Yeshua: the Name of the Son of God, meaning 'He will Save'

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Yeshua: the Hebrew Name of the Son of God

In order to have everlasting life, we must ‘believe on the name of the Son of God’; therefore we must know his name. This blog explores his name (Yeshua), and how he is the 'Rod out of the Stem of Jesse', the 'brand' (rod) plucked out of the fire. He 'comes in his father's name'.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. (John 1:12)

And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son, Yeshua Ha’Maschiach, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.           (1 Jo 3:23)

Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Yeshua Ha’Maschiach of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Ac 4:10-12)

“But these are written, that ye might believe that Yeshua is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” (John 20:31)

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What then is the name of the Son of God?

Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell? (Pr 30:4)

Many people will respond to the question of ‘what is the son’s name’ with the answer ‘Jesus’. This is the Greek name which is given in the translated New Testament.

This answer hides the Hebrew meaning of the name, which is well worth understanding.

In scripture, names have meanings. They are often introduced with an explanation, as with the sons of Jacob.

In Genesis, each time one of the twelve sons of Jacob is born and named, their name is explained:

And Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said, Surely the Lord hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me.

And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because the Lord hath heard that I was hated, he hath therefore given me this son also: and she called his name Simeon.

And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi.

And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the Lord: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing. (Ge 29:32-35)

Similarly, when the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him what name to give Mary’s son, he gave the explanation ‘he will save his people from their sins’:

But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Yeshua for he shall save his people from their sins. (Mt 1:20-21)

Thus we expect that the name of his Son will have something to do with ‘he will save’ and / or salvation.

In Hebrew, ‘he will save’ is transliterated as ‘Yeshuwa’ and pronounce ‘Yay-shoo-ah’. It is given in Strong’s concordance by H3442:

יֵשׁוּעַ Yêshûwaʻ, yay-shoo'-ah

for H3091; he will save; Jeshua, the name of ten Israelites, also of a place in Palestine:—Jeshua.

proper locative nounproper masculine noun

Thus the Son’s name must be ‘Yeshuwa’ which is generally written in English as ‘Yeshua’. It is a proper name, and it means ‘he will save’.

Can we find further evidence for this?

“If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Yeshua Ha’Maschiach his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)

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‘The Righteous Branch’

From prophesy, we are expecting ‘a righteous Branch’ from the line of David, who will be King and execute judgment:

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. (Jer 23:5-6)

In Zechariah 6, this ‘Branch’ is announced to be Joshua the high priest, who will build the temple of the Lord, and bear the glory and he shall be a priest on the throne (thus combining the ‘offices’ of priest and king):

And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, which are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah;

Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest;

And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord:

Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. (Zec 6:9-13)

Here is the JP Green KJ3 Literal translation of verse 12:

And speak to him, saying, Behold! A Man! The BRANCH is His name! And he shall spring up out of His place and He shall build the temple of Jehovah. (Zec 6:12, Green’s KJ3)

The translation ‘Behold! A Man!’ is more emphatic, and is echoed in the words of Pilate in John 19:5:

Then came Yeshua forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man! (John 19:5)

From Hebrews we know that the Messiah is this high priest:

Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;

A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. (Heb 8:1-2)

He is the (only) ‘door’ through which we can approach God and obtain salvation:

But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.

Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens. (Heb 7:24-26)

“I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” (John 10:9)

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The name of the Righteous Branch’: ‘Joshua’

Let us now look at the name of the Righteous Branch, ‘Joshua’.

In Strong’s concordance, it is given by H3091:

יְהוֹשׁוּעַ Yᵉhôwshûwaʻ, yeh-ho-shoo

or יְהוֹשֻׁעַ Yᵉhôwshuʻa; from H3068 and H3467; Jehovah-saved; Jehoshua (i.e. Joshua), the Jewish leader:—Jehoshua, Jehoshuah, Joshua. Compare H1954, H3442.

Our attention is drawn to it because Moses ‘re-names’ Oshea the son of Nun, ‘Jehoshua’:

And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua. (Nu 13:16)

Joshua is of course the one that comes after Moses and leads the children of Israel into the Promised Land, just as his namesake is later to redeem his people to lead them into the Kingdom of God.

The name is derived from the name of the Most High (H3068) and the Hebrew word for save (‘yasha’), H3467, via the word Oshea which means ‘deliverer’ (Strongs H1954):

הוֹשֵׁעַ Hôwshêaʻ, ho-shay'-ah

from H3467; deliverer; Hoshea, the name of five Israelites:—Hosea, Hoshea, Oshea.

proper masculine noun

Note that Nun means ‘perpetuity’, so Joshua is referenced as the son of perpetuity.

“Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.” (Isa 60:21)

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The name ‘Joshua’ has the meaning ‘saved by the Most High’, and ties in with Zecariah 3, where Joshua is shown as ‘a brand plucked out of the fire’:

And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan

standing at his right hand to resist him.

And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?

Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.

And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.

And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood by.

And the angel of the Lord protested unto Joshua, saying,

Thus saith the Lord of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.

Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.

For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.

In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree. (Zec 3:1-10)

Joshua has been made clean (sanctified) and made the judge of God’s house.

