If His name was Yeshua, why do we call Him Jesus?
The name "Jesus" reaches us through a chain of languages --- Hebrew to Greek to Latin to English --- but the meaning has never been lost along the way.
The Hebrew Origin
The name begins in Hebrew as Yehoshua (יהושע). Morrish's Bible Dictionary explains its origin under the entry for Joshua:
YehoshuaJoshua. Son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim. His name was originally OSHEA, or HOSHEA, but it was changed by Moses into Jehoshua, and this was contracted into Joshua, which is the same as JESUS in the Greek, and signifies 'Jehovah the saviour.'
The full form Yehoshua is composed of the divine name Yah (Jehovah) and the root yasha (to save). After the Babylonian exile, this was commonly shortened to Yeshua --- the everyday Aramaic form that would have been spoken in first-century Galilee.
From Hebrew to Greek
When the Hebrew scriptures were translated into Greek (the Septuagint, begun around 280 BC), the translators rendered Yehoshua / Yeshua as Iesous (Ἰησοῦς). This was a phonetic approximation: Hebrew has sounds Greek lacks, and Greek grammar requires masculine names to end in -s. The dictionary confirms this directly:
IesousJesus. The Greek form of Joshua, it occurs in Acts 7:45; Heb. 4:8, for Joshua the son of Nun.
Jesus, The Lord. Jesus is the pre-announced name of the Son of God as man. It signifies 'Jehovah the Saviour.' Matt. 1:21.
So the New Testament writers, writing in Greek, naturally used Iesous --- the standard Greek equivalent that had already been in common use for nearly three centuries. They were not inventing a new name.
From Greek to English
From the Greek Iesous, the name passed into Latin as Iesus. When English developed, the letter "J" emerged as a variant of "I," and Iesus gradually became Jesus --- much as Iacobus became James and Ioannes became John.
The Meaning Embedded in Every Form
The angel's announcement to Joseph makes the meaning explicit: "Thou shalt call His name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21). The name itself is a declaration of who He is.
William Kelly draws this out in his exposition of Matthew:
William KellyHe had a title greater than any which Joseph could transmit even from David or Abraham; and this was to be attested in His name, His lowly name of Jesus, Jehovah, the Saviour. "Thou shalt call His name JESUS; for He shall save His people from their sins." Jehovah's people were His people; and He should save them, not merely from their enemies, but from their sins. What a testimony to Him and for them!
An article in The Christian's Friend (1895) expands on this beautifully:
The Christian's FriendAs 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!
A. J. Pollock states it concisely:
A. J. PollockThe full revelation of this is seen in JESUS (a translation from Hebrew words into Greek), meaning, Jehovah-Saviour.
The Greek Christians Treasured the Name
G. C. Willis notes that early believers even found the name woven into the Greek word for fish, ichthus, which served as an acrostic:
G. C. Willisi is for Iesous = Jesus ch is for Christos = Christ th is for Theou = of God u is for Uios = Son s is for Soter = Saviour
So the Greek word for 'fish' meant to a Greek Christian: "JESUS CHRIST GOD'S SON (the) SAVIOUR." Because of this meaning the Christians often used the picture of a fish to mark the graves of Christian friends who were buried in the catacombs under Rome.
The Person, Not the Pronunciation
J. T. Mawson brings the focus to what truly matters:
J. T. Mawson"His Name" occurs first in the first chapter of the New Testament and for the last time in its last chapter, and the fragrance and light of it pervade the Book. ... For light instead of darkness and life instead of death we are dependent upon Him whose Name is JESUS.
His very nature demands it, for God is love, and His wisdom found a way by which He can save according to the righteousness of the eternal throne. And the Name of Jesus was the pledge to men of this. Blessed Name. Name of reproach on earth, name of ignominy on the cross. Name above every name in heaven.
We call Him "Jesus" for the same reason we say "Moses" rather than Moshe and "Isaiah" rather than Yeshayahu: these are names that passed through Greek and Latin on their way into English. The New Testament itself was written in Greek, and the inspired writers used Iesous --- the established rendering of the Hebrew. Nothing is lost in the transmission. The meaning "Jehovah the Saviour" is embedded in every form of the name, and the angel's own words in Matthew 1:21 make it unmistakable. Whether spoken in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, or English, the name declares the same truth: in this Person, God Himself has come down to save.