the Millennium

Yahshua vs Yeshua?

Q. Why do you pronounce the savior’s name Yahshua instead of Yeshua?

A. According to the Messiah in John 5:37, He came in His Father’s name. Since biblical scholarship recognizes “Yah” as the short form of Yahweh’s name, the Messiah likely contained this name within His own. This would also explain why so many biblical scholars confirm that the Messiah’s name means, “Yahweh is salvation.” Consider the following:

  • “Jesus Messiah – Greek form of Joshua and of title meaning “Yahweh is Salvation” (Holman Bible Dictionary).
  • “JESUS: …meaning “Yahweh is salvation.” (International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia).

Also,both the Greek Diaglott and Exegesis Bible confirm the pronunciation “Yahshua:”

  • “Jesus, [a savior,] the Son of God, the Messiah, the savior of the world. This name is composed of Yah, or Jah, I shall be and Shua, powerful;-‘I shall be the powerful.” (Diaglott, appendix under Jesus, emphasis added, 1942).
  • “Yah Shua transliterated name {3091 yahshua} {3442, 3443, yashua} [2424 ieesous] Yah Saveth; the name of Mosheh’s successor, the name of the Messiah, and the name of other persons” (ExeGeses Bible, lexicon under Yahshua).

Yeshua is a Hebrew feminine term that simply means salvation and does not have a contraction of the tetragrammaton, the “heh” is absent after the yod: Reference: H3444 יְשׁוּעָה There is a similar masculine name Yayshua יֵשׁוּעַ H3442 which contains the tsere vowel under the yod. This name also does not contain a “heh” after the yod or the contraction of the tetragrammaton. The Hebrew name Joshua יְהוֹשׁוּעַ H3091 is a masculine proper name that we see for the son of Nun in the Old Testament which is also the name of the Messiah. This name is a contraction of YHWH and Yasha יָשַׁע (to deliver) and has the meaning of Yahweh is Salvation.

In Acts 7:45 and Hebrews 4:8, the King James translators erred by inserting “Jesus” into passages clearly referring to “Joshua,” the Old Testament son of Nun. This is indisputable evidence that the name Joshua (Yahshua) had been changed by translators of the New Testament to Jesus. / Yahshua’s Name can be broken down to “Yah” and “Hoshua.” “Yah” is found in the Father’s Name Yah-weh, while Hoshua means salvation. Thus, “Yah is Salvation.” The Emphatic Diaglott says the name “is composed of Yah, or Jah, I shall be and Shua.

Another indicator for the short form “Yah” within the Messiah’s Name comes from Akkadian cuneiform tablets. Within these tablets are many Jewish names with the prefix “Yah” and “Yahu” dating to 572-477 BCE. Akkadian is a language cognate to Hebrew. Examples of such names include: Yahadil, Yahitu, Yahmuzu, Yahuazar, Yahuazza, and Yahuhin. YRM contacted several professors through email inquiring about these names and received the following responses. Professor Ran Zadok from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem who specializes in Mesopotamian, Iranian and Judaic Studies, confirmed, “It seems to me that the cuneiform spellings render approximately *Ya(h)w.”

Professor Martin Worthington from Cambridge who specializes in Babylonian and Assyrian grammar, Mesopotamian literature, Mesopotamian medicine, Quantitative methods and the study of ancient languages, states, “…scholarly consensus has it that Yahwistic names are well attested in first-millennium Babylonia. There is a strong tendency (though not an absolute rule) for the form to be yahu at the beginning of the name, and yama at the end of the name (though yama is actually yawa, since in this period intervocalic m is usually pronounced w). The cuneiform script does include vowels.  The sign IA is a bit of a special case, since it can represent ia, ii, iu or ie.  But in this case we also have spellings such as ia-a-hu, showing that the vowel is indeed ‘a’.”

The evidence for “Yah” in the prefixes of Jewish names within the Akkadian may suggest a possible shift between “Yah” to “Ye” between the Neo-Babylonian and Achaemenid (572-477 BCE) and the Masoretic (6-10 century CE) periods.

