The Name Above All Names

What name was Jesus given?

The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. Luke 1:30-31 (NASB) 

We read here that Gabriel told Mary to name him Jesus. Obviously, they were not speaking English at the time. 

Our English NT was translated from Greek manuscripts, but I doubt the angel instructed Mary to call Him Ἰησοῦς, i.e. Iēsous, from which we derive Jesus.

Many have adapted to using the Hebrew name יְהוֹשׁוּעַ, i.e. Yeshua, Yoshua, or Joshua, which was probably Gabriel's intention as the root for the Messiah's name, since it means, "the Lord is salvation."

But there is a detail not often raised. The people in the district of Galilee, including Jesus, and most of Israel spoke Aramaic, a Semitic language.

On the cross, some of Jesus' last words were Aramaic, “ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” Mark 15:34 (NASB).

It would seem much more plausible that Gabriel spoke to Mary in Aramaic, and if that is accurate, then he would have instructed Mary to name her child the Aramaic version of "the Lord is salvation."

... and you shall name Him 'Isho.'

 

© 2025 Steve Bydeley.

All publishing rights reserved. Permission is herewith granted to reprint this article for personal use and to link or refer to it; however, no commercial re-publishing of the material in this article is permitted without prior written consent.

Steven is the author of Fathered by God and, with his wife Dianne, co-author of Dream Dreams and Dreams that Heal and Counsel. They have been featured as guests on the Miracle Channel, Trinity Television, and Crossroads Communication, and have taught various topics internationally.

 

Without Prejudice. © 2025, Steven., house of bij de Leij., of man.