Yeshua says that he has been sanctified and sent into the world:

Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? (John 10:36)

He has sanctified himself so that we also might be sanctified:

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. (John 17:17-19)

“Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.” (Isa 55:3-4)

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A Rod out of the Stem of Jesse

In the Septuagint version of Zec 6:12, the words ‘spring up from His place’ are translated as ‘spring up from his stem’, which leads us unto Isa 11:1 in which ‘the Branch’ makes another appearance, alongside the phrase ‘a rod out of the stem of Jesse’:

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;

And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:

But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. (Isa 11:1-5)

What can ‘a rod out of the stem of Jesse’ mean?

Whilst ‘stem’ is most likely a reference to ‘genealogy’, and ‘rods’ are often offspring to rule, here are some ‘more abstract’ thoughts.

“I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.” (1 Sa 16:1)

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The Stem of Jesse

Jesse is David’s father, a man that went for an old man in the days of Saul:

Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Beth-lehem-judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man went among men for an old man in the days of Saul. (1 Sa 17:12)

His name is represented by Strong’s H3448:

יִשַׁי Yishay, yee-shah'-ee

by Aramaic אִישַׁי ʼÎyshay; from the same as H3426; extant; Jishai, David's father:—Jesse.

proper masculine noun

‘Extant’ is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as ‘something very old that is still existing.’

The ‘stem’ or root of the name is H3426:

יֵשׁ yêsh, yaysh

perhaps from an unused root meaning to stand out, or exist; entity; used adverbially or as a copula for the substantive verb (H1961); there is or are (or any other form of the verb to be, as may suit the connection):—(there) are, (he, it, shall, there, there may, there shall, there should) be, thou do, had, hast, (which) hath, (I, shalt, that) have, (he, it, there) is, substance, it (there) was, (there) were, ye will, thou wilt, wouldest.

substantive

This root appears 129 times in the KJV, and is generally translated as ‘there is’ or ‘it is’, so a version of the verb ‘to be’.

Thus the ‘stem’ referenced in Isa 11:1 could be ‘Yesh’ (pronounced ‘yaysh’).

“Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.” (Isa 55:4)

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A Rod (of Iron)

What is the rod growing out of the stem?

We know that the Son will break the heathen with a ‘rod of iron’:

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying,

Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. (Psalm 2:1-12)

We have already seen a ‘rod of iron’ in Zec 3, in the form of a ‘brand plucked out of the fire’:

And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? (Zec 3:2)

The word for ‘brand’ is Strong’s H181:

אוּד ʼûwd, ood

from an unused root meaning to rake together; a poker (for turning or gathering embers):—(fire-) brand.

masculine noun

We know that Yeshua is in some sense a ‘smoking firebrand’ and came to send fire on earth:

I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? (Lu 12:49)

Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:

For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.

The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. (Lu 12:51-53)

Thus it seems that in one sense ‘the rod’ may be a reference to a ‘rod of iron’, a ‘firebrand’ or poker to rake the embers.

Interestingly the transliteration ‘uwd’ also means to testify, witness, protest, warn, as per Strongs H5749:

עוּד ʻûwd, ood

a primitive root; to duplicate or repeat; by implication, to protest, testify (as by reiteration); intensively, to encompass, restore (as a sort of reduplication):—admonish, charge, earnestly, lift up, protest, call (take) to record, relieve, rob, solemnly, stand upright, testify, give warning, (bear, call to, give, take to) witness.

verb

As we know, Yeshua is the ‘faithful witness’ who came to bear witness to the truth:

Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Yeshua answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? (John 18:37-38)

“And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.” (Re 2:27)

“And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.” (Re 19:15)

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I am come in my father’s name

I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. (John 5:43)

Yeshua is from the house of David, and is descended from Jesse. He came as the ‘rod from Jesse’, in his father’s name.

Ishi / Jishai / Jishiy

Note that the Strong’s definition of ‘Jesse’, the name of David’s father, included אִישַׁי ʼÎyshay.

The word ‘Yishiy’ represented by Strong’s H3469 means ‘saving’:

יִשְׁעִי Yishʻîy, yish-ee'

from H3467; saving; Jishi, the name of four Israelites:—Ishi.

proper masculine noun

“Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him." (Heb 5:8-9)

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Salvation

The Hebrew word for ‘salvation’ is transliterated ‘Yeshuwah’. In Strong’s concordance, it is given by H3444:

יְשׁוּעָה yᵉshûwʻâh, yesh-oo'-aw

feminine passive participle of H3467; something saved, i.e. (abstractly) deliverance; hence, aid, victory, prosperity:—deliverance, health, help(-ing), salvation, save, saving (health), welfare.

feminine noun

The root verb is H3467, transliterated ‘yasha’:

יָשַׁע yâshaʻ, yaw-shah'

a primitive root; properly, to be open, wide or free, i.e. (by implication) to be safe; causatively, to free or succor:—× at all, avenging, defend, deliver(-er), help, preserve, rescue, be safe, bring (having) salvation, save(-iour), get victory. Verb

Yeshua goes to the house of Zacchaeus: ‘This day salvation has come to this house’

We see in Luke 19 how Yeshua goes to the house of Zacchaeus and says that ‘salvation’ has come to his house:

And Yeshua entered and passed through Jericho.

And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.

And he sought to see Yeshua who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.

And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.

And when Yeshua came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.

And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.

And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.

And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.

And Yeshua said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.

For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

“Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” (Heb 9:8)

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How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.

Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.

The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. (Isa 52:7-10)

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Ro 10:13-14)