In Yeshua’s Name! Part 1
Why I pray in Yeshua’s Name, Amen!
Someone once asked me why do I pray “In Yeshua’s name, amen!” I actually have very many answers for that question, so many in fact that as I thought about it, I answered, “Why don’t you pray in the name of Yeshua?” Of course the person doing the asking was really asking why I did not pray in the name of Jesus? Therefore, I decided to write a series of posts on why I pray this way and title it, In Yeshua’s Name!
The series, In Yeshua’s Name!, is a thoughtful consideration of what name the Original Bible tells us to pray in.
(Ed. Note: I have recently become aware of something called the “Sacred Name Movement“, this series has nothing to do with that movement, nor the teachings they present.)
A Name Above Every Name
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also has highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Yeshua every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Yeshua the Messiah is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:8-11
Perhaps your Bible reads a little different, however, the point here is that there is “a name which is above every name!”
Names Are Important
I have traveled to dozens of countries, and have lived in the Philippines for decades. Having a family name of Tait, that originated in Scotland, can be quite funny at times. For the record, Tait is the origin of Tate, which sounds the same. Both rhyming with the English word, wait! For example,
Wait for the Lord!
and
Tait for the Lord!
In the Philippines, people will either ask how I pronounce it (if I am standing in front of them – because names are important), or will often just pronounce it in the Filipino way, sort of a Taw-it! Some times a Filipino will pronounce it “ta-ee-tee” which to me sounds like Tahiti, but then they usually blush because Tai (ta-ee) is a not to nice word here (think excrement).
Getting It Right
Amazingly, my friends and my family never make that mistake. The reason, I believe, it because they know me well. Just like most of my friends call me “Lan” (my nickname) instead of aLan – my legal name. However, when I am sitting waiting my turn at the immigration office, for my annual report, and my name if called, “Alan Ta-it” I know it is because I know these people do not know me.
You cannot imagine how delighted I was when I went to pick up my driver’s license at the Land Transportation Office and I heard on the loud speakers, “Mr. Tait, window 7.” When I approached the window, there was a friend from a fellowship I have been helping with.
The point of all this being, people who know me, are careful to use my name. They really care about ME! People who do not care about me, just use or pronounce my name any way they feel will get their job done.
No “J” in Jesus!
It sounds funny to say it, but one day I had an insight there there was no “J” in Jesus! What I mean is, there is no sound like the modern English “J” sound in either Hebrew or Greek, the original languages of the Bible. In other words, the name of the son of God could not be Jesus!
It hit me hard, praying in Jesus name, was NOT praying in the name of the son of God! Even if God knew what I meant, and even if God answered my prayers in Jesus name, I realized it meant I was not who I should be. Remember the difference between my friends and family, who are close to me, and the immigration officials who really did not know me? Do I want to be a friend of God? To love the Lord and to know his name? Or am I just trying to get MY job done? Trying to get what I want? Not really knowing the son of God at all?
What kind of disciple do I want to be? That was the question I asked myself. I knew I could no longer, in good conscience, pray in Jesus name. I want an intimate relationship with the son of God, and I did not even know his name! Knowing Jesus is not the right way to say the name of the only begotten son of God! I could hear my grandfather saying, what is not right, is wrong! There is no “J” in Jesus!
Changing Names
As I have traveled, I noticed that countries that use Latin characters in their written language, just write my last name, Tait, the same as in English. But in other countries, they transliterate Tait into their writing system. Transliteration means to try your best to make a map from one written language to another. For example, when someone was to introduce me in the Philippines, I might see them have a written clue that says Alan Tait (Tayt). In Filipino, Tayt would be the closest way to write Tait so the speaker would say the sound of my name. It is NOT exact as languages are different, it is the closest representation.
Transliteration
A translation does not change the sound of a name, it only maps the letters from one language to another. A person with knowledge of the system of transliteration can also reverse map the transliteration to obtain the original. For example, if you knew the transliteration system used to transliterate Tait to Tayt, it would be just as easy to determine that the original of Tayt was the English (Scottish) Tait.