So how did the name “Yeshua” develop? Some theorize that it developed through a linguistic process called dissimilation. The online Oxford Dictionary defines Dissimilation as, “Change (a sound or sounds in a word) to another when the word originally had identical sounds near each other (e.g. in taper, which derives from papyrus, the p is dissimilated to t).”

Another theory that may explain the development of “Yeshua” is a deliberate manipulation of the Hebrew text. It is well documented that the Masoretes (Jewish scribes) suppressed the true Name Yahweh out of a fear of pronouncing the ineffable Name. One particular instance can be proved from the Dead Sea Scrolls. Manuscript 4Q120-4QpapLXXLevb shows the Greek containing the short form of the name Iota, Alpha, Omega, transliteration: YAW or Yahw in Leviticus 3:12. In the Masoretic text (late-mediaeval)the vowels for Adonai were inserted into the Tetragrammaton in Leviticus 3:12, which changed the pronunciation from Yahw to Yehwah.

 

As noted in the book – The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English, pg. 472: “…It is worth noting that in Lev. iv, 27 (4Q120, fr. 20, 4) the Tetragram (the divine name YHWH) is rendered semi-phonetically as Iao, and is not replaced, as was customary later, by the Greek Kurios (Lord).”

In Hebrew, Jewish scribes inserted a vowel point, shewa (:) instead of the proper qamets (T), thus changing the sound “ah” in “Yah” to “eh.” The Encyclopedia Judaica further explains, “In the early Middle Ages, when the consonantal text of the Bible was supplied with vowel points to facilitate its correct traditional reading, the vowel points for Adonai with one variation – a sheva (short ‘e’) with the first yod [Y] of YHWH instead of the hataf-patah (short ‘a’) under the aleph of Adonai – was used for YHWH, thus producing the form YeHoWaH. When Christian scholars of Europe first began to study Hebrew they did not understand what this really meant, and they introduced the hybrid name ‘Jehovah’” (vol. 7, p. 680).

To avoid offending the Jews and their proscription against even the short form YAH, this same pattern may have also been used in other names that contained the first half of the theophoric element, including the Name of the Messiah, Yahshua.

 

 

 

 

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6 years ago

[…] The Name of the Messiah is also confirmed from the fact that He came in His Father’s Name, Yahweh (John 5:43). The Name Yahshua means, “Yahweh is Salvation.” Therefore, this is the Name the apostles would have used in the New Testament. For additional information on Yahshua’s Name, see our Q&A: Why do you pronounce the savior’s name Yahshua instead of Yeshua? […]

Jovan

Actually if you look into the history of the transliteration jesus is not the real name of the messiah it is impossible to transliterate the name of the messiah from Hebrew to (1) greek because the Hebrew language contains 3 sounds that don’t exist in greek (Y, H, and SH) which are all present in his name (Yahoshua). because of this they had to substitute for these sounds with ones that existed in the Greek alphabet; In place for the Y sound I was used, the H was dropped, and in place of the SH the S sound was used.… Read more »

Ivan88
Ivan88

Yes, Yahweh or Yahuah is what the Messiah’s name is based on, and is the same as Joshua, which is really YahShua, YahSaves and Christ’s name is YahShua. The name Jesus was invented by the Vatican, just as they invented the word Jew. There was no letter ‘J’ until about 500 years ago. Furthermore, if one takes the current pronounciation of Jesus, you get Gesus Γηεσμσ meaning unfaithful/seducing pig, which is how the Pharisees et. al. viewed YahShua.

Bradley
Bradley
5 years ago

I think it is Yahushua, because Yahshua this would be like Yash WAh, rath then Yash ew waH
Kinda like in japanese Sanosukue sounds like Sano su keH, but is really like Sa nosk KeH

dave
Reply to  Bradley
5 years ago

the real name is yahsua no other name given to the father

Mark Kent
Mark Kent
5 years ago

Yeshua is the Aramaic form of Hebrew that was widely spoken in Judea in those times. Hebrew was generally not spoken by the masses as it was the language of Priests and Scholars. This is a very abbreviated argument.

