Salvation is probably the most important ‘theme’ in the scriptures, right? Isn’t that why we all come to the Bible anyway? Did you know that Yeshua [whom most call ‘Jesus’], the name, means “Salvation”? Most do not.
In today’s world, where knowledge is indeed increasing, but so few are coming to the Truth, there is a lot of misinformation concerning Salvation, and concerning the Name of the Messiah itself.
His Name is Yeshua.
Yeshua was born at a time when Aramaic was still the spoken language in the Aramaic Nations to the north-east of Israel. Believers there today still read their Bibles in Aramaic. And, since they weren’t so far removed from the Babylonian captivity, Aramaic was still used in the Holy Land, and it influenced the Hebrew of the day. One of the most obvious influences is the name of the rite called “Bar Mitzvah”, where a young Jewish boy of 13 becomes a man, being called a “Son of the Commandment” [commandment being synonymous with Torah], or “Bar Mitzvah”. The usual word for ‘son’ in Hebrew is “ben”, but the rites of the ceremony were formed after the Babylonian captivity, and “Bar” was used to name the event.
Another major influence of Aramaic over Hebrew was the use of a very common man’s name, “Joshua”. In Hebrew, Joshua was and is “Yehoshua”, יְהוֹשֻׁעַ . But, during and in post-Babylonian Captivity the name was shortened in Hebrew to ישוע, or, what we know today as “Yeshua”.
That is the name that was given to Yeshua. It means “Salvation” in Hebrew. The ‘word’ Salvation was and is still in Hebrew ׳ ישועה ׳ , adding only the final ‘heh’ , the letter ‘ ה ‘ to the end of the word to make it the noun Salvation. This word is used in many places to hint at our Savior and Messiah, Yeshua, in the Old Testament. But, without the final ‘heh’, it is the proper NAME, Yeshua, which also means Salvation.
Here is a photo from my Aramaic and Hebrew New Testament:
This is the very front of the book, the book of Matthew. The right side is the Aramaic Peshitta text using Hebrew font, the left side is the translation of that text into Hebrew. The two red boxes are the selection of Yeshua’s name out of Matthew 1:16. You can see they are identical.
Aramaic’s alphabet is identical in function and sounds. The letters are perfectly interchangeable. The actual Aramaic script is very much different from Hebrew, but the letters go by the same name, the same spot in the alphabet, and have the same sounds. The four letters in both Aramaic and Hebrew in Yeshua’s name are “yod, shin, vav, ayin”, reading right to left. In Aramaic script, it looks like this:
Below, I’ve added a page out of the gospels from one of the older Aramaic Peshitta texts, and circled in blue Yeshua’s name, on the third line, second word from the left:
The point of all of this is that Yeshua’s name does not need “Yah” stuffed into it. Yes, Yeshua inherited the Name יהוה , “Yahweh”, from God His Father. But, it is already part of His full title by which all men are saved, so, we do NOT need to stuff the Name of God into Yeshua’s name. The Name that is above all names is יהוה ישוע המשיח , “Yahweh Yeshua HaMashi’akh” , or יהוה Yeshua the Messiah. Each of those NAMES, together, sum up the idea of “Father, Son, Holy Spirit”. This is seen in many places in the Aramaic New Testament, but perhaps seen best in Philippians 2:9-11:
“God also has highly exalted Him and given Him a Name which is above every name, 10that at the Name of Yeshua [ישוע] every knee should bow, of those in heaven, of those on earth, and those under the earth, 11and every tongue shall confess that He, Yeshua [ישוע] HaMashi’akh, is יהוה , to the glory of Elohim His Father.”
This is where many people get the idea to call Him “The Lord Jesus Christ”. This title is the full Name of the Messiah. But, His given name, as a man, was Yeshua, because He was given as an infant and it was foretold that He would ‘Save’ His people from their sins.
The ancient Hebrew Scriptures also show us that “Yeshua” became the standard form of the Name “Joshua” during and after the Babylonian captivity:
The books of Ezra and Nehemiah were written during the Babylonian captivity. The name “Yeshua” is prominent in both of those books, as a person named ישוע / Yeshua becomes not only a High Priest, but a picture of our Messiah, Yeshua.
Ezra chapter two brings this person up first, in verses 2, 6, 36, and 40:
2who came with Zerubavel, Yeshua, Nekhem-Yah, Serayah, Re’elayah, Mordakhai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rekhum, Ba’anah.
