If His name was Yeshua, why do we call Him Jesus?

Question: "If His name was Yeshua, why do we call Him Jesus?"

Answer: Yeshua is the Hebrew name, and its English spelling is “Joshua.” Iesous is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name, and its English spelling is “Jesus.” Thus, the names Joshua and Jesus are essentially the same; both are English pronunciations of the Hebrew and Greek names for the Lord. (For examples of how the two names are interchangeable, see Acts 7:45 and Hebrews 4:8 in the KJV. In both cases, the word Jesus refers to the Old Testament character Joshua.)

In German, our English word “book” is buch. In Spanish, it becomes a libro; in French, a livre. The language changes, but the object itself does not. In the same way, we can refer to Jesus as “Jesus,” “Yeshua,” or “YehSou” (Cantonese), without changing His nature. In any language, His name means “the Lord Is Salvation.”

We refer to Him as “Jesus” because, as English-speaking people, we know of Him through English translations of the Greek New Testament. Scripture does not value one language over another, and it gives no indication that we must resort to Hebrew when addressing the Lord.

The command is to “call on the name of the Lord,” with the promise that we “shall be saved” (Acts 2:21; Joel 2:32). Whether we call on Him in English, Korean, Hindi, or Hebrew, the result is the same: the Lord is salvation.

Recommended Resources: Logos Bible Software and Jesus: The Greatest Life of All by Charles Swindoll.

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