Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

b-hebrew - Re[2]: Name of Jesus

b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: peter_kirk AT SIL.ORG
  • To: b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: Re[2]: Name of Jesus
  • Date: Sat, 17 Apr 1999 14:01:01 -0400


Surely there is good evidence that YESHUA is a short form of YEHOSHUA
rather than the simple noun:

1. The name YESHUA [Y"$W.A(] is pointed with tsere, not shewa, as its
first vowel: this, as well as the lack of a feminine ending,
distinguishes it from the noun meaning "salvation" which could also be
transliterated YESHUA [Y:$W.(FH].

2. The name YESHUA seems to be used interchangeably, in later texts,
for the longer name YEHOSHUA [Y:HOW$W.A(, Y:HOW$UA(]. The LXX
equivalent of both forms is nearly always IHSOUS. The first to have
this name was Moses' successor; his name is nearly always given in the
long form, but in Neh 8:17 as Y"$W.A(. The post-exilic high priest is
Y:HOW$UA( in Haggai and Zechariah but Y"$W.A( in Ezra and Nehemiah.
Other individuals have the longer form of the name in Samuel and Kings
and the shorter form in Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah. The division is
strictly by books, except that the longer form is used for Moses'
successor in 1 Chr 7:27.

Thus I conclude that the shorter form should be considered an
abbreviation of the longer one which was preferred by the Chronicler,
the LXX translators and in later times.

Peter Kirk


______________________________ Reply Separator
_________________________________
Subject: Re: Name of Jesus
Author: gathas AT mail.usyd.edu.au at internet
Date: 16/04/1999 18:19


Kevin L. Barney wrote:

> 1. Is Yeshua simply a shortened Hebrew variant of Yehoshua, or is it an
> Aramaic form? (Orthographic differences between Hebrew and Aramaic often
> seem to revolve around the letter hey, so I would guess it's Aramaic, but
> that is just a guess.)

Neither. Yehoshua (Joshua) can be broken up into:Yeho (Yahweh) + shua ("is
salvation" or "is
opulence" - either a verb or noun)

Yeshua (Jesus), however, is simply a noun meaning "salvation" or "victory".
Ther
e
is no theophoric
(divine name) element in Yeshua as there is in YEHOshua. However, there is a
suggestion that it is
simply an abbreviated form of Yehoshua. Either is possible.

> 2. How do we derive Yeshua as the Semitic name of Jesus? Do we work
> backwards from the Greek transliteration Iesous based on the names of other
> people named Yeshua, or is there some other evidence scholars have brought
> to bear on this question?

You can do that. But "Yeshua" was a very popular name in Jesus' day. There
were
numerous historical
persons bearing this name whom Josephus mentions. In addition, we have the
evidence from Ezra and
Nehemiah of the priest "Yeshua" whose name is rendered into Greek as IHSOUS
(eg,
Ezra 3:2)..
Best regards
GEORGE ATHAS
Dept of Semitic Studies,
University of Sydney
- Email: gathas AT mail.usyd.edu.au
---------------------------------------------------
Visit the Tel Dan Inscription Website at
http://www-personal.usyd.edu.au/~gathas/teldan.htm
---------------------------------------------------





Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page