יֵשׁוּעַ
Definition
Yêshûwaʻ is a proper noun, a personal name meaning 'He saves' or 'Salvation.' It is the Aramaic form of the Hebrew name יְהוֹשׁוּעַ (Yehoshua, Joshua), which is also the origin of the name Jesus. In its single biblical occurrence, it refers to Jeshua (or Joshua), the son of Jozadak, who was a high priest during the time of the Jewish return from exile. This Jeshua, alongside Zerubbabel, played a crucial leadership role in the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem, as recorded in Ezra 3:2 and Zechariah 3:1-9. The name itself encapsulates the concept of divine deliverance.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the Old Testament, in Ezra 5:2, where it identifies 'Jeshua the son of Jozadak' as a leader in the post-exilic community. While the word itself appears just once, the person it refers to is a significant figure in the books of Ezra, Haggai, and Zechariah, where he is consistently associated with the priestly leadership and the prophetic encouragement to rebuild the temple. The usage is exclusively as a proper name for this specific individual.
Etymology
יֵשׁוּעַ (Yêshûwaʻ) is a contracted Aramaic form of the longer Hebrew name יְהוֹשׁוּעַ (Yehoshua, H3091), which means 'Yahweh is salvation.' It derives from the Hebrew root יָשַׁע (yasha', H3467), meaning 'to save, deliver.' The Aramaic form was commonly used in the post-exilic period, reflecting the linguistic environment of the Persian Empire. This same name, through Greek transliteration, becomes 'Jesus' in the New Testament.
Semantic Range
This name is profoundly theological, directly linking to the core biblical theme of salvation. The individual Jeshua/Joshua serves as a type or foreshadowing of Jesus, whose name carries the identical meaning 'Yahweh saves.' Understanding that the high priest Jeshua, who helped restore proper worship, bears the same essential name as the Messiah enriches the reading of scriptures like Zechariah 3, where Jeshua's cleansing prefigures the work of Christ. It underscores the continuity of God's saving work throughout the biblical narrative.
In the post-exilic Jewish culture under Persian rule, Aramaic was the common language of administration and daily life. The use of the Aramaic form 'Yêshûwaʻ' instead of the classical Hebrew 'Yehoshua' reflects this linguistic shift. As a high priest, Jeshua held one of the most important social and religious offices, representing the people before God and overseeing the restoration of the temple—the center of national and spiritual identity.
יְהוֹשׁוּעַ (Yehoshua, H3091) — The original, longer Hebrew form of the same name, meaning 'Yahweh is salvation.' יֵשַׁע (yesha', H3468) — A related Hebrew noun meaning 'salvation, deliverance,' sharing the same root. יְשׁוּעָה (yeshuah, H3444) — Another noun meaning 'salvation, deliverance,' from the same root, often used in poetic and prophetic texts.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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