IN DEFENSE OF THE SAVIOR’S REVEALED NAME, YAHSHUA

1. The Claim that "Yah" Must Be in the Name of the Messiah:   

  •    You assert that the name of the Messiah must include "Yah" because "Yah" is the name above all names. However, where in Scripture does it say that every name given by God must contain "Yah"? There are many divinely given names that do not contain "Yah," including names of prophets like Moses (Moshe), Isaiah (Yeshayahu, which does contain 'Yah'), and Elijah (Eliyahu). 

Response:  You ask, “Where in Scripture does it say that every name given by God must contain “YAH”?  Answer: No place in Scripture states every name given by God must contain “YAH.” God revealed one name to Moses, as we find in English the name “I AM” (Exodus 3:14).  The name “I AM” is the only name given, all other names like EL Shaddai and Immanuel are descriptive names, not His Personal name.  He makes this very clear in Exodus 6:2-3.  LORD is YHWH, as most scholars agree that between the Y, Hebrew Yodh, and H, Hebrew Hey, there is the vowel of Qamets for the vowel ‘a’, therefore, the name YAH is accurate, as found in YAHWEH.  Halleluyah, as there is no J sound in Hebrew.

  •    If the standard is that every holy name must contain "Yah," how do you explain other Hebrew names that were divinely given but do not contain it?

Response:  Again, no one makes such a claim, as it is obvious that EL Shaddai does not have the name YAH, nor does Immanuel.

 •    Additionally, Psalm 68:4 does not prove that every name of God must start with "Yah." It simply acknowledges "Yah" as an abbreviated form of Yahweh, which was already known.

Response:  You are right, Psalm 68:4 does not prove that every name of God must start with “YAH.”  Since God only has one revealed name, and all other names are descriptive names, which do not have YAH.  Yah (Hebrew: יָהּ‎, Yāh) is a short form of the tetragrammaton יהוה (YHWH), the personal name of God: Yahweh, and we are essentially in agreement, at least that YAH is the essential name of God.

 2. John 8:58 and the Claim that Jesus Used "Yah" for Himself     

•    You claim that John 8:58 shows Yahshua declaring the name “Yah.” However, the verse says:  "Before Abraham was, I AM" (ἐγὼ εἰμί, egō eimi). 

Response:  This short form of YAH occurs close to 50 times in the text of the Hebrew Bible, of which 24 form part of the "Halleluyah," which means “Praise YAH!”  It is common knowledge that YAH is written in the Hebrew Bible as the first part of יהוה (YHWH), which modern scholars often render as Yahweh.  The short form Yah appears in Exodus 15:2 and 17:16, Psalm 89:9, and Song of Songs 8:6, as well as in the expression Halleluyah. The meaning of YAH is I AM.

•    If Jesus was truly saying "Yah" in this passage, why does the Greek text record "egō eimi" instead? There is no textual support for the idea that Jesus was saying "Yah." 

Response:  Ever heard of “Lost in Translation”?  Well, if you want the truth as revealed in Hebrew, don’t go to the Greek.  Moses asks for God’s name and El Shaddai says,‎ “Ehyeh asher Ehyeh,” which means I AM that I AM. The word אֶהְיֶה‎ (’Ehyeh) is the first person singular imperfective form of הָיָה (hayah), 'to be', and owing to the peculiarities of Hebrew grammar this means 'I AM,' hence I AM is YAH. The meaning of the longer phrase “ehyeh asher ehyeh” is debated, and might be seen as a promise ('I will be that I will be').  However, the root is HaYAH. HaYAH means “the I AM.” HaYAH, as written in Hebrew, has the Hebrew qamets vowel of ‘a’, as seen between the Yodh and the Hey consonant, note: הָיָה.  YAH is I AM according to the root of Ehyeh which is HaYAH.

•    Furthermore, the phrase "I AM" (egō eimi) is used multiple times by Jesus in the Gospel of John in contexts that do not reference the Tetragrammaton. For example, in John 9:9, the blind man also says "egō eimi" (I am he), yet no one accuses him of blasphemy. So how can this phrase alone prove that Jesus was using the divine name? 

Response:  We have the same problem in English, when one refers to himself as “I am…” we understand the context of what he means.  YAH, as shown in all caps, I AM, tell us this is God’s name, YAH.  We make the same distinction between the title Lord, and the LORD, representing the Tetragrammaton.  It is so very important that one understands the context of any Scripture.  If YAHSHUA was talking to His disciples and if the expression “I AM” came up, His disciples would not accuse Him of blasphemy, nor would the many that followed Him, however, when YAHSHUA spoke to the Pharisees (see John 8:13), He told them that He is I AM (YAH), and they understood “I AM” as an expression of YAH given to Moses, and that YAH is their God, and so they picked up stones to stone Him for blasphemy because He just told them that He was their God (John 8:58-59).

