He’s our Lord and Savior, the Son of God who represented The Lord to us in real life and died on the cross for our redemption. His short life on earth has led many into spiritual transformation and acceptance that God is our eternal heavenly Father. The Bible calls him many names, including El Roi, Elohim, and the Prince of Peace. Many call him Messiah, God’s Son.
But what’s His name in Hebrew?
Surprisingly, the special son of Mary wasn’t originally called Jesus. Instead, Jesus’ Hebrew name is Yeshuwa, which directly translates to salvation. The term is a shortened version of another Hebrew name, Yehoshuwa. The latter translates to “the Lord is salvation,” or the “Lord saves.” Notably, the word Yeshuwa was common during the Second Temple era and graced the Hebrew Bible about thirty times.
What Does Yeshuwa Mean
Yeshuwa or Jeshua translates to “he is saved” in ancient Hebrew. While it primarily refers to Jesus, various Bible uses point out other characters who used the same name. The term’s reference to saving, leading, and guiding stands out among all these usages.
Besides Jesus, this word has been used in the Bible to refer to Joshua, the son of Nun, who led the children of Israel’s conquest of Canaan. This similar inference could relate to Joshua’s role of “saving” God’s people and taking them to the Promised Land.
Where Did The J Come From?
We can trace the origin of the J back to the 14th-century scriptoria of monasteries. The monks here copied Bibles by hand and, in the process, started elongating the I initials into J. They didn’t change the pronunciation, though. This transition happened before the 17th century.
Despite the change, everyone still pronounced the name similarly to the liturgical Latin. For instance, a 1611 King James Bible copy refers to Jesus as Iesus. It also spells Jeremiah as Ieremiah.
The Saxons and Angles invaded England in the fifth and sixth centuries. But in 596 A.D., Augustine of Canterbury turned the two pagan Germanic tribes into Christians. England’s official Bible by then was Jerome’s Latin translation, so the Anglo-Saxons adopted Iesus as the Savior’s name. Naturally, they adopted the German J instead of the initial Latin I.
The Normans later invaded England in 1066 and introduced French to the region. Neither the Normans nor Anglo-Saxons could surrender their language. So, they merged to create the Modern English we know today.
The Normans impacted the pronunciation of names, starting with the stylized letter I, resembling our contemporary J. They introduced the French pronunciation of ‘j’ (zh), which later became the English sound ‘j’. The Latin ‘Jesus’ remained unaltered when the inaugural English translation of the Bible was commissioned in the early 17th century. The average English person of that time likely pronounced the name as “JAY-zus.” This term eventually evolved into the Modern English pronunciation of ‘JEE-zus.’
The Strong Connection Between Joshua and Yeshua
Today’s Christian Bibles don’t have the term Yeshua. However, we can find hints of the word among the mentions of Joshua in different texts. For instance, the Aramaic Bible mentions this term when talking about leading the Israelites out of Egypt.
“And Moshe (Moses) came and spoke all of the words of this song before the people, he and Yeshua, son of Nun.” (Deuteronomy 32:44)
The word is also evident during the Feast of Tabernacles gathering, last celebrated during Joshua’s era.
“And all the people who returned from captivity made booths, and they dwelt in huts because the children of Israel had not done so from the days of Yeshua, son of Nun, until this day, and there was a great joy.” (Nehemiah 8:17)
You’ll also encounter the reference as Joshua talks about the day ahead to the Israelites.
“For if Yeshua, son of Nun, had given them rest, he would not afterward have spoken of another day.” (Hebrews 4:8)
Hebrew text names Joshua as “Yeshua bin-Nun” in this verse:
“And all the people who returned from captivity made booths, and they dwelt in huts because the children of Israel had not done so from the days of Yeshua, son of Nun, until this day, and there was great joy.” (Nehemiah 8:17).
Finally, some English Bibles refer to Joshua as Jeshua. When we go through some of these verses, we realize that Joshua’s role has a similar symbolic meaning to Yeshua (Jesus). Joshua essentially saved and led God’s people to the Promised Land.
The Meaning of Yeshua HaMashiach
Salvation first came to the Jews in the form of Yeshua before it was shared with the whole world. It’s the same thing we see in Simeon: almost everyone craves to understand the deeper meaning of the names of all names. This includes today’s Israelites!
So why do we call Jesus Yeshua HaMashiach, and how does this name differ from Jesus Christ? Many Christians think Christ is part of the name of Jesus. To be honest, you probably thought the same. This misconception arises because this is a Greek word without a clear English meaning. Therefore, it’s important to understand its full meaning.
The Greek Word Christos translates to Messiah or anointed. Anointing, in this case, translates to a divine authoritative position. Therefore, the Hebrew translation for Messiah could infer the Anointed One. Essentially, the Hebrew phrase Yeshua HaMashiach could refer to Jesus as the Anointed Salvation.
Conclusion
Hebrew and English differ in many ways. One of the most notable differences between the two terms is that most Hebrew biblical terms have intrinsic meaning. You’ll find a built-in meaning in very few English terminologies.
Regardless, the debate on the most appropriate version of the word Jesus shouldn’t be a primary consideration. The name is unquestionably crucial whether in English, Latin, Greek, or Hebrew. God is love. He cares and will forgive you, regardless of how you refer to him.
It doesn’t matter whether we call him Jesus or Yeshua. The most important thing is to always ensure that you call on Him.