Mary
Mary
Reply to  Mark Kent
4 years ago

No matter what languages man changes the form of Gods name to , Yah’s name remains the same in every nationality and every tongue, and so does his son’s name. Yah ( I AM) Shua ( Salvation). However you want to spell it to form the sound of his one and only name, Yahweh ( I Am Almighty God ) and Yahshua Messiah ( meaning I Am Salvation ) it will produce the same sound in every language . No language on the planet – ancient or modern , lacks the letters or symbols to properly say his name, the… Read more »

Ivan88
Ivan88
Reply to  Mark Kent
4 months ago

Hebrew was invented by Pharisees/lawyers as a sort of “legal” language to trick people. YahShua and all the Prophets spoke Aramaic – Syrian Even Abraham was a Syrian. Deuteronomy 26:5

Charlie
Charlie
4 years ago

One thing is for sure. The pronunciation debate has caused more problems than I’ve ever seen. It’s shouldn’t be thy way. For example, in Hebrew we can’t just take two words and stick them together. People take Yah and stick it together with husha and that won’t work in the Hebrew language. One problem is our way of thinking. Consider this. The Psychology of the Ancient Hebrews is very different from our own and when we read the Bible we must learn to read it from the Hebrew’s perspective rather than our own. When we use a word like “name,”… Read more »

chris
chris
3 years ago

there was no name Yahweh. There was no w or w sound. This is a classic example of people answering question but have no clue. Yahuah, people. Yahuah.

Ivan88
Ivan88
Reply to  YRM
4 months ago

The Scriptures were written in Aramaic, named after Aram a son of Shem. the one language that survived the tower of Babel lingo confusion event. Syria has the Aramaic Bible. Strong’s Concordance & Dictionary uses Hebrew letters because they are easier to read.

Matthew B
Matthew B
Reply to  chris
3 years ago

In Paleo Hebrew there is a w letter but just like in any older language it wasn’t the w sound we got in English. Look up the history w stands for double u so, the sound would be uu. Long u sound. Also, the w in Paleo Hebrew could play as a vowel as well, just like other vowels are yad, hey too.

Last edited 3 years ago by Matthew B
André
André
Reply to  Matthew B
1 year ago

So not long “o” sound?

Sheshbatzzar
Sheshbatzzar
Reply to  chris
3 years ago

I read, recite and inscribe in Hebrew. Every yod, every letter, faithfully conforming to the most ancient manuscripts available. I recite the words of Abraham, of Moshe, and The Prophets. With joy I sing out the Psalms as I walk and recite and write the Proverbs, letter by careful letter in the midnight hours. Elohim has blessed me with vision. I am a sojourner upon this earth, where ever I set foot I am a stranger and speak with an accent, for so my Elohim made me and He has set me in this place. I hear my masters voice,… Read more »

Ivan88
Ivan88
Reply to  Sheshbatzzar
4 months ago

Sheshbatzzar, That is a good testimony. Thanks for sharing it. Hebrew and the little dits & dots were added much later in an attempt to replace the original Aramaic.

Sheshbatzzar
Sheshbatzzar
3 years ago

If one puts their mind to the task of reading, reciting and inscribing The Torah in its original language, a pretty good grasp of the applications and intentions of the letter ‘yod’ will become well established long before reaching Exodus 17:9 where the name generally rendered into English as “Joshua” first occurs. It needs be pointed out that the first and original scripts of this name actually are not ‘yod heh waw shin ayin’. (‘Joshua’ sic) This future leader of Israel was named “Oshea'(actually Heh waw shin ayin) “Ha’oshea the son of Nun”. The ancient term ‘oshea’ having the general… Read more »

Edward
Edward
Reply to  Sheshbatzzar
2 years ago

Thanks much appreciated.

Mary E duncan
2 years ago

Y do people say I have to call Jesus yeshua or yahuah or yahshua? If the people that think that I should use his Hebrew name only but can’t even agree on the Hebrew name used.. y should I stop using the name Jesus? To me they are all the same. Someone recently has even tried to convince me to that Jesus is baal…I refuse to believe that. They said there’s no power in the name Jesus and I refuse to believe that as well as I was delivered from my drug addiction in the name of Jesus. Please tell… Read more »

