Name of Jesus - Its Meaning

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him, and has graciously given Him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee may bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue may confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11 (EMTV)

There is a day coming very soon when the above verse will be painfully clear to all who dwell on the earth. From the fall of man, through the time of the Law of Moses until the present day, the knowledge of good and evil has kept man from acknowledging God for who He is--the great "I AM." Because He is I AM, there is no power greater. But this is what mankind has failed to comprehend.

With the rampant apostasy of this current time and the ever-increasing insidiousness of deception, we must have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to us. There is danger all around, with its tentacles waiting to wrap itself around our souls, to draw us away from the only One who is Life. The clamor of false doctrine is stupefying, but the delusion of which Paul the Apostle spoke will have an even greater effect. Why?--because it comes from God Himself. Where is the fear of this God who created all things and who holds the universe in the palm of His hand--this God who will have the last say?

Man is always full of self, with grand ideas as to how to please God. In this article, we will examine one of the many things being presented as the way to be biblically correct. So often man puts forth his ideas with an authoritative "voice," but the One Greater has it all under control--and He always will. Come along with me as we take a small glimpse at the awesomeness of our God.

A very prevalent move to place Christians in bondage to legalism has been gaining momentum, and catching countless believers unaware. With hearts desiring to be pleasing to the Lord, they easily become entrapped in this "new/old" thing about adhering to the Old Covenant--when Jesus gave His all to free His people from it. One that was brought to my attention, more recently, is the use of the "biblically correct" names of God.

His Name is what?

As we said in a recent Nuggets of Truth mailing, I was contacted by a gentleman who had written a book about the Name of Yahweh. Something he said brought a witness in my spirit. But it was not the whole of what he said, or the book he wrote, that caused me to realize the significance of the Name of our God and His Son Jesus. The countless times the word "name" is used throughout the Bible, in reference to YHVH God and Jesus, had always caught my attention but I had never truly researched it. Now, because of this email from the gentleman, I knew this was something to "dig into" and share what I knew in my spirit was important.

To show how prevalent this legalistic adherence to the Name is, a recent Internet search of the word "Yahweh" brought up a result showing over 7 million entries. Upon scanning through some of the web sites, it appears numerous ones are saying we must use the Name Yahweh instead of "God" or "Lord," or even "Jesus."

Let's examine the word meanings and how they are used in the Bible.

The correct pronunciation of YHVH is "YAHWEH," but because the Hebrew word contains no vowels, it looks like this image which I copied from an online Hebrew dictionary, then pasted, photographed and edited. James Strong gave the meaning of the word as "(the) self Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God." Numerous Bible translators used "Jehovah" and "LORD" for YHVH, which would seem to be where Strong got the idea for his definition. What a far cry from the true meaning, which is "(the) self Existent or Eternal." Now we see why God told Moses that He is the I AM! As some suggest, maybe the Jews themselves changed it to suit their own waywardness because this is how they portrayed YHVH: "'yehôvâh’ (pronounced 'yeh-ho-vaw')."

But God is God! And He fulfills His will in spite of man.

There is another Hebrew word, "Jah" which Strong describes as, "Contracted for [YHWH], and meaning the same; Jah, the sacred name." It has been translated in the following three ways: "Jah", "the Lord", "most vehement."

The word "Jah" was used only once in the King James Version, in Psalm 68:4. "Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rides upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him." The remainder of times, Jah was translated LORD, as found numerous times in the Psalms and twice in Isaiah. All other occurrences in the Old Testament of the capitalized LORD were translated from YHVH which also occurred as JEHOVAH four times and GOD four times; always upper case.

Maybe the Jews pronounced YHVH as "yehôvâh", but the Name of Jah was proclaimed in countless other ways. It was interwoven in their lives, as well as the lives of their enemies. Jah's Name carried on from generation to generation, and who He is was constantly declared every time certain names were uttered.

What's in a name?

