Welcome back to our thought-provoking series where we examine and debunk some of the outright lies and common misconceptions that are told concerning Biblical matters. Let us separate fact from fiction as we test modern beliefs held by some against the standards, wisdom, and instructions that are found in the Biblical Scriptures.
Today, we are addressing something that most people worldwide have never questioned, or fully examined:
The letter “J”… and the name “Jesus.”
When people say things like “the letter J is only 500 years old and that means that the name of The Messiah cannot be Jesus”, at first glance, it may seem like a minor issue to most. After all, the famous Shakespearean line might come to mind “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.”
But when we examine the original languages of Scripture — Hebrew first and foremost, along with Aramaic and Greek — we uncover something many have never been taught to consider:
Neither the letter “J” nor the name “Jesus” existed until after The Renaissance began. The letter and sound were not used by the writers of the Bible… Now, let’s see why that matters so greatly.
The Surprisingly Recent Origin of the Letter J
Most assume that the letter, sound, and purpose/meaning of the letter J is as ancient as the city of Jerusalem (or older)…
And as we already stated, it isn’t.
Even mainstream sources acknowledge this irrefutable fact. An article from Dictionary.com on the history of the letter J, makes it plain, with this particularly striking line:
“The letter J always begins with Jesus.”
https://www.dictionary.com/articles/j
The article claims:
The letter J was not originally its own letter, but developed later as a variation of the letter I.
For centuries, I and J were the same letter.
Early English writings — including early English Bible translations — used “Iesus”, not “Jesus.”
It wasn’t until around the 1500s that J became distinguished as its own letter and sound.
Here is the simple TRUTH
The letter J is a late addition to the English language, and thus, it has no place in the collection of Hebrew Israelite Scriptures that is commonly called The Bible.
The Languages of Scripture Do NOT Contain the Letter J
The Scriptures were written in Hebrew by Hebrews for Hebrews, and early on, they were primarily translated from Hebrew into two other primary languages: Aramaic and Greek, just as they are now translated into English, Spanish, and many, many other languages.
Now, when most Bible readers consider Biblical languages, Greek words and the abstract Greek thought normally get the position of respect & honor, but it is the original, concrete, Biblical Hebrew language and meanings which must be preeminent — the glory/esteem/weight found in Biblical Hebrew and its defining alphabet/alephbet is vital.
Every Hebrew letter, has concrete meanings tied to it, unlike Greek, Latin, and English letters which are abstract and meaningless.
So when we see Biblical names beginning with J, we are not seeing the original form, the concrete meaning and connections, instead we see abstract thoughts. And despite how arbitrary it might seem, the letter swap was intentional and purposeful in the worst way.
When we see the letter J in the Bible, we see some of the highest levels of European Renaissance whitewashing, narrative control, and deception.
According To The Bible, What Is The Messiah’s Name And What Does His Name Mean?
The name given to The Messiah, by The Father, via the angel (https://bible.com/bible/316/mat.1.21.TS2009 which is preserved in the Scriptures, in Hebrew is:
Yahoshua (יהושע)
Shortened form: Yashua (ישוע)
And His name clearly points to The Father in meaning and purpose. What does His name mean?:
“YAH saves.”
Hebrew names in Scripture are not random, arbitrary labels. They carry identity, meaning, and message.
(Bear with me… I will reiterate these truths repeatedly, in hopes of counteracting the endless iterations of the cover-up that we have heard throughout our lies)
How Others Changed His Name Changed Over Time
So, how did Yahoshua get turned into “Jesus”?
It happened in stages, beginning with transliterations & translations, substitutions, and lastly invention & replacement:
From Yahoshua in Hebrew to transliterations & translations in Aramaic to Greek to Latin (and others), until the most unfortunate and worst of European creations — the name Jesus showed up & covered up The Name of the Son of YAH.
Let’s skip straight to Greek, The true & Hebrew Name of The Messiah was transliterated as:
Iēsous (Ἰησοῦς)
Greek lacks certain Hebrew sounds: it doesn’t have a “Yah” sound, there are no “sh” sounds, and there are different word endings for masculine and feminine words.
As The Messiah’s Name was handled and adapted by those writing in and speaking languages other than Hebrew, some of the force was lost, this is not my opinion, consider what the original translator of the Book of Ecclesiasticus/Sirach said about the act of translating Hebrew into other languages.
The translations from Hebrew got worse over time. From Hebrew, to Greek, Latin, and other European languages until today with English, Bible translations, where The King of King’s name, The name above All names—Yahoshua, was replaced with: Jesus
Jesus however, is not a translation nor a transliteration of The Messiah’s name.