3. The Angel Gabriel’s Announcement in Matthew 1:21   

  •    You claim that Gabriel said "Yahshua" when speaking to Joseph in Matthew 1:21. However, no manuscript supports this claim. Every Hebrew and Greek text records "Yeshua" (ישוע) or "Iēsous" (Ἰησοῦς).    

Response:  “Iesous” in the Greek text, is a transliteration of Yeshua.  Because man took license to transliterate the one name revealed from Heaven, we now have an entirely different name “Iesous.”  Iesous has no meaning regarding salvation, nor does this name indicate one who saves, as the name revealed in Matthew 1:21 indicates, shua.  Christ was given a name that means He will “save” His people.  Again, this transliteration was done solely by man's authority.  We must consider the testimony of the apostle Peter, YAHSHUA, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).  What part of no other name do people not understand.  The name was revealed in Hebrew and must remain in Hebrew.  The angel spoke Immanuel in Hebrew, and Immanuel whether spoken in Hebrew or most other languages is spoken the same way, but the one name given under heaven by which we must be saved, changed?  YAH is Hebrew, and Shua is Hebrew, but put them together, and this name is falsely stated as a philological impossibility.  The angel never said to either Joseph or Mary, “You shall name Him” any of these names:  Iesous, Iesus, or Jesus.

 •    If you say, “Well, the Jews changed it,” then you must prove that every manuscript—Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew—was edited in perfect harmony. This is highly unlikely, considering that the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Septuagint, and the Talmud all use “Yeshua” and never “Yahshua.” 

Response:  I would never say, “The Jews changed Christ’s name.” I have always noted that the name Yeshua, as most Jews, who did not know Him, believed His name to be, and this name was transliterated to Iesous.  YAHOSHUA is biblical, but the change is between the Hebrew letters Yodh and Hey, as the vowel shewa [e] was put there, and since we know this is YAH, it hardly seems appropriate. Therefore, YAHOSHUA was replaced with Yehoshua.  YAHOSHUA is proof that the shortened name YAHSHUA is not a philological impossibility.  

    •    Can you provide a single Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek manuscript before the 20th century that contains the name Yahshua? 

Response:  No.  Hebrew is YAHOSHUA, which is now found to be Yehoshua.

4. The Jewish Leaders in Acts 4: Suppressing "Yah"?   

 •    You argue that the Jewish leaders were angry because the apostles were saying "Yah" in the name "Yahshua." But this is an assumption. The text never says they were suppressing the name “Yah.”

Response:  The name for the God of the Israelites, representing the biblical pronunciation of “YHWH,” is the Hebrew name revealed to Moses in the book of Exodus. The name YHWH, consisting of the sequence of consonants Yodh, Hey, Waw, and Hey, is known as the tetragrammaton.  After the Babylonian Exile (6th century BCE), and especially from the 3rd century BCE on, the Jews ceased to use the name YHWH openly for two reasons, 1) The Jews were fearful that the Gentile Babylonians would profane God’s name. 2) At the same time, the divine name was increasingly regarded as too sacred to be uttered; it was thus replaced vocally in the synagogue ritual by the Hebrew word Adonai (“My Lord”), which was translated as Kyrios (“Lord”) in the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Hebrew Scriptures.  Therefore, your demand to find even the name YAH is difficult. 

The Masoretes, who from about the 6th to the 10th century CE worked to reproduce the original text of the Hebrew Bible, added to “YHWH” the vowel signs of the Hebrew words Adonai, Eloah, or Elohim, which produce hybrid names found by the Christian, such as Yahweh, Yehovah, and Yehovih. Latin-speaking Christian scholars replaced the Y (which does not exist in Latin) with an I (the latter of which exists in Latin as a variant form of the Hebrew Yodh). Thus, the Tetragrammaton became the artificial Latinized IHVH, Iehovah, and later in English the name Jehovah (JeHoWaH). As the use of the name spread throughout medieval Europe, the initial letter J was pronounced according to the local vernacular language, such as English, German, and French, rather than Latin.  

 •    Acts 4:17-18 states:  "But to keep it from spreading further among the people, let us warn them not to speak any longer to anyone in this name."     

•    It does not say they were trying to suppress the pronunciation of "Yah." They were opposing the apostles’ claim that Jesus (Yeshua) was the Messiah—not the phonetics of His name.

Response:  Your statement is pure presupposition.  It is more likely the Sanhedrin heard the name, the sacred name YAH in the name of the Savior, and wanted to suppress the name YAH, rather than trying to suppress a common Aramaic name held by one out of nine people in Jerusalem.  You are off-beat here.  And it makes no sense to try to stop people from preaching in the name of Yeshua when there is no reason for the Sanhedrin to be concerned about an innocuous name of Yeshua. The name Yeshua would not concern them whatsoever.  It is not the phonetics of the name Yeshua, but rather the name of the Savior with God’s name present, YAHSHUA.  The disciples preached in the name of YAHSHUA, but most people in the streets heard Yeshua, as they were very accustomed to that name, however, to the educated ear of the Sanhedrin they could distinguish the name YAH.  The only time the disciples would correct a convert, who thought he heard the name Yeshua, was if he became a believer.

