Lexical Summary
Yeshua: Yeshua, Joshua
Original Word:יֵשׁוּעַ
Part of Speech:proper name, masculine
Transliteration:Yeshuwa`
Pronunciation:yeh-SHOO-ah
Phonetic Spelling:(yay-shoo'-ah)
KJV: Jeshua
Word Origin:[forH3091 (יְהוֹשׁוַּע יְהוֹשׁוַּע - Joshua)]
1. he will save
2. Jeshua, the name of ten Israelites, also of a place in Israel
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Jeshua
ForYhowshuwa'; he will save; Jeshua, the name of ten Israelites, also of a place in Palestine -- Jeshua.
see HEBREWYhowshuwa'
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originthe same as
Yehoshua, q.v.
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(Biblical Hebrew
id., ); —
Ezra 5:2.
Topical Lexicon
Name and Formיֵשׁוּעַ (Yēšûaʿ) is the late, shortened spelling of the earlier name יְהוֹשׁוּעַ (Yehōšûaʿ, “Joshua”). In English Bibles it is rendered “Jeshua.” The meaning, “The LORD saves,” remains unchanged, preserving the testimony to God’s delivering character that the fuller form bears.
Principal Bearers in the Old Testament
1.Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the High Priest of the Return
• First named among the leaders who came back with Zerubbabel (Ezra 2:2;Nehemiah 7:7).
• With Zerubbabel he rebuilt the altar and laid the temple’s foundation: “Then Jeshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates, began to build the altar of the God of Israel” (Ezra 3:2).
• He resisted syncretistic compromise (Ezra 4:3), supervised Levites in the work (Ezra 3:8-9), and was among those who measured the returned treasure (Ezra 8:33).
• Under his priesthood God stirred the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. Zechariah’s visions (Zechariah 3:1-10; 6:11-13) set Jeshua (there “Joshua”) before the people as a purified high priest crowned beside Zerubbabel—a living picture of the coming Branch who unites priesthood and royalty.
2.Priestly House of Jeshua
• Descendants of Jeshua formed a prominent post-exilic priestly family (Ezra 2:36;Nehemiah 7:11, 39).
• Members sealed the renewed covenant (Nehemiah 10:8-10) and were present at the dedication of Jerusalem’s wall (Nehemiah 12:1-7, 26).
• Joiakim, Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua followed in his line (Nehemiah 12:10-11), showing continuity of priestly service into the Persian era.
3.Levites Named Jeshua
• One supervised tithes under King Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 31:15).
• Others instructed the people when Ezra read the Law: “The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah…—instructed the people in the Law” (Nehemiah 8:7).
• Several Levites of this name joined the covenant oath (Nehemiah 10:9-12) and led antiphonal praise at the wall’s dedication (Nehemiah 12:24, 33).
4.Additional Individuals
• Jeshua of Pahath-moab (Ezra 2:6;Nehemiah 7:11) headed a family returning from exile.
• Ezer son of Jeshua helped repair Jerusalem’s wall (Nehemiah 3:19).
• A town in the Negeb bore the name (Nehemiah 11:26), marking the geographical spread of the testimony.
5.Joshua son of Nun Referred to as Jeshua
• The returned exiles celebrated the Feast of Booths “from the days of Joshua son of Nun” (Nehemiah 8:17). Underlying Hebrew reads Yēšûaʿ, reminding readers that the ancient deliverer and the post-exilic high priest share the same saving name.
Historical Significance
• The prominence of Jeshua son of Jehozadak anchors the restored community to its pre-exilic faith. His leadership bridges the catastrophe of exile and the hope of renewed worship.
• The wide distribution of the name among priests, Levites, lay families, and even a village indicates how the proclamation “The LORD saves” permeated the renewed nation.
• By resisting foreign alliances and rebuilding the altar first, Jeshua set the tone for covenant fidelity before civic or political concerns.
Ministry Significance and Theological Themes
•Restoration Worship: Jeshua’s first act was the altar, signifying that atonement and worship are foundational for any true revival.
•Word-Centered Renewal: The Levites named Jeshua modeled expository ministry, making “the Law clear and giving the meaning” (Nehemiah 8:8).
•Holiness and Intercession:Zechariah 3 depicts Jeshua cleansed, robed, and commissioned—foreshadowing the priestly mediation perfected in Christ.
•Covenant Commitment: Those of his name publicly sealed the covenant (Nehemiah 10), showing that true leadership embraces accountability to God’s word.
Typological Foreshadowing
The dual figure of Jeshua/Joshua—deliverer of the land and rebuilder of worship—anticipates Jesus Christ, who both leads His people into promised rest (Hebrews 4:8-11) and stands as the spotless High Priest (Hebrews 7:26-27). Zechariah’s crowning of Jeshua beside Zerubbabel finds its fulfillment when the Messiah unites throne and altar in Himself: “He will be a priest on His throne” (Zechariah 6:13). The recurrence of the name in the restoration era whispers forward to “Jesus,” the Greek form of Yēšûaʿ, in whom the promised salvation is accomplished.
Summary
Throughout the post-exilic books יֵשׁוּעַ marks men and places that God used to re-establish worship, teach His law, and guard the purity of His people. Centered in the high priest Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the name embodies the message that the Lord’s salvation is both the foundation and the goal of redemptive history, finding its consummation in the greater Yeshua, Jesus the Christ.
Forms and Transliterations
וְיֵשׁ֑וּעַ וְיֵשׁ֖וּעַ וְיֵשׁ֗וּעַ וְיֵשׁ֙וּעַ֙ וְיֵשׁ֡וּעַ וְיֵשׁ֤וּעַ וְיֵשׁ֨וּעַ וּבְיֵשׁ֥וּעַ ובישוע וישוע יֵשֽׁוּעַ׃ יֵשׁ֔וּעַ יֵשׁ֖וּעַ יֵשׁ֛וּעַ יֵשׁ֡וּעַ יֵשׁ֣וּעַ יֵשׁ֤וּעַ יֵשׁ֧וּעַ יֵשׁ֨וּעַ ישוע ישוע׃ לְיֵשׁ֙וּעַ֙ לישוע lə·yê·šū·a‘ leyeShua ləyêšūa‘ ū·ḇə·yê·šū·a‘ ūḇəyêšūa‘ uveyeShua veyeShua wə·yê·šū·a‘ wəyêšūa‘ yê·šū·a‘ yeShua yêšūa‘
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