In a couple of Bible verses, English translators did do a somewhat better job at anglicizing His name )still using the letter J unfortunately), but it’s a name we all know — Joshua. Let’s look at these proof texts.
The Translators Inserted “Jesus” In Place Of “Joshua”
Early English Bible translators erroneously inserted “Jesus” in place of “Joshua” son of Nun, but it proves that they knew that the name of The Messiah and the name of Moses’ assistant/successor was the same name — Yahoshua/Joshua.
Here is the first proof text that appears in Acts 7:45:
They did the same in the Epistle to the Hebrews:
All the while, the Greek manuscript uses the same translated name in both cases:
Iēsous
Again, the name refers to both:
• Yahoshua the son of Nun
• Yahoshua The Messiah
And it is easy to see that if translators insisted on using the letter “J” — though they neither needed to nor should have — even the name “Joshua” is far closer to the original Hebrew name than “Jesus.” It is a much closer attempt at both translating and transliterating the Name which is above all names.
And thanks to dialects and accents, vowel sounds and overall word pronunciation over time change, but even in the modern pronunciation of “Joshua,” traces of the original Hebrew still remain. Most people do not pronounce it “Joe-shua” or “Je-shua,” as one might expect from the spellings “Yehoshua” or “Yeshua.” Instead, many naturally pronounce it more like “Jah-shua,” which still echoes the Hebraic sound found in Yahoshua or Yahshua.
A Deeper Look Into The Hebrew Alefbet: Letters With Meaning
This matter becomes even more important when we understand how Hebrew works. Hebrew is not just about the phonics, but also the concrete concept.
Referencing again, and according to the Hebrew alphabet chart from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center (amongst other sources), the original Hebrew letters, before they were modern or even paleo letter representations, they were written and understood in their pictograph forms.
Examples include:
Aleph — ox (strength, leadership)
Bet — house (family)
Ayin — eye (understanding)
Peh — mouth (speech)
Every Hebrew letter carries meaning.
Again, you can explore this here:
https://www.ancient-hebrew.org/alphabet/hebrew-alphabet-chart.htm
This is a foundational reason why it matters, and why we don’t flippantly change Hebrew words and names. Again, in English, letters simply affect pronunciation. In Hebrew, letters also directly affect meaning.
Once more, for example:
Yahoshua = “YAH saves”
Or more fully, a Hebrew letter-by-letter meaning is:
“Behold the hand that secures, consumes darkness, and reveals understanding/salvation.”
Or more simply:
“Behold the hand of YAH that brings salvation.”
Why would you want to change the letters, pronunciation, or meaning of the precious name of The Messiah? When Hebrew words and names have their written letters changed, removed, or replaced, the meaning of the word and name is changed, removed, or replaced.
What is especially heinous is that the replacement/man-made name Jesus removes the name of YAH, our Father, from the Son’s name. But The Messiah’s name is not the only name where the English translators removed The name of The Father.
The Pattern of YAH in Hebrew Names
Many Biblical names contain the name of YAH, and just take a quick look at how you might hear the name of YAH still, but they remove the writing of His name in their translational mishandling:
Yahoshua (Joshua) — YAH saves
Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) — YAH will raise
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) — YAH is salvation
Yahuchanan (John) — YAH has shown favor / YAH is gracious
Eliyahu (Elijah) — My El is YAH
Yahoshaphat (Jehoshaphat) — YAH has judged
Tsephanyahu (Zephaniah) — YAH has hidden/treasured
Obadyahu (Obadiah) — Servant of YAH
Zekaryahu (Zechariah) — YAH remembers
Netanyahu (Nethaniah) — Given by YAH
Mattithyahu (Matthew) — Gift of YAH
Gedalyahu (Gedaliah) — YAH is great
Pelatyahu (Pelatiah) — YAH delivers
Chananyah (Hananiah) — YAH has favored/shown mercy
Azaryahu (Azariah) — YAH has helped
Adoniyahu (Adonijah) — My Master is YAH
Uriyahu (Uriah) — YAH is my light
Tobiyahu (Tobiah) — YAH is good
Malkiyahu (Malchiah) — My King is YAH
Amatsyahu (Amaziah) — YAH is strong
Shephatyahu (Shephatiah) — YAH has judged
Tsidqiyahu (Zedekiah) — YAH is righteousness
Barakyahu (Berechiah) — YAH blesses
Nechemyah (Nehemiah) — YAH comforts
Hodawyahu (Hodaiah) — Praise of YAH
Hashabyahu (Hashabiah) — YAH has considered
Maaseyahu (Maaseiah) — Work of YAH
Yekonyahu (Jeconiah) — YAH establishes
Abiyahu (Abijah) — My Father is YAH
Achazyahu (Ahaziah) — YAH has grasped
Mikhayahu (Micaiah) — Who is like YAH?
