What a Wonderful Name it is.

I was asked to prepare a thought on my favorite name for the Savior for my institute class tonight. The following is what I prepared.

My favorite name for the Savior is the OG name: Jesus. But before we look at why this is important, we have to understand how the Hebrews name people. You will find it though out the whole of the scriptures if you know what to look for. In Hebrew a name is not just a name like most of the time in English, but more of a sentence or phrase that means something. (you can see my post on Malachi for a prime example from scripture) its kind of like what the Native Americans do. The example that come to mind is Sitting Bull, both a name and a phrase that has a meaning.

The name in the Bible with few exceptions are all these phrase names. Moses means drawn from water/ deliverer. Abraham means Father of Many. and as the Prophet popularized Israel can mean Let God prevail. This is the way the Hebrew do.

It is no Different with Jesus. Well that’s not entirely true, it’s a bit different. Jesus is not a Hebrew name. It is an anglicized version of Ἰησοῦς which is a Greek version of the Aramaic version יֵשׁוּעַ which is a contraction of the Hebrew name יְהוֹשֻׁעַ If that seems like a lot to go through it is simpler to remember that at Jesus’ time Hebrew was the written Language and Aramaic was the spoken language so we can cut the Greek and English steps out for them.

Let us look at the Hebrew יְהוֹשֻׁעַ this is 2 words squished together (phrase name) that is pronounced Yehoshu’a. the first part is יְה Which we will come back to (remember Hebrew reads right to left) and the latter part is שֻׁעַ pronounced yasha which means to save. This phrase shows up a lot in scripture. 206 time as it self and 256 more times in conjugated forms. Here are some of my favorites:

They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions. But I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. Ezekiel 37:23

But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen. Hosea 1:7

8 Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make known his mighty power.

9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry, and he led them through the deep as through a desert.

10 So he saved them from the hand of the foe and redeemed them from the power of the enemy. Psalms 106

11 I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior.

12 I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and I am God. Isaiah 43

On that day the Lord their God will save them, as the flock of his people; for like the jewels of a crown they shall shine on his land. Zechariah 9:16

So we can see that part of the name means to save, and there are countless time the lord promises to save throughout the scriptures. But what does the other part mean?

יְה Some of you may recognize that as half the tetragrammaton because it is. It is God’s name, specifically YH in the YHWH for first part of Yahweh which is sometimes translated as Jehovah. The full meaning of יְהוֹשֻׁעַ is “Yahweh will save us” implying a “from something”

Now let’s see if anyone else has this name in scripture? What, what do you mean? No one else is named Jesus in scripture. Yes, you are correct, but Jesus is the English version of the Greek of the Aramaic of the Hebrew. What is the direct English of the Hebrew? Joshua. And of them there are 2. Joshua son of Nun and Joshua (sometimes spelled Jeshua) son of Jozadak. The first is a familiar name, Moses’ right-hand man and, wait what is this? The Man who led the armies of God and took the promised land and saved the people from the destruction of their enemies. Yahweh saving his people through one so aptly named… could this be a reoccurring theme? (spoilers: it is)

The other is Less well known Jeshua son of Jozadak. Who is he, well I’ll tell you: He is the first high priest when the second temple is built in Ezra chapter 3. It is he who leads the people back into temple worship, it is he who first offers burnt offerings unto the Lord exactly according to the Law of Moses after the great exile. Among those offering is a sin offering. It is under his hand that Israel is saved from apostasy and once again has saving ordinances preformed. Once again Yahweh Saves His people through one aptly named.

Any Hebrew man who heard the Name of Jesus would know these stories, would know the breakdown of the name, and would he it as the Lord Saves His people instead of just an ordinary name.

Now I know what you are thinking. Is Yahweh a phrase name too? Why yes, it is, that phrase I am that I am comes to mind. The Lord’s name in Hebrew is the verb of being. I am. And we know Jesus is Yahweh. Jesus can, as the only one, take is name further to mean “I am He who saves His people”

And that is how the Apostles understood it as show in Matthew 1: 21-22

21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

It is no wonder when Nephi was told his name Shall be Jesus in 2nd Nephi 25:19 that a few short verses later he wrote:

And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

His name literally means He will save us from our sins.

When you pray put to Jesus, Know the name upon which you call and have faith that 6,000 years of promises are fulfilled in it.

Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God.

In Jesus name Amen.

As always I’m praying for thee, please pray for me.