Why do we call Him Jesus?

Published on 23 July 2025 at 21:59

In Greek, the name "Jesus" is written as Ἰησοῦς (Iēsous). It is a transliteration of the Hebrew name Yeshua (ישוע), which is also rendered as Yehoshua (יְהוֹשׁוּעַ) and means "Yahweh saves" or "the LORD is salvation". The Greek name Iēsous was used for both Jesus and Joshua in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible), demonstrating how the name was transliterated into Greek long before the New Testament era. 

Here's a breakdown: 
  • Hebrew (Yeshua/Yehoshua): The original name, meaning "Yahweh saves" or "the LORD is salvation"

 

  • Greek (Iēsous): The Greek transliteration of Yeshua, used for both Jesus and Joshua.

 

    • English (Jesus): The English rendering of the Greek Iēsous.
    Therefore, the name "Jesus" in Greek, Iēsous, ultimately derives from the Hebrew name meaning "Yahweh saves". 
     
     
    The name "Jesus" is rendered as Yeshua in Hebrew, and is the name used in the original language of the Old Testament. In Greek, it's Iēsous (Ἰησοῦς). In English, the name is transliterated as "Jesus". Other languages use variations of these forms, such as Jésus in French and Spanish, Gesù in Italian, and Iisus in Romanian, according to Collins Dictionary. 
     

     

    • Greek: Iēsous (Ἰησοῦς).
    • English: Jesus.
    • German: Jesus.
    • Japanese: イエス (Iesu).
    • Korean: 예수 (Yesu).
    • Russian: Иисус (Iisus).
    • Spanish: Jesús.

     

    The name "Jesus" evolved from the Hebrew name "Yeshua" (ישוע), meaning "Yahweh is salvation." This name was then transliterated into Greek as "Iesous" (Ἰησοῦς), and ultimately Latinized as "Iesus," which then became "Jesus" in English. The name change reflects linguistic adaptations and the need to pronounce the name in different languages. 
     
    Here's a more detailed breakdown:
     
    • Yeshua (Hebrew): The original name, meaning "Yahweh is salvation" or "Yahweh saves,". It was a common name among Jewish people during the Second Temple period. 
     
    • Iesous (Greek): The Greek translation of Yeshua, necessitated by the fact that Greek lacked the "sh" sound and often added an "-s" ending to masculine names. 
       
    • Iesus (Latin): The Latin version of Iesous, which then became the basis for the English name. 
       
    • Jesus (English): The modern English form of the name, influenced by Latin pronunciation and English phonetics. 
       
       

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