The name of our God is paramount in our faith whether you are a Christian, Messianic Jew or Jewish. All three faith groups are grounded in the belief of the one God of Israel and His Messiah. Although the interpretations of the ancient Hebrew Scriptures vary in translation for these groups; one point is crystal clear in all three – There is Power in the name of God!
I grew up in a Southern Baptist congregation in Texas where I was taught to call on the name of Jesus (the son of God) for everything. No one seem to know God’s name and there were not many sermons about HIM so, we used generic terms like God or Father. At age 11, I started asking questions of my pastor and others about God the Father who put His son Jesus on the cross to die for my sins. I wanted to know HIS name and where was this place called Israel? I can clearly remember one Easter Sunday, after performing my leading role in the Easter play; I asked my pastor why there were no Easter eggs and bunnies at the foot of the cross? Of course, I did not get an answer. These were innocent questions to me, and they were deeply rooted in my spirit. Little did I know at the time; it was the beginning of my lifelong search for the true identity of my God and His Son.
Studying the Hebrew roots of the Christian faith has been my passion for more than 30 years. One of my greatest joys has been learning the Hebrew names for God and Jesus, along with everyone else’s name in the Hebrew Bible. I have since learned that each name in its original Hebrew language carries layers of meaning and symbolism. The Hebrew language is full of fascinating revelations! Yeshua is the original Hebrew name before it is translated into Jesus in English. The name Yeshua in Hebrew means Savior or God Saves. Perhaps that is why the term “being saved” is important: only Yeshua can truly “save” us. Yeshua is the Name Above All Names that multitudes cry out to every day for safety, security, peace, and healing. In the book of Acts 4: 11-12 Peter (Kefa in Hebrew) and John (Yochanan in Hebrew) state:
11 “This Yeshua is the stone rejected by you builders which has become the cornerstone. 12 There is salvation in no one else! For there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by whom we must be saved!” Complete Jewish Bible Translation (CJB)
To me, Jesus, the name that most Christians are accustomed to saying, will always have a special place and power in the world. When translated from Hebrew into Greek, (the New Testament was written in Greek), the name Yeshua becomes Iēsous. The English spelling for Iēsous is “Jesus”. The English name “Jesus Christ” means “Jesus the Messiah or Jesus the Anointed.” The first thing I noticed is the word “God” is not part of the English translation, but believers have many names, titles and characters that do incorporate the name of God when praising Jesus Christ. We have a popular Christian poster called, “Names of Christ” in our home. It is a beautiful list of references we as believers find in our Savior: from the “Lamb of God” to “The Way, The Truth and The Life” all which are revealed to us through the Hebrew language of the original scriptures. This is what I love about the Hebrew name Yeshua, His biblical identity comes alive. There is real Power in His name “God Saves”.
The Bible is full of names and titles that define and describe who Yeshua (Jesus) is and his mission on this earth as our Messiah. I think it gives a whole new meaning to the phase; “What’s in a name?” Here is a link to a list available online that reveals 50 of Yeshua’s identities. I like this list because each name is accompanied by scripture. It is from Debbie McDaniel’s blog on Crosswalk.com .
What’s in the Name of Yeshua?
The best answer to this question I found on the website for the Bibles for Israel Ministry which is headquartered in Israel. This is an excerpt from the article: https://free.messianicbible.com/feature/one-else-brings-salvation-yeshua/
“The name that Jesus’ mother, Miriam (Mary), would have shouted out when dinner was ready, is Yeshua! It is His authentic, original, and meaningful name. And it carries His essential nature. Yeshua is actually a shortened form of Yehoshua (יהושע) or Joshua.
English Names like Jeremiah, Jehoshophat, Jonathan, etc., begin with YH (Yeho) in Hebrew. This is also how the name of God in Hebrew begins—Yeho-vah. The second part of Joshua in Hebrew consists of the root ‘yasha’, which means to deliver, save or rescue. Yeshua, therefore, essentially means the God saves. When singing His Hebrew name during worship for the first time, many Christians often sense the Presence of God, since the Holy Spirit loves to reveal Yeshua as He is. Let’s take a closer look at who Yeshua is as revealed in His name.
“21 She (Miriam [Mary] ) will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Yeshua, [which means ‘Adonai (God) saves,’] because he will save his people from their sins.”.” (Matthew 1:21) Complete Jewish Bible Translation
The common noun yeshuah (יְשׁוּעָה) with the final Hebrew letter heh added means salvation as in deliverance. From the same root as Yeshua, comes the word “Hoshia-na!” which literally means Save now, I pray! The Hebrew people were continuously calling out to God for freedom from disease, trouble, safety and security from enemies and disasters, famines, and sickness. The people were constantly in need of God’s Salvation (Yeshua) which is the main theme throughout the entire Bible- Old and New scriptures.
His Very Name Recorded on Our Hand!
In our home, I have a collection of Christian art and among my favorites is a Messianic art piece called, Yeshua Hand by Karen Jack which reveals how the name of Yeshua is recorded on our right hand in Hebrew! The artist uses each Hebrew letter in the name Yeshua to form a right hand. Karen describes the art this way: The Name of Yeshua pictured in 4 Hebrew letters upon the right hand (palm upraised). During worship we raise our right hand; “Extending the glory of Yeshua’s Name! A Salutation, a healing touch and a call for His help.” This Messianic art piece also connects to the numerous references to the Right Hand of God throughout the scriptures. The Hebrew letters used to write the name Yeshua proclaim who He is!
Behind the Name
In the name Yeshua we find the word “god” (God saves) which was not uncommon in the Jewish culture of that time. Many Hebrew names carried an attribute or reference to God as in Yehoshua or Joshua meaning “the Lord is my Salvation”; Eliyahu (Elijah meaning “my God is the Lord”; and even the common church acclaim, Halleluyah which means “Praise the Lord”. The Hebrew identity is based in the names of the God of Israel. I was delighted to find my English name “Amelia” translates into Hebrew as “Amalyah” which means “Work of the Lord” or “Labor of Yahweh” or “God at Work.” I think this is a perfect description of my spiritual walk. I strongly recommend every believer find the Hebrew translation for their name, because in it you will find your Spiritual Identity.