John
John
Reply to  Mary E duncan
2 years ago

You were delivered from your drug addiction because of your commitment not because of the name you call on. And if you are committed then you must be interested in truth because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. And the truth is that the Name is Yahshua. There is argument about the Old Covenant Name YAHwh’s pronunciation but there is no doubt about the pronunciation of Yahshua’s Name. Now some may not prefer the shortened form and would rather say Yahushua but either way the Name is Yahwh’s Salvation. The name Jesus does not carry this same meaning… Read more »

Sheshbatzzar
Sheshbatzzar
Reply to  Mary E duncan
1 year ago

Mary, Do you believe your Bible (whatever ‘version’ you may prefer)? If so, may I direct your attention to 2 Timothy 3:15-17 15.”And that from a child thou hast known (of) The Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Messiah Yahshua. 16.All Scripture is given by inspiration of Yah, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: The title “Messiah” and names “Yah” (see KJV Psalm 68:4) and “Yahshua” are here restored to more accurately reflect what a Hebrew man of the 1st century would have originally spoken and penned… Read more »

Bryan Maricle
Bryan Maricle
Reply to  Mary E duncan
10 months ago

The word Jesus is idolatry

Anon
Anon
2 years ago

The real truth is none of us know the real true name of Yahshua because of what is written in revelation.
Revelation 19:12 KJV
[12] His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.

Ivan88
Ivan88
Reply to  Anon
4 months ago

Good point. Moses asked His name and was given Anna Hyah Asher Anna Hyah, meaning, I am because I am. Which is how any person should say of themselves to be a better person. For example, “I am kind because I am kind. This programs your mind to accomplish and be such a goal. Emanuel & El or Elohim can also be titles or names for Christ. And, why should He tell us everything?
I listened to a girl in Iraq singing in Arabic about her love of Christ; And she called Him Mahdi, meaning MightyOne.

PCrute
PCrute
2 years ago

You stated:”Also,both the Greek Diaglott and Exegesis Bible confirm the pronunciation “Yahshua:” Please provide links to prove this claim as the Greek Diaglott I found online uses Jesus Christ, and I do not find a Bible simply titled “Exegesis Bible”

Jules
Jules
2 years ago

What is your opinion on Yahusha (Yah-OO-Sha) vs Yahshua? I have read that the “shua” is incorrect because it means crying out, while “sha” is derived from the word salvation?

Last edited 2 years ago by Jules
Craig
Craig
1 year ago

The pronunciation of Yahshua is impossible on a number of levels. It violates basic Hebrew phonology, as Hebrew linguistics do not allow the waw (ו), as in יהושע (Yehoshua), to be silent.[14] The pronunciation Yahshua likewise cannot be found with that spelling anywhere in history, in writings in Hebrew or otherwise, prior to the 1900s.[15] Hebrew scholar Michael Brown emphatically denies that “Yahshua” was the Hebrew name of Jesus: The original Hebrew-Aramaic name of Jesus is yeshu’a, which is short for yehōshu’a (Joshua), just as Mike is short for Michael… Why then do some people refer to Jesus as Yahshua?… Read more »

Bob Widmer
9 months ago

Yahshua’s street name in Judea at the time He walked the earth may indeed have had a street name of Yeshua. The is no way to know for sure, but we do know that the Jews will not say the sound “Yah”. Why is that? The answer if found in Jeremiah 44:26. Let’s have a look at what happened: Jermiah 44:23 Because you have burned incense, and because you have sinned against Yahweh, and have not obeyed the voice of Yahweh, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil is happened to you,… Read more »

Ivan88
Ivan88
Reply to  Bob Widmer
4 months ago

Thank You Bob & Craig too for your earnest and useful inputs to the subject; And, I have some more ingredients: The words, “Jew” & “Judah” and “Jesus” are all modern words about 500 years old. Yehuda was the original name for what people call Judah, which came about starting after 125 B.C. When the King of Yehuda attacked Edom and conquered them, (He thought) and He offered to let them live if they converted. Which they did on the surface. By the time of YahShua they had taken over the kingship, priesthood, temple, courts etc. The 2nd chapter of… Read more »

Ron
Ron
1 month ago

Okay great now where does YHVH instead of YHWH come in and why?

Hannah
Hannah
1 month ago

can I find an english Bible with Their real names? Yahweh AND Yahshua?
I have seen some with Yahweh but not Yahshua