With the Name of Jah being declared, how could the Hebrew people ever forget the Self-Existent One? Here are some of the ways they lived with the remembrance of Him, in spite of their determination so often to depart from His statutes. Just look at the meaning of several of the more familiar names. (For reference, a list of the remaining ones can be found at the bottom of the page.)

flame of Jah -- Uriah [the husband of Bathsheba] whom David had killed
contempts of Jah -- Bizjothjah, a place in Palestine
Jah has remembered -- Zachariah, Zechariah
Jah has saved -- Hoshaiah
strengthened of Jah -- Hezekiah
Jah will rise -- Jeremiah
Jah has saved -- Isaiah
seen of Jah -- a hill in Palestine, Moriah
who (is) like Jah? -- Micah
consolation of Jah -- Nehemiah
serving Jah -- Obadiah
strength of Jah -- Uzziah
Jah has secreted -- Zephaniah

YHVH God established the declaration of His Name. He did not need lips of clay to legalistically carry out His will. Yes, His people were under the Law and were required to obey every part. But when it came to something as important as His Name going forth, only He could be the guarantor of that most important aspect of Himself.

One example can be found in a passage in Exodus where He was laying out before Israel some of the details of the Law. "Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee by the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Take ye heed of him, and hearken unto his voice; provoke him not: for he will not pardon your transgression; for my name is in him." (Exodus 23:20-21)

Then we find where Moses had asked YHVH to show him His glory, and this is what Moses heard in response: ". . . I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD [YHVH] before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for man shall not see me and live." (Exodus 33:19-20)

When Moses returned up the mountain with the hewn tablets of stone, as YHVH had commanded, ". . . the LORD [YHVH] descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD[YHVH]. (Exodus 34:5)

Is it any wonder David was a man after God's own heart? David began and ended the eighth Psalm with these words: "O LORD ['YHVH/Self-Existent One'], our Lord [Hebrew: 'Sovereign'], how excellent [Hebrew: 'powerful'] is thy name in all the earth! (Psalm 8:1&9)

Who declared the Name of YHVH in all the earth? Of course, we can see that it was the LORD Himself. His Name is not some mere moniker--it is the essence of His person. He is I AM! He was, He is and He always will be. Why would He need the unclean lips of mortal man to make His Name known?

The Name of Jesus

When the day came for God to carry out His prophesied plan to redeem mortal man, He did so by giving His Name to His only Begotten Son. But He did not simply name Him YHVH. As was customary, the Son's Name had a meaning, but being the offspring of I AM, the name would be of greater importance than any other name. The meaning of the name of the Son of God is "YHVH-saved."

A familiar verse to everyone, is this one where we find the angel's instruction to Joseph as to the name of the baby Mary was carrying: "And she shall bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name JESUS; for it is he that shall save his people from their sin." (Matthew 1:21) Of course, it was translated from Hebrew to Greek, then from Greek to English. Therefore we must look at the origin of the translated words.

The Greek word Ie¯sous, in English, is pronounced Jesus. Here is Strong's definition: Of Hebrew origin [H3091]; Jesus (that is, Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites.

The "Hebrew origin" is pronounced yehôshûa‛ yehôshûa‛ and is defined as, "From YHVH and yâsha‛ [to free or succor]; Jehovah-saved; Jehoshua (that is, Joshua), the Jewish leader." With the Jewish pronunciation of YHVH being "Jehovah" it strays from the more accurate (and God-used) Name of "Jah." So this leads us to Strong's other definition in the Hebrew dictionary, which is this: "For H3091; he will save; Jeshua, the name of two Israelites, also of a place in Palestine." The pronunciation is "yeshua," and is familiar to many. We see from the Hebrew name "Yeshua," that it truly says "Jah freed/saved."

When we, as English-speaking people, say the Name of Jesus, we are saying "Jah freed" in our language. The Greeks pronounced it "Iesous" and the Hebrew-speaking people say "Yeshua."

Does God ask us to change our language to that of another? I don't believe He does. But if we choose to use Yeshua or Jah in worship, or in addressing Him, I'm sure He receives it. The most important thing is, that He knows our hearts and he knows Whom we are addressing. He lives in us, and our communication is spirit to Spirit, so how much more intimate could that be? There would be no confusion as to Whom we are speaking. The spiritual life is a life of knowing, when words are not always necessary. It is a level beyond the reach of mortal man. It is God's realm! Did Jesus not say "The Kingdom of God is within you?" If only we could grasp even a minuscule amount of the reality of I AM!

The reality of Jesus' Name

This verse shows the reality and significance of Jesus' Name which was given because of its meaning.

