The meaning of Yeshua, Jesus’ name—pronounced yeh-SHOO-ah no matter how you spell it—is probably the most important thing about his name. For more on that, see Why Was Jesus’ Original Name Yeshua?

Yeshua and Salvation in Hebrew

The name Yeshua — the Hebrew name of the Messiah — carries deep meaning: “Yeshua” is closely tied to the concept of salvation. Yeshua etymologically reflects the Hebrew root for salvation, deliverance, or rescue. In that regard, the name “Yeshua” isn’t arbitrary — it is intentionally meaningful: the Messiah’s name expresses his mission to bring deliverance. This theological insight draws on Hebrew biblical tradition, where names often embody a person’s destiny, character, or function.

Yeshuah in the Bible

The Hebrew word ישועה (yeshuah, Strong’s H3444) appears throughout the Old Testament to describe “salvation,” “deliverance,” “help,” or “victory” — often ascribed to God as the rescuer of His people. For example, in the dramatic moment before Israel’s crossing of the Red Sea, Moses urges the people, “Stand firm and see the salvation (ישועת יְהוָה) of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today.” That delivery from the Egyptians becomes paradigmatic — shaping the sense of God as Savior, and salvation as divine rescue. Throughout the Psalms, historical books, and prophetic writings, ישועה signals not only national deliverance but also personal rescue from danger, fear, or sin.

Yeshua HaMashiach Meaning

When one considers that Yeshua’s name evokes “salvation,” this Old Testament usage becomes especially significant. Yeshua HaMashiach listerally means “Jesus the Messiah.” In naming the Messiah “Yeshua,” it’s as though the biblical theme of God-wrought ישועה (salvation) gains a personal embodiment: the One who is salvation for Israel and for the world. This connection bridges the Hebrew Scriptures’ hope for deliverance with the Messiah’s role — portraying Yeshua not just as a human being with a Hebrew name, but as the promised divine rescue for humanity. In that light, the ancient Hebrew notion of salvation (ישועה) acquires renewed significance, fulfilled in the person and work of Yeshua.

Spelling Yeshua

And yet, though there has never been much controversy about what his name means, the way the name should be spelled has not always been agreed upon, at least in English. In Hebrew, it has always been the same, ישוע, but to transliterate it into other languages is another story.

Any language, when transcribed into another language, will not have exact equivalences. If we’re trying to spell Hebrew words with English characters, an “s” sound in English may be similar to a “samech” in Hebrew. That’s easy. But what do we do with the vowels, like “sh’va” or “patach” in Hebrew, which have no exact equivalence in English?

That very problem is a point of some controversy over how we should spell the Hebrew name of our Messiah in English. Some spell it “Yeshua” and others “Y’shua”. The difference is the transcribing of the vowel “sh’va.”

Our Y’shua Campaign

In 1982, a vandal used offensive language on the building of Jews for Jesus headquarters while no one was nearby. Our staff came to the office that next day to discover both the maligning of the name of our Messiah and our own overwhelming sadness at the desecration. Moishe Rosen, founder of the organization, told everyone to come to the main auditorium and after some discussion a long prayer meeting took place. We prayed both for the perpetrator and the wisdom to know how to respond.

As a result, our Y’shua campaign followed. We put the name up everywhere we could.

Even the Y’shua book and album (later CD) are a direct result of that prayer meeting.

We took the knock of the desecration of the name of our Messiah and made it a name to broadcast.

Moishe wanted to monitor the impact we might have as a result of the Y’shua campaign and chose to use the apostrophe rather than the “e” for the Hebrew vowel “sh’va.” That way, he could see, in media, in articles, in any manner of response, how far our reach actually went. Since we were only nine years old as an organization, that made sense.

And for years we could see that influence in who used the apostrophe and who used the “e.”

