In Greek, the words “begotten” (or “born”) and “created” are expressed with two different but related words. The word translated “created” is γίνομαι or its cognates; it generally refers to things being made by a particular person. The word translated “born” is γεννάω or its cognates; it generally refers to the natural process of giving birth.

In the Bible these concepts are closely related. For instance, Psalm 139:13-14 describes the formation of a baby in the womb as an act of creation.

Often a distinction is made between “born” and “created” in an attempt to argue that Jesus could be born and yet still be uncreate (i.e. eternal). It is significant that in Galatians 4:4 the word often translated “born” is actually a cognate of γίνομαι — it would literally be translated “made of a woman”.

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