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Acts 4:12

John spoke often of the need to "believe on the Name" of Jesus; and to do so would be to put trust in what His Name actually means--Jah saved. Here are some examples:

He that believes on him is not judged: he that believes not has been judged already, because he has not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:18

But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13

And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name. John 20:30-31 (EMTV)

And this is His commandment: that we should believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ and should love one another, just as He gave commandment. 1 John 3:23 (EMTV)

These things I write to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe in the name of the Son of God. 1 John 5:13 (EMTV)

The power of His Name

There is power in the Name of Jesus. Do we truly comprehend how much power? The meaning of His Name is what makes it powerful because it is a declaration that Jah freed. And because Jah is I AM there is no greater power.

When the Name of Jesus is spoken, demons have to flee--they cannot stand that Name. At the command "Be healed in Jesus' Name," sickness flees; the lame walk; the blind see; the deaf hear and the lepers are made clean. For two thousand years, that Name has been proclaimed in faith, and countless miracles have been performed, with even the dead being raised to live again.

Aside from those familiar deeds, done because of that Name, some accounts indicating the power of Jesus' Name have been overlooked due to mistranslations in the Bibles we've had for hundreds of years.

There are two passages where we find one particular mistranslated word. It is common practice to "baptize" people "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost," assuming this was commanded by Jesus and the Apostles. But that one little word "in" is where we find the problem. For such a very short word, its misuse is critically misleading.

First, this passage spoken by Jesus, which in the "authorized" KJV contains the erroneous "in": "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world [age]. Amen." (Matthew 28:18-20)

Now see the more accurate quote, as found in Gran's old Bible: "All authority has been given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded [charged] you: and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." (Matthew 28:18-20)

The Greek word used for "in" does not mean "in." Thayer defines the word, using these: "into, unto, to, towards, for, among." Strong's more involved definition is, "A primary preposition; to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etc.)"

There again we have the weakening of the New Covenant message which was given to man through the shedding of the precious blood of Jesus.

But that verse is not the only one--there is another, in the book of Acts. "And Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2:38)

Of the fourteen Bibles I checked, not one used the word "into." With the exception of the Literal Translation of the Holy Bible, which used the word "on," every other one used the word "in" to translate from the Greek. Just to look at the word "epi" is enough to show the meaning is not "in." Here is Strong's definition: "A primary preposition properly meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etc.), as a relation of distribution [with the genitive case], that is, over, upon, etc.; of rest (with the dative case) at, on, etc.; . . ." The bold words help tie together the meaning of faith which is trusting/resting on what Jesus accomplished by His death and resurrection, as declared in the meaning of His Name.

Upon examination of the two above passages, it is clear that Jesus and Peter were both speaking of "baptism [washing]" into that Name that is above every name. And we find further evidence of this wonderful truth, in Paul's words. "But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:11b (EMTV)

In the above verse, the Greek word translated "in" is "en" and defined as, "A primary preposition denoting (fixed) position (in place, time or state), and (by implication) instrumentality (medially or constructively), that is, a relation of rest. . ." This is also the word used whenever faith "in" Christ is written about--it is about resting in the finished work of the Cross, as declared in the meaning of His Name which is "Jah freed/saved/delivers/pardons."

Jesus' prayer

Matthew 6:9b, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name," (EMTV) is the beginning of what is popularly referred to as "The Lord's Prayer." It is His model for us, to pray a prayer of submission and trust in I AM, the Self-existent One.

Jesus' own prayer, which He prayed before His crucifixion, was one of heart-felt submission, and a plea on behalf of His own to be kept by the power of the Father's Name--"Jah." The full chapter is His prayer but we will look at this part where He prayed, "O righteous Father! Indeed the world did not know You, yet I knew You; and these knew that You sent Me. And I made known to them Your name, and I will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them. John 17:25-26 (EMTV)

In closing

There are countless other passages where the Name is spoken of, but it would take a book to include them all. Right to the end of the bible, in the Revelation of Jesus Christ, we see the significance of Jesus' Name, and reference to His other Names.

Regarding the ekklesia of brotherly love, Jesus said, "He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and by no means shall he go out any longer. And I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from heaven from My God. And My new name." Revelation 3:12 (EMTV)

Later on, we read John's words describing some of what he was shown.

