The Names of Jesus - Elmer Towns

Nun, who led Israel into the land of Canaan. Actually, Joshua's given name was “Hoshea,”
meaning “salvation,” and was changed to “Jehoshua” or “Joshua” by Moses, probably when he
sent him to spy out the land at Kadesh-barnea (Numbers 13:16).
The name “Jesus/Joshua” is built on the Hebrew verb stem yasha meaning “saved.” The
first use of this verb in Scripture is also the embryonic first mention of the doctrine of salvation
(Exodus 14:30). The salvation of Israel is there defined in terms of the destruction of the army of
Egypt in the Red Sea. This miracle, so often referred to in the Old Testament, is also a type of
the salvation from sin provided by Jesus on the cross.
As borne by Joshua, the name was an expression of faith in what Jehovah could and
would do for His people and a testimony to the effect that he, Joshua, was willing to be a part of
it. No doubt a major aspect of that salvation was viewed in a military light as the nation went out
to destroy the inhabitants of the land and settle it as their own. Still, the spiritual salvation of the
nation and its families, individually or corporately, was not overlooked.
Several Bible commentators have noted the typical significance of Joshua which goes far
beyond a mere similarity of names. Joshua was the shadow of what Jesus is in reality. This is
particularly true in His name. When Jesus was so named by the angel, it was more than simply
an expression of the Messianic hope of Israel. It was an affirmation of His real identity and
primary concern. “Jesus” means “Jehovah the Saviour,” but when applied to our Lord, it is a
declaration that He is Jehovah the Saviour. It both enshrines and expresses the mystery of His
Person and the marvels of His work.
THE MYSTERY OF HIS INCARNATION
In the first mentions of the name of Jesus in Scripture, it is clear that Jesus was more than
just another baby boy born to a young Jewish mother. The first to hear His name was Mary who
was informed not only that she would bear a son but that she should “call his name JESUS” and
that He would also “be called the Son of the Highest” (Luke 1:31,32). When Joseph first heard
the name, he was told “that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 1:20). The
name “Jesus,” when applied to the virgin-born child of Bethlehem, was an affirmation of who He
is, “Jehovah the Saviour.” “Jehovah” was the most venerated name of God in the Old Testament.
So careful were the Jews not to violate the fourth commandment that they refused to verbalize
this name lest, unknowingly, they were to use it in vain. When they came to read it in their
Scriptures, by habit they substituted the name Adonai, another name for God in the Old
Testament. Because the Hebrew language lacks vowels, words are pronounced as they are
learned. But when the pious Jews refused to pronounce the name “Jehovah,” people were soon
unsure as to the actual pronunciation of it. Most evangelicals apply the vowels of Adonai to it
and pronounce the name “Jehovah.” More critical scholars have chosen to pronounce the name
“Yahweh. “ Actually, because accents and dialects of a language change as that language is used
over the years, it is impossible to be certain how Moses first pronounced this name of God when
he introduced it to Israel.
To think, that greatly respected “Jehovah” of the Old Testament was “Jesus” in the New
Testament! Jehovah Himself became a man. That mystery concerning the incarnation has baffled
theologians and Bible students for years, yet it remains a part of human history that one day, the