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יֵשׁוּעַ

𐤉𐤔𐤅𐤏

Yeshua

H3443 noun

SILEX Entry

Root ישע to save, deliver, come to the aid of

Definition

Yeshua, a proper noun serving chiefly as a personal name for multiple individuals in the Hebrew Bible, particularly prominent as the postexilic leader and priest who participated in the reconstruction of the Jerusalem temple. The term may also be used as a place name. Its lexical meaning, as a name, is derived from a verbal root conveying 'salvation' or 'deliverance,' often interpreted as 'Yahweh is salvation,' though the theophoric element is not explicit in this form. The semantic range includes personal name of individuals, a place name, and, in some settings, a short form for longer theophoric names such as Yehoshua (Joshua).

Semantic Range

personal name (multiple Israelites of post-exilic and Second Temple periods); chief priest of the return from exile; place name; abbreviated or contracted form of Yehoshua (Joshua); eventually, common Hebrew name in late Second Temple period (parallel to Greek Iesous but distinct in biblical usage)

Root / Etymology

The name יֵשׁוּעַ (Yeshua) is generally considered a postexilic shortened form of יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Yehoshua, Joshua), which itself comes from the root יָשַׁע (yasha‘, to save, deliver). The shortened form likely reflects linguistic shifts in late Biblical and Aramaic Hebrew. Etymology uncertain in finer details since the explicit theophoric element (Yahweh) is not present in יֵשׁוּעַ, though it is understood contextually as implied.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, יֵשׁוּעַ appears as the name of several individuals, most notably the postexilic priest, a key leader in the return from Babylonian exile and the rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple (Ezra, Nehemiah). The name also occurs for other Israelites and, in one instance, designates a settlement in Benjamin's tribal territory. Yeshua is the Aramaic/Hebrew equivalent that, in post-exilic times, eventually gave rise to variant renderings such as Iesous in Greek. In late Second Temple and post-biblical Judaism, Yeshua became a very common form of the name Joshua. In older English translations, the distinction between 'Joshua' and 'Jeshua' sometimes reflects translation conventions or period pronunciation. The Hebrew יֵשׁוּעַ should not be confused with older forms such as Yehoshua, even though they are related etymologically. In later religious tradition, 'Jesus' emerged from Greek Iesous, which was itself a transliteration of Yeshua, but this later usage lies outside the scope of biblical usage and should not be anachronistically read into the Hebrew text.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Aramaic) corresponding to יֵשׁוּעַ; {Jeshua, the name of ten Israelites, also of a place in Palestine}; Jeshua.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

ישע (y-š-ʿ) — to save, deliver, come to the aid of

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1954 הוֹשֵׁעַ in Deliverance
H1955 הוֹשַׁעְיָה Yahweh has saved
H3091 יְהוֹשׁוּעַ in YHWH-saves
H3442 יֵשׁוּעַ to Yeshua
H3444 יְשׁוּעָה my deliverance

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3443-01 וְ/יֵשׁ֣וּעַ veyeshua AC/Np and Jeshua and Yeshua 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3443-01 Ezra 5:2 וְ/יֵשׁ֣וּעַ veyeshua AC/Np and Jeshua and Yeshua
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