 5. The Argument that "Yahshua" Must Be Correct Because "Yehoshua" Was Altered     

•    You claim that "Yehoshua" (יְהוֹשֻׁעַ) was altered to "Yeshua" due to Jewish traditions, but this contradicts the fact that even the Hebrew Bible itself records both forms naturally—long before Christianity existed.   

  •    The name Yehoshua (Joshua) is used 218 times in the Hebrew Bible.   

  •    The name Yeshua appears in post-exilic books like Ezra and Nehemiah when referring to the same name (Joshua, the high priest).   

  •    This change was a natural linguistic shift, not an intentional hiding of the divine name. 

Response:  YAHOSHUA became Yehoshua, just as YAHWEH became Yehovah.  The interchange of Hebrew vowels was done to keep one from saying the name.  Yodh Qamets Hey (YAH) became Yodh Shewa Hey (Yeh).  YAH is legitimate, Yeh is not a legitimate form, God revealed YAH, as in I AM.  It does not matter how many times one would find the illegitimate Yeh, as this is only evidence of vowel changes done to hide the name YAH.

6. Your Logical Contradictions     •    You argue that “Yahshua” must be correct because it contains ‘Yah,’ and God’s name must be in the Messiah’s name.    

 •    However, by this logic, Yehoshua (יְהוֹשֻׁעַ) is actually more accurate than Yahshua because it preserves the full form of “Yahweh saves” rather than shortening it.     

•    If your logic were consistent, you should be advocating for Yehoshua, not "Yahshua"—which never appears in any known ancient text. 

Response:  We have no “logical contradictions”, as even this accusation is nonsense.  How can one have ‘logical contradictions’?  Logic would preclude contradictions.  Contradictions are your beliefs, that is if you believe that Jehovah, Jesus, Iesus, and Iesous are all the same, let alone revealed by God.  YAHOSHUA is more accurate because it preserves the revealed name of YAH.  Our advocacy is for YAHOSHUA which was shortened to YAHSHUA.  The name יֵשׁוּעַ, Yeshua (transliterated in the English Old Testament as Jeshua), is a late form of the Biblical Hebrew name יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, Yehoshua (Joshua), and spelled with a waw in the second syllable. The Late Biblical Hebrew spellings for earlier names often contracted the theophoric element Yaho- as in YAHOSHUA.  The Jews would be quite happy that you as a Gentile use Yeh instead of YAH, as in Halleluyah, praise YAH.  They worked hard to mess you up so that you will never find the name of salvation (YAHSHUA, I AM Salvation).  How’s that for logic? 

Final Challenge Here are three questions you need to answer with actual manuscript evidence:     

1    Can you show a single Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic manuscript before the 20th century that contains the name "Yahshua"?   

Response:  YAHSHUA is in Hebrew as YAHOSHUA, but was altered to Yehoshua due to vowels being interchanged.  No Greek manuscripts seem to have Hebrew names without being altered, and some names are unrecognizable. For example, Isaiah's name in Hebrew is Yeshayahu. The meaning of Yeshayahu is “Yah Is Salvation,” which means YAHSHUA. YAHSHUA is “I AM Salvation.”

 2    If the Jews altered the Messiah’s name, why does "Yeshua" appear in both Jewish and Christian sources, including the Talmud, Dead Sea Scrolls, and early Church writings? 

Response:  Yeshua is a common Aramaic name.  YAHSHUA was suppressed because its meaning is “I AM Salvation.” The Jews did not want the name of YAH to be exposed to the Gentiles, and you have to admit as in your case they have succeeded.

 3    If the pronunciation "Yahshua" was so important, why is it absent from all ancient sources—while "Yeshua" appears in multiple places, including the Hebrew Bible?

Response:  Go ask the Sanhedrin.  But after all “…Satan, who deceives the whole world…” (Revelation 12:9). In the name of YAHHSHUA we say, “Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.   But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.  For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ YAHSHUA the LORD, and ourselves your bondservants for YAHSHUA’s sake.  For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts togivethe light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of YAHSHUAtheChrist” (2 Corinthians 4:1-6). Many are on the road that is named Jesus, but few are on the road that is named YAHSHUA,and our Savior said,“Enter by the narrow gate; for wideisthe gate and broadisthe way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrowisthe gate and difficultisthe way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).  Those who hold steady to the revealed name of YAHSHUA are few, you have to admit.  But the many hold to the name Jesus.