years old, begets Cainan. ...
/.../africanus/the writings of julius africanus/fragment iii adam when 230.htm

Whether Abstract Essential Names Can Stand for the Person?
... Objection 1: It would seem that abstract essential names can stand for the person,
so that this proposition is true, "Essence begets essence." For Augustine ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether abstract essential names can.htm

Whether the Power of Begetting Signifies a Relation, and not the ...
... Now the Son of God is like the Father, who begets Him, in the divine nature. Wherefore
the divine nature in the Father is in Him the power of begetting. ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether the power of begetting.htm

Sophonias Maintains that God Cannot Produce what is Unlike Himself ...
... And when Simon found fault with you for having used human examples, you answered
that in this way we ought not to admit that God begets at all; for this also ...
/.../unknown/the clementine homilies/chapter v sophonias maintains that god.htm

For this Reason we Believe Also in his Son...
... He that is begotten mortal generates that which himself is; the Immortal generates
what He is: corruptible begets corruptible, Incorruptible begets ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/on the creeds/section 3 for this reason.htm

Collatio Cum Maximino, 14.
... For if He has given to animals this property, that what they beget shall be none
other than what they themselves are: man begets man, dog begets dog, and ...
/.../collatio cum maximino 14.htm

On the Words of the Gospel, John x. 30, "I and the Father are One. ...
... A man begets a man; of what substance the father is who begets, of the same substance
is the Son who is begotten. What is, "of the same substance"? ...
/.../sermons on selected lessons of the new testament/sermon lxxxix on the words.htm

Of Divine Wisdom.
... Speculation. Science is acquired and begets the knowledge of Nature. Wisdom
is infused and begets the Knowledge of the Divine Goodness. ...
/.../the spiritual guide which disentangles the soul/chap xvii of divine wisdom.htm

On the Same Words of the Gospel, John I. , "In the Beginning was ...
... But you will say, "When a man begets a Son, he that begets is the elder, and he
that is begotten the younger." It is true; in the case of men, he that begets ...
/.../sermons on selected lessons of the new testament/sermon lxviii on the same.htm

Blessed are the Poor in Spirit
... The philosophers use to say that one contrary expels another; but here one
contrary begets another. Poverty is wont to expel riches ...
/.../watson/the beatitudes an exposition of matthew 51-12/4 blessed are the poor.htm

Begets (4 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Begets (4 Occurrences). Proverbs 23:24 The father
of the righteous will greatly rejoice; and he that begetteth ...
/b/begets.htm - 7k

Begetter (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (n.) One who begets; a father. Multi-Version
Concordance Begetter (1 Occurrence). Proverbs 23:24 The father ...
/b/begetter.htm - 6k

Beget (20 Occurrences)

/b/beget.htm - 13k

Male (303 Occurrences)
... 3. (vt) of or pertaining to the sex that begets or procreates young, or (in a wider
sense) to the sex that produces spermatozoa, by which the ova are fertilized ...
/m/male.htm - 43k

Parent (2 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) One who begets, or brings forth, offspring;
a father or a mother. 2. (n.) That which produces; cause ...
/p/parent.htm - 7k

Righteousness (442 Occurrences)
... There are rules concerning Sanitation (Leviticus 13), both as it touches the life
of the group and of the individual; laws whose mastery begets emphasis, not ...
/r/righteousness.htm - 56k

Epicureans (1 Occurrence)
... Friendship, the supreme virtue of Epicureanism, is based upon the same calculating
selfishness, and is to be cultivated for the happiness it begets to its ...
/e/epicureans.htm - 20k

Redeemer (42 Occurrences)
... always make this assumption. The dreadfulness of sin is largely in the
love of sinning which sinning begets. Some thinkers have ...
/r/redeemer.htm - 45k

Cosmological
... Earth produces the Heaven and the Sea. Earth and Heaven, in turn, become the parents
of the elder gods and the Titans. Cronus, one of these gods, begets Zeus. ...
/c/cosmological.htm - 33k

Redemption (46 Occurrences)
... always make this assumption. The dreadfulness of sin is largely in the
love of sinning which sinning begets. Some thinkers have ...
/r/redemption.htm - 48k

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