What Is Jesus’ Real Name?

Name: Tyron S.
Question: Why do we use Jesus Christ instead of his real name of Yeshua?

Answer: Thank you for the question Tyron.

This topic has created a lot of confusion for some Christians.

Some say we should not say Jesus, as there is no “J” in the Hebrew language. Well, there is no “J” in the Greek language either, but people never have a problem saying, “James”, “John”, or “Jerusalem”.

We are going to learn, we say Jesus as that is the English translation of His name, while Yeshua (Yehoshua) is the Hebrew word for His name. So the name of our Lord will be spelled according to the language being used. There is no blasphemy in that as some may claim.

Think about it, we have been called to spread the Gospel to the world right, (Matthew 24:14)?

We do that by learning the language of other people, and then relaying the Word of God to them in their language. That does not distort the Word of God, that simply makes it available to everyone in their own language.

All right, now let’s dive in.

Yeshua or Jesus?

So that we may better understand, we are going to take the name of our Lord Jesus Christ from Acts 4:10. Then we are going to see how His name appears in the Greek and Hebrew languages. We will do that by using the Strong’s Concordance.

Jesus Name In Greek

In the Greek language, “Jesus” is Strong’s word G2424 which tells us,

Ἰησοῦς

Iēsous

ee-ay-sooce’

Of Hebrew origin [H3091]; Jesus (that is, Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites: – Jesus.

That is the Greek definition for Jesus or Jehoshua (Joshua).

  • Our Lord’s name in Greek is “Iēsous”.
  • We pronounce it as “ee-ay-sooce’”.
  • It means “Jesus” which is “Jehoshua” in English.

So “Iesous” is the Greek name, and “Jesus” is the English translation.

Now notice, the Greek word “Iesous” originates from the Hebrew language. In order to find that definition, we need to look up this Hebrew word which is Strong’s word H3091 as given above.

Let’s see what it tells us.

Jesus Name In Hebrew

יְהוֹשֻׁעַ יְהוֹשׁוּעַ

yehôshûa‛ yehôshûa‛

yeh-ho-shoo’-ah, yeh-ho-shoo’-ah

From H3068 and H3467; Jehovah-saved; Jehoshua (that is, Joshua), the Jewish leader: – Jehoshua, Jehoshuah, Joshua. Compare H1954, H3442.

That is the Hebrew definition, and the origin of the Greek word “Iesous”.

  • Our Lord’s name in Hebrew is “Yehôshûa‛”.
  • We pronounce it as “yeh-ho-shoo’-ah”.
  • It means “Jehovah-saved” or “Jehoshua” in English.

So “Yehoshua” is the Hebrew name, and “Joshua” is the English translation.

Yes, this is the Hebrew word used to identify Joshua from the Old Testament. So Jesus and Joshua actually share the same exact name. That carried over to the Greek language as we explained, further evident as “Iesous” means, “Jesus, that is, Jehoshua”.

In fact, the King James Bible mistakenly translated the Greek word “Iesous” as “Jesus” in Hebrews 4:8 and Acts 7:45, where “Joshua” is the proper translation.

So the Greek word “Iesous” did not corrupt the name of Jesus as some critics claim. The Greeks simply called Jesus “Iesous”, which is the Hebrew equivalent of “Yehoshua”.

We Speak English, So We Say Jesus

For English speakers, we simply say Jesus, which is the English equivalent of the Greek word “Iesous”, which is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word “Yehoshua”.

If we run around saying “Yehoshua” (Yeshua) to an English-speaking audience, they are not going to understand our speech. There is no wisdom to be had there.

We should understand, the Bible has been translated into 704 additional languages.

Do some contend making the Bible available in other languages is an abomination to God?

I hope not.

After all, Jesus Himself told us,

Teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Matthew 28:19, 24:14

How can we teach the nations of the world without speaking in their language?

Further, we should be reminded of Pentecost Day. When the 12 Apostles spoke in one language, but their speech was understood by everyone in their own native language, (Acts 2:1-12, 21-22).

This miracle brought forward from the Holy Spirit confirmed, God brought salvation to the world through His Son Jesus Christ, (Joh 6:40, Rom 6:22-23, 1 Jo 5:11-12).

That event documented, the spelling and pronunciation of Jesus Christ will change depending on what language is being used. Therefore, we simply “call on the name of the Lord” in whatever language we speak, and we will be saved, (Joh 3:16, Act 2:21, Rom 10:9).

Is It Yehoshua, Yeshua or Yeshu?

You may have noticed, the question concerned the word “Yeshua”.

However, the Strong’s Concordance explained the origin of “Jesus” comes from the Hebrew word “Yehoshua”. So within this great debate, we have some who call Jesus; Yehoshua, Yeshua, Yeshu, and even, Yahshua.

Notice, we have “Yah”, instead of “Yeh” in the last word.

This is claimed by some Christians to be another point of contention and blasphemy which is absurd. Christians should not become so hung up on linguistics, that we confuse our brothers and sisters in Christ, and turn the Word of God into no effect for them, (Mark 7:13).

For clarity, if we speak Hebrew, the proper word to identify our Lord is “Yehoshua”.

What Does The Name Jesus Christ Mean?

Before we wrap this up, how about we put it all together?

We already know “Jesus” in Hebrew means, “Jehovah-saved”.

We should also understand, “Christ” in Greek means, “the anointed Messiah”.

So Jesus Christ means, ‘Jehovah’s Savior, the Anointed Messiah’.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, some Christians will try to steal your salvation from you. Some will condemn you for saying Jesus, while others will condemn you for working on Saturday or Sunday.

Just remember, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ paved the way for salvation. When we accept Christ and live according to His Words, we will obtain Eternal Life. Don’t ever let anyone take that away from you.

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