Bible Fact · Matthew 1:21 — 'She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.'
The Meaning of the Name Jesus
The Fact
The name Jesus comes from the Greek 'Iesous,' which is a transliteration of the Hebrew/Aramaic name Yeshua (ישוע), itself a contracted form of Yehoshua (Joshua). The name means 'YHWH saves' or 'The LORD is salvation.' The angel Gabriel gave this name deliberately: 'You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins' (Matthew 1:21). The name was common in first-century Judea — the historian Josephus mentions at least twelve different men named Yeshua/Jesus in his writings. Jesus was not given an unusual name to mark him as special; his life and resurrection were what set him apart. The name Joshua in the Old Testament (the same name) was carried by the man who led Israel into the Promised Land — a typological foreshadowing of Jesus leading his people into eternal rest. In Hebrew, the name contains the divine name Yah (YHWH) — meaning every time someone calls on the name of Jesus, they are, in the name's very etymology, calling on the Lord who saves.
Context
The full form of Jesus's name in Hebrew prayer tradition is 'Yeshua ha-Mashiach' — Jesus the Messiah. 'Mashiach' (Messiah) means 'anointed one,' paralleling the Greek 'Christos' (Christ).
Significance
The name Jesus — God saves — is not just a label but a theological declaration. His name is his mission statement, announced before his birth.
Reflection
Acts 4:12 declares there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. What does it mean to you, personally, that salvation is located in a specific name?