Yeshua Ever Since

But by 2013, that time for monitoring was long past. We had become a very widely-known organization and our continued us of unusual spelling only served too make us seem contrarian in the greater Messianic community. So we voted to change the spelling and have used “Yeshua” ever since.

The Hebrew Word for Salvation

In today’s society many people have names that were chosen for them because they sounded pleasant to their parents’ ears or because they represented an idea of some aesthetic significance. Out of the late sixties we have names like Moonbeam and Summit. One mother from the hippie culture even named her child Everlasting Peace.

American Indians were often named after animals that epitomized admirable qualities, such as Running Bear or Swift Eagle. The Puritans used to name their children after Christian virtues such as Faith, Hope, Charity, Mercy, Prudence, Patience, etcetera.

The Meaning of Names in the Bible

In Bible times people were given names that described them or something important about them, their life situations or their families.

For example, the name Adam has its root in the word adamah,” which means “earth,” from which God formed man. “Eve” means “lifegiver,” the name Adam gave his wife because she was the mother of all living (Genesis 3:20).

In Genesis 5:29, Lamech called his son Noah (which means “comfort”) saying, “This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands.…”

In Genesis 10:25, Eber named his firstborn son Peleg, meaning “division,” because “in his days the earth was divided.”

Why a Hebrew Name Would Be Changed

A given name also could be changed if that person underwent a life-changing situation.

In Genesis 17, the Lord covenanted with Abram to multiply and bless him throughout all generations. To emphasize this promise, he changed his name to Abraham, which means “father of many nations.”

In Ruth 1:20, Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law, changed her own name. She told the townspeople, “Call me not Naomi (pleasant), call me Mara (bitter), for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.”

Abraham’s son was named Isaac (which means “laughter”) because his mother Sarah laughed at the idea that she would yet bear a child in her old age.

Exodus 2:10 records that Pharaoh’s daughter chose the name Moses for the Hebrew infant she drew from the Nile because the name means “drawn forth.”

Meaning of Hebrew Names for Biblical Prophets

The Old Testament prophets were often commanded to give their children names that described God’s dealings with Israel.

Most Old Testament names that incorporate either the syllable “el” or the letter “Y” (sometimes “J” in English) incorporate the name of God. For example, Joshua (Hebrew Y’hoshuah) means “God saves”; Eli means “my God”; Daniel (Hebrew Dani-El ) means “God is my judge”; Jonathan (Hebrew Yhonatan) means “Jehovah gave,” or “God’s gift”; Ezekiel (Hebrew Yechezk-El) means “God will strengthen”; Zechariah (Hebrew Zechar-Yah) means “the Lord remembers”; Isaiah (Hebrew Yeshayahu) means “salvation of the Lord.”

When the angel told Joseph that Mary was to be the mother of the Messiah, he said of the child, “Thou shalt call his name Yeshua (Salvation), for he shall save his people from their sins.” The name was commanded as assurance that this indeed would be Israel’s Holy One. Not only does that name mean “salvation,” it means “God saves.” Not only was the Messiah to be God’s instrument of salvation, he was to be God in the flesh, reconciling his lost creation to himself.

Old Simeon in the Temple knew that. As he cradled the infant Yeshua in his arms, he prayed,

“Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation (thy Yeshua) which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.”

What does Yeshua mean? Salvation!

Yeshua is the Jewish way to say Jesus. Yeshua is the Jewish way to salvation for all people. When he returns, Yeshua will yet be the glory of his earthly people Israel.

When he returns, Yeshua will yet be the glory of his earthly people Israel, completing what the prophets foresaw. The longing expressed in verses like Isaiah 25:9—“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, that He might save (יושיענו) us”—points ahead to that future moment of recognition and restoration. Just as Yeshua brings salvation today to anyone who calls upon his name, he will one day bring national redemption and renewal to Israel. His first coming revealed God’s salvation to the world; his return will reveal his glory to his people in a way that unites the ancient hope of Israel with the worldwide redemption God has always planned.