Let’s dive into a debate that comes up frequently online: Should Christians call Jesus by his Hebrew name, Yeshua, instead?

The argument is that "Jesus" is a mistranslation or even a deception, and that using the original Hebrew pronunciation is necessary for salvation. I want to push back on this. For one, languages evolve and names naturally change as they are translated—but more on that later.

The apostles themselves, who walked with Jesus, wrote his name in Greek as "Iesous," so the idea that "Jesus" is somehow invalid doesn’t hold up.

Here’s the key issue I want to address: placing too much emphasis on specific pronunciations can lead to legalism.

If God is all-knowing and powerful, is he really unable to recognize prayers said in a different language? The Bible shows that God cares far more about the heart behind our words than the precise sounds we make.

Take a look at Romans 8, for example, which teaches that even when we don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. This suggests that God isn’t hung up on syllables—he’s listening to those who sincerely seek him.

The takeaway? The name of Jesus is powerful, but its meaning and significance transcend pronunciation.

Whether someone calls him Jesus, Yeshua, or even the Spanish "Jesús," what matters is that they are referring to the Son of God as revealed in scripture. The early church understood this, which is why the New Testament, written in Greek, adapted the name rather than insisting on a single Hebrew form.

Instead of getting caught up in debates about letters and sounds, the focus should remain on who Jesus is and what he has done.

But let’s dig in a little more:

The Hebrew and Aramaic Name of Jesus

In its original Hebrew form, Jesus’ name was Yeshua, a shortened version of Yehoshua (Joshua). The name carries the powerful meaning "Yahweh saves" or "Yahweh is salvation," or just simply, “salvation” emphasizing God’s role as the Savior. Many biblical figures carried variations of this name, which was quite common during Jesus’ time.

The full form, Yehoshua, appears in the Old Testament, most notably referring to Joshua—you might recognize him as the guy Moses passed the torch to before his death on Mt. Nebo. He has a whole book of the Bible named after him.

Over time, linguistic shifts and cultural adaptations led to the shortened form Yeshua, which was widely used in Second Temple Judaism. This name reflected the Jewish expectation of a deliverer, making it fitting for Jesus’ role in Christian theology.

So fast forward to the first century A.D. Jesus and His disciples primarily spoke Aramaic, a common language in first-century Judea. In Aramaic-speaking communities, Yeshua would have been the natural pronunciation. The influence of Aramaic on Hebrew pronunciation likely contributed to the name’s common use among Jewish people of that era.

How “Yeshua” became “Jesus”

Now, I’m not a Greek scholar, so bear with me here. Sometime between the 1st and 3rd centuries BC, the Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek (what we call the Septuagint, or as you’ll sometimes see abbreviated in your Bible’s footnotes: LXX). All the appearances of Yeshua were rendered as Iēsous (Ἰησοῦς) due to the limitations of the ancient Greek language, which lacked certain Hebrew sounds.

For example, ancient (Koine) Greek does not have a direct "sh" sound, so the "sh" in Yeshua became simply "s." Additionally, Greek grammar required names to end in specific letters, leading to the addition of the final “-s” (making it "Iēsous").

Moving ahead in our linguistic odyssey, we come to Latin. As Christianity spread through the Roman Empire, the Latin language further shaped the pronunciation. The Greek Iēsous was transliterated into Latin as Iesus. When English developed, the letter "J" eventually replaced "I" in many names during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, leading to the modern Jesus that we use today.

Even here, we begin to see that names often evolve as they pass through different cultures and languages. Just as John is Johannes in German or Juan in Spanish, Jesus' name naturally changed based on linguistic and grammatical rules. Despite these changes, the meaning behind His name—salvation—remains unchanged across languages.

Yeshua, and Jesus, Today

Why the deep dive on some ancient language and etymology? Understanding Jesus’ real name, Yeshua, brings deeper insight into a familiar Christmas story. See, in Matthew 1:21, the angel tells Joseph, "You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." (emphasis added)

Knowing that "Yeshua" means "Yahweh saves" or simply, “salvation” highlights the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies about a coming Messiah who would bring salvation to the world. So cool. I love it when the Bible begins to come together.

So as you think about the real name of Jesus, you can reflect on Yeshua and remember that Jesus was a real Jewish man who lived 2000 years ago—but more than that, he was the son of God, and God himself in the flesh. The “image of the invisible God.” as Colossians 1:15 says.

Even today, Jesus is known by different names across the world, such as Yesu in Swahili, Isā in Arabic, Iēsous in Greek, and Jesús in Spanish. Despite these variations, all these names point back to the same historical figure—Yeshua of Nazareth—whose life and message have transformed history.

So should we get hung up on the whole debate about the real name of Jesus? I’m not convinced it’s that big of a deal. We know who we mean, and God knows our heart.

Now obviously, don’t just start calling Jesus “Bob” or something. It’s at best, irreverent. But we also don’t have to stress over whether we’re getting it right.

God knows the heart, and Jesus is our salvation, however you pronounce it.

This was adapted from an episode of The Critical Levitical Podcast. Listen to the whole episode for more discussion and commentary about Jesus’ real name.