And there are many, many more, but that list above exposes one thing that becomes difficult to ignore… Just how frequently the name of YAH appears throughout Scripture within Hebrew names alone, and how English treats His name and His Word. The translators led the world in breaking the third commandment!
Also, as you might have noticed, the translators sometimes downright arbitrarily changed the vowels too, adding to the confusion:
YAH sometimes becomes “Je”
YAH sometimes becomes “Jo”
YAH sometimes becomes “iah”
Or they remove YAH entirely
This further demonstrates how much Hebrew meaning can become obscured through later translation traditions, and we need to come back to Biblical Hebrew truth!
My Personal Naming Issue
And my youngest son’s first and middle names, were found in an old Christian baby name book — Tobias Jayden. Tobias is a Greek rendering of a Hebrew name, and since Greek male names often end with the letter “S”, if you know just a little Hebrew you can make out what his name really is — Tobiyahu or Tobiyah for short, which means “YAH is good” or “The goodness of YAH”. Jayden, can be traced back to Yahdan “YAH is the judge.” So, to put my son’s names together:
“YAH is good and righteous in judgment.”
or
“The goodness of YAH brings justice.”
HalleluYAH!
Alright, let’s get back to the letter J.
Back To The Letter J In Scripture
This is not only about names. It exposes the cover-up and contempt:
• Hebrew language was replaced
• Hebrew context was removed
• Hebrew meaning was obscured
And now we can unlearn it all as we learn and return to the truth.
Here’s another list, of J insertions, and I encourage you to look into their meanings:
Yahudah → Judah
Yerushalayim → Jerusalem
Yaʿaqov → Jacob
Yirmeyahu → Jeremiah
Yahuchanan → John
Yonah → Jonah
Yah’el / Yo’el → Joel
Yoseph → Joseph
Yahoshaphat / Yehoshaphat → Jehoshaphat
Yahoram / Yehoram → Joram
Yahoyaqim / Yehoyaqim → Jehoiakim
Yekonyahu → Jeconiah
Yahu / Yehu → Jehu
Yoshiyahu → Josiah
Yahonatan / Yehonatan → Jonathan
Yob / Iyob → Job
Yahotsadaq / Yehotsadaq → Jehozadak
Yahoyakhanan / Yehoyakhanan → Jehohanan
Remember:
The original Hebrew names begin with the Hebrew letter Yod, which is transliterated into the English letter Y. The change to the letter J, is false and it’s time to turn away from this falsehood (along with every other falsehood).
Returning To The Ancient Path
The Bible is our collection of Scriptures that are in one consolidated book. It’s the most printed and translated book in the world, and still, it will always be a Hebrew book.
Written by Hebrews. In Hebrew First. About Hebrews. For Hebrews First. From within a Hebrew Understanding.
When we return to that foundation, clarity increases and truth is maintained!
The Truth Is Simple
The letter J, till this day, is not found in:
- Hebrew
- Aramaic
- Greek
- Nor Italian despite its Italian creator.
The name “Jesus” is a latter-day European cover-up, and it is time for us all to get back to Biblical foundational basics.
The YAH given, Hebrew name of The Messiah is:
Yahoshua
The Messiah’s name and meaning are directly connected to The Father who sent Him and His purpose.
YAH saves, He is The Salvation, The Son is the outstretched Hand and mighty arm of YAH, who will save His people.
“And she shall give birth to a Son, and you shall call His Name יהושע (Yahoshua) for He shall save His people from their sins. —Mattithyahu (Matthew) 1:21 TS2009
https://bible.com/bible/316/mat.1.21.TS2009
“YAH saves.” HalleluYAH!
Again, this is not a small thing, and it’s not about a petty argument. It is about restoration.
Because when the original language is restored… The meaning is restored. And the truth of YAH goes forth.
And before we close this out
We’ve gone over the name of The Most High being Yahuah and not Yahweh, and YAH being used as a Biblically approved shortened name of Yahuah, in multiple other blogs and articles—but in case you haven’t seen them or you question the name YAH, take a look at these images and links and continue your study and prayer:
The church taught you in error, and you learned it, mostly without question. Go ahead and question the truth, test it, and then hold on to the fact that the letter J is a new creation that has no place in the Bible. Unlearn the falsehood and learn to walk in the truth. I did, many others do every day, and you can too. Do not follow the ways of tradition, the ways of religion and men, over the truth of YAH and His Word. Repent today.
Until next time, shalom
~Yahrahn
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