If His name was Yeshua, why do we call Him Jesus?
Answered from the commentary of Edward Dennett, William Kelly, J. B. Jackson and 5 others
The name was given as Jesus because that is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Yeshua, or Joshua; it means “Jehovah is salvation,” or “Jehovah the Saviour.” Greek-speaking Jews used this Greek form, and the New Testament uses it for the Lord’s personal, human name. The name declares why He came: He is Jehovah the Saviour, who saves His people from their sins.
Verses: Matthew 1:21, Luke 1:31, Luke 2:21, John 19:19, John 19:20, Acts 4:10, Acts 4:11, Acts 4:12, Philippians 2:9, Philippians 2:10, Philippians 2:11
The above is AI generated summary based on the writers below.
What the commentators say
The passages the answer is drawn from, the most direct first, with the words that bear on the question marked.
Jes’u ites patronymic of Jesui
Jes’u run same as Jeshurun
Je’sus - Greek form of Jehoshua
27 Luke 1:31. — "Jesus." The name (Jeshua), Neh. 8:17, was very common among the Jews of the time. In Col. 4:11, mention made of a Jesus, surnamed Justus, one of the Circumcision. One of the Lord's ancestors, according to the flesh, bore the same name, see Luke 3:29 (R.V.). The Talmud, in order to get rid of the original meaning of "the name" (James 2:7), although using "Jeshua" of all others bearing it, regularly speaks of the Lord by the clipped name Jesu.
This will be very clearly seen by a consideration of the meaning of the name Jesus, which Joseph was instructed to give to the Child when He should be born. As may be seen from Hebrews 4:8, Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, or Jehoshua, which signifies "Jehovah is salvation," or "whose salvation is Jehovah." There is therefore ample justification for the common observation that the name Jesus means Jehovah the Saviour. If so, what a subject for contemplation, yea, and for adoration, is thus brought before our souls! A child born into the world, of lowly parentage in man's esteem, is declared, divinely declared, to be Jehovah the Saviour! Yes, the God who heard the groaning of His people Israel in Egypt, who saw their affliction, heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters, knew their sorrows, and came down to redeem them out of Egypt, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; He who said unto Moses, "I am JEHOVAH: and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by [the name of] God Almighty, but by My name JEHOVAH was I not known to them" (Ex. 3:6-8; Ex. 6:2-3); it was He, the same God, the same Jehovah, the El Shaddai known to the patriarchs, who now came into this world as a Babe. But if a Babe, He came, blessed be His name for ever, as the Saviour of His people. Surely we may say that the shadows were fleeing away, and that the darkness, which had hitherto shrouded God from His people, was fast disappearing. It was indeed the blessed dawn of the day of grace.
This will be very clearly seen by a consideration of the meaning of the name Jesus, which Joseph was instructed to give to the Child when He should be born. As may be seen from Hebrews 4:8, Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, or Jehoshua, which signifies "Jehovah is salvation," or "whose salvation is Jehovah." There is therefore ample justification for the common observation that the name Jesus means Jehovah the Saviour. But if so, what a subject for contemplation, yea, and for adoration, is thus brought before our souls! A child born into the world, of lowly parentage in man's esteem, is declared, divinely declared, to be Jehovah the Saviour! Yes, the God who heard the groaning of His people Israel in Egypt, who saw their affliction, heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters, knew their sorrows, and came down to redeem them out of Egypt, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; He who said unto Moses, "I am JEHOVAH: and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by [the name of] God Almighty, but by My name JEHOVAH was I not known to them" (Exodus 3:6-8; 6:2-3); it was He, the same God, the same Jehovah, the El Shaddai known to the patriarchs, who now came into this world as a Babe. But if a Babe, He came, blessed be His name for ever, as the Saviour of His people. Surely we may say that the shadows were fleeing away, and that the darkness which had hitherto shrouded God from His people was fast disappearing. It was indeed the blessed dawn of the day of grace.
The meaning of the name of "Jesus" is deep — "Jehovah a Saviour," and faith lays hold of those glories as being His: personally JEHOVAH, — in action, the SAVIOUR. Yet the name (as we see in Acts 7:45, and Heb. 4:8) was a name not uncommon among the Jews, but rather one of their national ones — "Joshua."
This name was divinely given to our Lord in relation to His manhood. But what a glorious name it is! Other names may indicate His position and offices, but the name Jesus is personal to Himself. It is composed of two Hebrew words—Jah, a contraction of His wonderful name Jehovah, the self-existent God in covenant blessing in relation to His people, coupled with Hoshea or Joshua, meaning Saviour. Truly a wonderful name for us to contemplate—Jesus (Jehovah-Saviour).
Name in its uncontracted form given to Joshua by 'Moses. He "called OSHEA the son of Nun Jehoshua," thus altering his name from 'Deliverance' to 'Jehovah is Saviour.' Num. 13:16; 1 Chr. 7:27.
Jesh’u a - He will save: Jehovah is salvation
The word Jesus is taken from the Hebrew Jehoshua, which means, Jehovah is the Saviour. It is the precious name in which the whole story of salvation is contained. The people of Jehovah are His people, because He is Jehovah, and left His eternal glory, His riches, and became poor, to save them from their sins. When Moses stood in the presence of this descended Lord, who proclaimed before him the name of the Lord, Moses said, "If now I have found grace in Thy sight, O Lord," saying this looking to heaven, "let my Lord," the One who had come down and stood before him, "I pray thee go among us; for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquities and our sin, and take us for Thine inheritance." (Exodus 34:9.). And He has come, Jesus, who is able to save His people from their sins, because He is God, and gracious, as revealed to Moses in the mountain. They rejected Him and His salvation. They are scattered among the nations, blinded and hardened, but He is nevertheless Jesus who shall save His people. He has bought the field and the treasure in it. He will come again and turn away ungodliness from Jacob and remember their sins no more. Yes, He will come again and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever. Saul of Tarsus heard the voice from heaven, which said, "I am Jesus!" It is very significant that He spoke thus to the one who became the apostle to the Gentiles, and who in many respects is a type of the whole nation in unbelief and in their coming conversion. He saved Saul of Tarsus. He will save all Israel yet. For believers, His name is not simply Jesus, but for us, the church, He is both Saviour and Lord, and the right way to address Him is by His full name, as it is by the resurrection from among the dead, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Verses
- Matthew 1:21And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins.
- Luke 1:31and behold, thou shalt conceive in the womb and bear a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus.
- Luke 2:21And when eight days were fulfilled for circumcising him, his name was called Jesus, which was the name given by the angel before he had been conceived in the womb.
- John 19:19–2019And Pilate wrote a title also and put it on the cross. But there was written Jesus the Nazaraean, the King of the Jews. 20This title therefore many of the Jews read, for the place of the city where Jesus was crucified was near; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, Latin.
- Acts 4:10–1210be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazaraean, whom ye have crucified, whom God has raised from among [the] dead, by him this [man] stands here before you sound [in body]. 11He is the stone which has been set at nought by you the builders, which is become the corner stone. 12And salvation is in none other, for neither is there another name under heaven which is given among men by which we must be saved.