Yeshua in the Bible
Yeshua (ישוע, with vowel pointing יֵשׁוּעַ – yēšūă‘ in Hebrew) was a common alternative form of the name יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (“Yehoshuah” – Joshua) in later books of the Hebrew Bible.
Twenty-Nine times Yeshua was translated from the Hebrew יֵשׁוּעַ to the Greek Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs) in the Septuagint and other Greek-language Jewish texts, such as the writings of Josephus and Philo of Alexandria. The name ישוע (Yeshua) occurs in the Hebrew of the Old Testament at verses Ezra 2:2, 2:6, 2:36, 2:40, 3:2, 3:8, 3:9, 3:10, 3:18, 4:3, 8:33; Nehemiah 3:19, 7:7, 7:11, 7:39, 7:43, 8:7, 8:17, 9:4, 9:5, 11:26, 12:1, 12:7, 12:8, 12:10, 12:24, 12:26; 1 Chronicles 24:11; and 2 Chronicles 31:15, and also in Aramaic at Ezra 5:2. Every time, translated to the Greek Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs) in the Septuagint, about two centuries before the son of God was born on this earth.
In other words, Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs) in the Greek New Testament, is actually a transliteration of the Hebrew יֵשׁוּעַ Yeshua. It should be kept in mind the the son of God and all of his original disciples were Hebrew and would have understood the connection that , Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs) was the way to write the Hebrew יֵשׁוּעַ (Yeshua) in Greek.
The Hebrew name יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (“Yehoshuah” – Joshua), is also translated into Greek as Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs). In later posts I will share evidence of why I believe Yeshua, rather than Yehoshuah, is the proper way to say the actual intimate name of the only begotten son of God.
Another Jesus
We have already proven the name of only begotten son, was it is not Jesus! Highly unstandard English transliterations like “Y’shua”, “Yeshu” are basically transliterations of transliterattions, of other language texts.
Yah’shua
Yahshua – is an English language attempt to insert the short name of God (Yah – from Yahweh), into the son’s name Yah-shua. However, the spelling Yahshua (יהשע) is not found in Hebrew texts.
“Yahshua” supporters, such as those of the Messianic Judaism movement, teach that since the Messiah will “come in his Father’s Name”, {John 5:43} then he must have the name of Yahweh, or at least the abbreviated form (Yah) in his spoken name.
Another popular contraction is Yah’shua with the apostrophe ( ’ ) serving as a division to emphasize the “Yah” aspect of the name and the Hebrew shua (salvation). This contraction is found in the Natural Israelite Bible, English Version.
Critics say that in their labor to get the pronunciation “Yahshua” out of יהושע, they are ignoring Hebrew linguistics that do not allow the waw to be silent, so “Yahshua” is a questioned translation that no known and respected Hebrew linguist would make.
Furthermore, “Yahshua” or “Yah’shua” is not attested in antiquity, unlike the pronunciations “Yeshua” and “Yehoshua”.
Start of a Quest
This is how my quest to find the name above all names began. In future posts we will examine scriptures that have large clues, that God has preserved for us, as to the actual name of God’s only begotten son.
Is it Yeshua or Iēsoûs or Yehoshuah or even Iesus from the 1611 King James Bible? I believe the proofs I have to offer, taken together, will fully establish the name of the only begotten son of God, and the Messiah, is Yeshua.
Why Use The Name?
First, let us establish that it is scriptural to pray in the name of the only begotten son of God. Consider the following verses (I just use them from the KJV):
- John 14:13
– And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. - John 14:14
– If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. - John 15:16
– Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. - John 16:23
– And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. - John 16:24
– Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. - John 16:26
– At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you.
You will notice that in all of them Yeshua (Jesus) tells His disciples to pray to the Father in His (Yeshua’s) name. And of course…
- John 15:14
– Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.