And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns, having names written, and a name written that no one knows except Himself. And He is clothed in a robe having been dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God . . . And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name having been written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Revelation 19:11-13, 16 (EMTV)

In the earlier part of the same chapter, where is described much rejoicing at the destruction of Mystery Babylon--the Great Whore, we read, "Then a voice came from the throne, saying, 'Praise our God, all His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!' And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, and like the sound of many waters, and like the sound of mighty thunders, saying, 'Hallelujah! For the Lord God Almighty has begun to reign!'" (Revelation 19:5-6 EMTV)

The word "Hallelujah" is translated from the Greek "allelouia" and literally means "praise ye Jah!. So, every time we shout "Hallelujah" we are praising Jah the Self-existent One.

There is only one thing left to say, and that is HALLELUJAH!

The following is a short quote from Dr. Michael Brown explaining where the name "Jesus" came from:

"The original Hebrew-Aramaic name of Jesus is yeshu‘a, which is short for yehoshu‘a (Joshua), just as Mike is short for Michael. The name yeshu‘a occurs 27 times in the Hebrew Scriptures, primarily referring to the high priest after the Babylonian exile, called both yehoshu‘a (see, e.g., Zechariah 3:3) and, more frequently, yeshu‘a (see, e.g., Ezra 3:2). So, Yeshua’s name was not unusual; in fact, as many as five different men had that name in the Old Testament. And this is how that name came to be 'Jesus' in English: Simply stated, this is the etymological history of the name Jesus: Hebrew/Aramaic yeshu‘a became Greek Iesous, then Latin Iesus, passing into German and then, ultimately, into English, as Jesus."
~ Dr. Michael Brown has a Ph.D in Semitic languages--which of course include Hebrew and Aramaic--the original languages of Jesus and His people. He is a recognized authority on this topic.

*****************************************

Here is the promised list of names that were reminders of the Name of Jah for thousands of years.

father (that is worshipper) of Jah--lord (that is, worshipper) of Jah--heard by Jah--Jah has seized--brother (that is, worshipper) of Jah--strength of Jah--Jah has said (that is, promised)--Jah has reserved--Jah has built--Jah (is) master--in (the) work of Jah--emptying (that is, wasting) of Jah--Jah has created--knee (that is, blessing) of Jah--daughter (that is, worshipper) of Jah--Jah has become great--Jah has perfected--love of Jah--Jah has delivered--majesty of Jah--Jah has given--Jah has risen--Jah has hidden--festival of Jah--Jah has seen--darkness of Jah--portion of Jah--Jah has favored--fearing Jah--Jah has regarded--thought of Jah--Jah has dipped--heard of Jah--founded of Jah--built of Jah--building of Jah--blessed of Jah--beloved of Jah--praised of Jah--Jah has known--Jah (is) adding--sprinkled of Jah--Jah will shine--unity of Jah--Jah will behold--Jah will live--Jah will enable--Jah will establish--Jah will sustain--emboldened of Jah--Jah will liberate--Jah will rise--fearful of Jah--Jah will throw--Jah will empty--Jah will lend--Jah will hear--Jah has sustained--Jah has planted--assembly of Jah--refuge of (that is, in) Jah--(whom) Jah has delivered--king of (that is, appointed by) Jah--ornament of Jah--rescue of Jah--found of Jah--possession of Jah--ally of Jah--gift of Jah--largess of Jah--convened of Jah--servant of Jah--light of Jah--given of Jah--supported of Jah--Jah has adorned--Jah has strengthened--Jah has helped--Jah has loaded--Jah has answered--Jah has covered--answers of Jah--Jah has made--Jah has helped--Jah has constrained--Jah has ransomed--Jah has delivered--Jah has distinguished--Jah has judged--Jah has observed--Jah has opened--right of Jah--voice of Jah--entrapped of Jah--Jah has seen--Jah has enlarged--Jah has raised--Jah has bedecked--made to tremble (that is, fearful) of Jah--Jah has shaken--Jah has cured--Jah has grown (that is, prospered)--Jah has sought--Jah has dwelt--thank offering of Jah--Jah has heard--Jah has guarded--Jah has stormed--Jah has judged--Jah has brought heat--Jah has prevailed.

©2004-2020 ekklesia4him.net. Permission is granted for not-for-profit reproduction or distribution (without any changes) provided this notice appears and this link is included: https://www.ekklesia4him.net/name_of_Jesus_its_meaning.html