באֲשֶׁר בָּאוּ עִם זְרֻבָּבֶל יֵשׁוּעַ נְחֶמְיָה שְׂרָיָה רְעֵלָיָה מָרְדֳּכַי בִּלְשָׁן מִסְפָּר בִּגְוַי רְחוּם בַּעֲנָה
The book of Ezra also mentions him in chapter 3, 4, 5, 8 and 10. Nehemiah also mentions this same person, in chapters 3:19, 7, and 8-12, for a total of 17 references to the Name ישוע .
And there were two prophets speaking to Israel at this time, Haggai and Zechariah. Haggai addresses Zerubavel the governor of restored Israel and Yeshua, the High Priest, who came out of captivity, to resume building the temple, but Haggai calls him “Yehoshua”:
חַגַּי הַנָּבִיא אֶל זְרֻבָּבֶל בֶּן שְׁאַלְתִּיאֵל פַּחַת יְהוּדָה וְאֶל יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן יְהוֹצָדָק הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל
This is “Khagai”, Haggai 1:2, and it matches Ezra 3:2 as being “Yeshua the son of Jozadak:
בוַיָּקָם יֵשׁוּעַ בֶּן יוֹצָדָק וְאֶחָיו
The variations in spelling of both of those names is because of the mixture of Aramaic and Hebrew. But, this same Yeshua, mentioned in Ezra and Nehemiah, called in Haggai “Yehoshua”, is also referenced in Zechariah, and is seen there as an obvious archetype of Yeshua the Messiah:
1And he showed me Yehoshua The Kohen HaGadol standing before the Malakh יהוה , and HaSatan standing at his right hand to accuse him. 2And יהוה said unto HaSatan, ” יהוה rebuke you, O HaSatan, yes, יהוה that has chosen Yerushalayim rebuke you; is not this man a brand plucked out of the fire?” 3Now Yehoshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the Malakh. 4And he answered and spoke unto those that stood before him, saying, ”Take the filthy garments from off him.” And unto him he said, “Behold, I cause your iniquity to pass from you, and I will clothe you with robes.” 5And I said, “Let them set a fair miter upon his head.” So they set a fair miter upon his head, and clothed him with garments; and the Malakh יהוה stood by. 6And the Malakh יהוה forewarned Yehoshua, saying, 7“Thus says יהוה Tzeva’ot, ‘If you will walk in My ways, and if you will keep My charge, and will also judge My house, and will also keep My courts, then I will give you free access among these that stand by. 8Hear now, O Yehoshua The Kohen HaGadol, you and your fellows that sit before you; for they are men that are a sign; for, behold, I will bring forth My servant Tzemakh.
This same man is mentioned again in chapter six of Zechariah, and is there also called Yehoshua. So, Ezra and Nehemiah, who are ministering in Israel after the return of the exiles, call the High Priest of Israel at that time “Yeshua,” and this Yeshua is prefigured as Messiah by the two prophets of the day. This is alluding to Yeshua, who is snatched from the throes of Hell and crowned as our King, is also our High Priest, according to the book of Hebrews. That cannot escape even the average reader of scripture.
This confirms that what the Messenger [Malakh] said to Joseph, recorded in Hebrew first, since Matthew’s gospel was written in Hebrew first, but also recorded in Aramaic, the sister language of Hebrew, is actually that His Name is called “Yeshua”.
“O Yosef, Ben David, do not be afraid to take your wife Miryam, because he that is to be born of her is of The Ru’akh HaKodesh. 21She will give birth to a son, and you will call His Name יֵשׁוּעַ [Yeshua]; for He shall save His people from their sins.”
And the rest of the Aramaic scriptures, which have been around since the 1st century, record His Name as ישוע . Nothing else.
So many ‘messy-anics’ are calling Him “Yahusha” , “Yah-Husha” , “Yahu-Shua”, and other bizarre contrivances which are not rooted in scripture at all. They understand that He is divine, so they want to call Him יהוה , but they do not understand that He is fully man as well, and has a human name. His Divine Title is יהוה ישיע המשיח , and thus it is unnecessary to MODIFY the scriptures and call Him by something other than what GOD said to call Him.
Is it important? Yes. If you are going to say you follow The Word, follow it. Do not follow later superimpositions of manmade ideas, because you have a hunch. The Ru’akh/Spirit will not violate what is written. God inspired the written Word; the evidence is overwhelming.
Here is our standard article on our website with more information about where “Yeshua” is used in scripture. Do not be beguiled away from the simple truth of His Word by ‘spin’.