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CALL HIS NAME JESUS (Matthew 1:21)
Origin of the Name “Jesus”
The name Jesus came to English through Latin. Jerome,[1] in his 405 A.D. Latin Vulgate translation of the Scriptures, spelled our Savior’s name I-e-s-u-s (yā-sǘs), a Latin transliteration[2] of the Greek name Iesoús (yā-sŏǘs),[3] itself a Greek transliteration of the Aramaic name Yeshúa (yĕh-shǘä).[4] Not until 1592 A.D. did the Clementine Vulgate translation introduce the J-e-s-ú-s (yā-sǘs) spelling in its Latin revision of Jerome’s work.[5]
The Jews Spoke Aramaic
Jews living in Judea spoke Aramaic at the time the angel delivered God’s messages to Mary and Joseph. Several events produced that puzzling piece of history.
Aramaic, a Semitic (i.e., Shemitic) language closely related to Hebrew, emerged around 2000 B.C. through descendants of Aram, a son of Shem, Noah’s oldest son.[6] Hebrew, also a Semitic language, developed through descendants of Eber,[7] a great-grandson of Shem and great-nephew of Aram.[8]
By the era of the Assyrian Empire (911-612 B.C.), merchants and diplomats throughout southwest Asia spoke Aramaic as their preferred professional language. Following Babylonia’s conquest of Assyria,[9] Aramaic became one of the official languages of the Babylonian Empire (612-539 B.C.).
During the Babylonian deportation,[10] the exiles from the Kingdom of Judah began to speak Aramaic, blending Hebrew into their Aramaic speech. As a result, a Hebrew dialect[11] of Aramaic developed. Hebrew and Aramaic shared alphabetic characters and contained similar vocabulary, which facilitated the evolution of the new dialect.
After the deportees returned from Babylonian exile to their Judean homeland (538 B.C.), they retained their distinct Hebrew dialect of Aramaic. Centuries later, during the Roman occupation of Judea, Jews continued to speak Aramaic as their first language. Hence, Mary and Joseph would have conversed daily in Aramaic.
Rescuer of His People
“You will call His name Jesus, for He, Himself, will rescue His people from their sins,”[12] the angel directed Joseph.
Since Joseph and Mary communicated in Aramaic day-to-day, the angel would have directed Joseph to call the Child by the Aramaic name Yeshúa (yĕh-shǘä),[13] a diminutive[14] of the Hebrew name Yehoshúa (yĕh-hŏ-shǘä).[15] The rationale for God’s choice of the Aramaic name Yeshúa lies within the Hebrew language. In Hebrew, Yehoshúa means “Yáhweh rescues.”[16] Accordingly, the angel declared to Joseph that God named His Son Yeshúa, “For He, Himself, will rescue His people from their sins.”[17]
Contemplation Points
1. Have you ever found yourself in a hopeless situation in need of rescue?
2. If so, what emotions did you feel?
3. What actions did you take in hope of finding rescue?
4. What bond do you now feel toward your rescuer?
5. How strong a bond exists between you and Jesus, your spiritual Rescuer?
[1] Jerome served as a Roman Catholic priest.
[2] When transliterating, instead of translating a word, a translator spells out an approximation of the original language’s pronunciation of the word using the alphabet of the second language. For more details regarding transliteration, see “Appendix 3: Glossary” in the book Born to Die (by ChuckBagby).
[5] The Clementine Vulgate of 1592 A.D. revised Jerome’s 405 A.D. Latin Vulgate translation and became the standard Bible text of the Roman Catholic Church until 1979 A.D., when the Nova Vulgata replaced it.
[6] Genesis 5:32; 10:22
[7] Eber, sometimes spelled “Heber”
[8] Genesis 10:21,24-25,31
[9] For additional information regarding Babylonia’s conquest of Assyria, see “Chapter 2 – Kings & Scoundrels: Jesus’ Ancestors,” heading “The Babylonian Deportation (Matthew 1:11)” in the book Born to Die (by Chuck Bagby).
[10] For additional information regarding the Babylonian deportation, see “Chapter 2 – Kings & Scoundrels: Jesus’ Ancestors,” heading “The Babylonian Deportation (Matthew 1:11)” in the book Born to Die (by Chuck Bagby).
[11] Dialect – a regional style of spoken language distinguished by distinctive pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, or any combination of the three characteristics
[15] Yehoshúa (yĕh-hŏ-shǘä), uvwhy; In the Old Testament, a man named Yehoshúa led the Israelites across the Jordan River into the promised land of Canaan. Translators typically render his name as Joshua.
[16] In Exodus 6:3, God called Himself by the name Yáhweh (yä́h-wĕh, hwhy), which means “the Existing One.” Some translators weakly transliterate this Hebrew word as Jehovah instead of Yáhweh.
[17] Matthew 1:21 Bagby Translation
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