Quick Summary
Jesus was called Yeshua in His native Hebrew and Aramaic context. When the New Testament was written in Greek, His name was transliterated as Iēsous, which later became “Jesus” in English. The change reflects language development, not theological distortion. Scripture places importance on the person of Christ, not on a single pronunciation of His name.
Throughout history, few names have spread as far or carried as much meaning as the name of Jesus. For many readers, this raises a simple but genuine question. If His original name was Yeshua, why do English speakers call Him Jesus? Was something lost along the way, or was the name itself changed more than it should have been?
The Bible addresses this question earlier than many people realize. This name was not chosen by family custom or cultural habit. It was given intentionally. Before Jesus was born, an angel instructed both Joseph and Mary to give Him this name (Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:31). The reason was explicit. His name points to salvation. “The Lord saves.”
In the world where Jesus lived, His name was spoken as Yeshua. At the time, this was a familiar Hebrew and Aramaic name. It combined “Ya,” a shortened form of Yahweh, the covenant name of God revealed in Exodus 3:14, with the verb yasha, meaning to save or deliver. Even without theological explanation, the meaning is clear. God saves.
As news about Jesus moved beyond Judea, His name traveled with it. The New Testament was written in Greek, the common language of the eastern Roman world. When Yeshua was rendered in Greek, it became Iēsous. Later, as the message passed into Latin and then into various European languages, both pronunciation and spelling continued to shift. In English, Iēsous eventually became Jesus.
This development sometimes causes confusion, especially when people notice that the letter J did not exist in ancient Hebrew or Greek. Yet this is simply how languages work. They change over time. English itself has gone through repeated spelling reforms. We still speak of Jerusalem and Judea without assuming a historical error. Changes in spelling do not change identity.
A name can sound different without referring to someone else. We call the same object a book, livre, or libro, depending on the language. The word changes, but the object remains the same. In the same way, calling God’s Son “Jesus” does not separate Him from the historical Yeshua. It reflects how His name, like His message, crossed linguistic and cultural boundaries.
Some believe believers should use only the Hebrew form of His name. Scripture gives no indication that this is required. In fact, it presents a different picture. On the day of Pentecost, the gospel was proclaimed in the native languages of people from many regions (Acts 2:9–11). The Holy Spirit did not enforce a single pronunciation. What mattered was understanding, not phonetics.
The Bible’s invitation is not about pronouncing a name correctly, but about calling upon the Lord in faith. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Acts 2:21; Joel 2:32). Scripture consistently places saving power not in syllables, but in the person to whom the name points.
Calling Him Jesus does not change who He is, what He did, or what His name means. Whether spoken as Yeshua, Iēsous, Jesus, or in another language, the reference remains the same. The saving Lord.
Throughout the New Testament, His name is linked with authority, forgiveness, healing, and salvation. These realities are never tied to one language. They are tied to Him.
There is an irony worth noticing. Insisting on a single “correct” pronunciation can distract from the heart of the gospel itself. God did not reveal Himself to one culture or one language alone. In Christ, He entered human history so that people from every nation and tongue could know Him.
Christians call Him Jesus because that is how His name reached them. It came through Greek, through translation, through history, and through mission. Scripture does not elevate one language above others, nor does it ask believers to return to Hebrew when addressing the Lord. It calls for faith.
His name carries the same meaning in every language. The Lord is salvation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Scholarly examination of the primary theological, historical, and biblical inquiries addressed in this guide.
What linguistic rules governed the transliteration from Hebrew Yeshua to Greek Iēsous?
The phonetic development from Hebrew Yēshūa‘ (ישוע) to Greek Iēsous (Ἰησοῦς) was an objective linguistic process necessitated by Greek phonology, first codified in the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Scriptures c. 250 BC: 1) Greek possessed neither the semi-vowel Yodh (/y/) nor the consonant Shin (/sh/), rendering the initial sounds as Iota (Ι) and Sigma (σ). 2) The final guttural consonant ‘Ayin (ע) had no phonetic equivalent in Greek and was dropped. 3) In Greek grammar, masculine singular nominative nouns cannot end in an open vowel; they require a masculine nominative case ending, standardly Sigma (-ς), allowing the name to be declined across cases (Iēsous, Iēsou, Iēsoun). Thus, Yēshūa‘ naturally and faithfully became Iēsous without altering the theological substance.
