Original Word: יֵשׁוּעַ
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Yeshuwa`
Pronunciation: yeh-SHOO-ah
Phonetic Spelling: (yay-shoo'-ah)
NASB: Jeshua
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H3442 (יֵשׁוַּע - Yeshua)]

1. Jeshua

Jeshua

(Aramaic) corresponding to Yeshuwa' -- Jeshua.

see HEBREW Yeshuwa'

Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to Yeshua and Yehoshua
Definition
a high priest after the Bab. captivity
NASB Translation
Jeshua (1).

Name and Meaning

Yēshûaʿ (יֵשׁוּעַ) is a post-exilic shortening of Yehōshûaʿ (“Yahweh is salvation”). Although Strong’s number 3443 marks only one appearance—in Ezra 5:2—the same man is referred to elsewhere with the longer spelling. Scripture, therefore, presents a single historical figure whose name proclaims the saving purpose of the covenant God.

Historical Context

Jeshua son of Jozadak (also rendered Joshua) belonged to the first generation of Jews who returned from Babylon under the decree of King Cyrus (Ezra 2:1–2). As high priest he stood alongside Zerubbabel, the Davidic governor, at a watershed moment in redemptive history: the rebuilding of the temple after the seventy-year exile foretold by Jeremiah.

Role in Post-Exilic Restoration

1. Spiritual Leadership. Jeshua immediately led the nation in re-establishing the altar (Ezra 3:2–3) so that daily sacrifices and the Feast of Tabernacles could resume even before the temple foundations were laid, demonstrating that true worship depends first on covenant obedience rather than architecture.
2. Co-laborer in Reconstruction. “Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak began to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, helping them” (Ezra 5:2). Their partnership embodied the union of throne and priesthood, prefiguring the harmony promised in Zechariah 6:13.
3. Recipient of Prophetic Encouragement and Cleansing. In Zechariah 3 the prophet is shown Jeshua standing before the Angel of the LORD, clothed in filthy garments symbolizing the nation’s sin. At the LORD’s command the garments are removed and a clean turban set upon his head, portraying God’s gracious removal of iniquity and the restoration of priestly service “in a single day” (Zechariah 3:9). Haggai likewise addresses Jeshua by name (Haggai 1:1, 12; 2:4), urging him to be strong and continue the work.

Typological Significance

Jeshua’s priestly office, combined with his name meaning “salvation,” provides an intentional foreshadowing of the ultimate High Priest, Jesus the Messiah (Matthew 1:21). The cleansing of Jeshua’s filthy garments in Zechariah 3 prefigures the imputed righteousness Christ secures for His people (2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 7:26–27). Furthermore, the joint leadership of Jeshua and Zerubbabel anticipates the Messianic union of king and priest fulfilled in Jesus (Psalm 110; Hebrews 5–7).

Relevance to the New Testament

The Greek form of the same name, Iēsous, is applied both to the Old Testament Joshua and to Jesus of Nazareth (Acts 7:45; Hebrews 4:8). This linguistic bridge underscores the continuity of God’s redemptive plan: the servant who led Israel into Canaan and the High Priest who restored temple worship both point ultimately to the Savior who brings His people into eternal rest and builds a living temple of believers (Ephesians 2:20–22; 1 Peter 2:5).

Lessons for the Church

• God raises faithful leaders for times of restoration; spiritual renewal must accompany structural rebuilding.
• Priestly ministry requires personal cleansing—a work God Himself provides through grace.
• Prophetic exhortation and practical labor belong together in advancing God’s kingdom.
• The account of Jeshua invites believers to fix their hope on the greater Priest-King whose atoning work guarantees the final, unshakeable temple (Revelation 21:22).

Key Scriptures

Ezra 3:2–3; 5:2; Haggai 1:1–2, 12; 2:4; Zechariah 3:1–10; 6:11–13; Hebrews 4:8; 7:26–28.

וְיֵשׁ֣וּעַ וישוע veyeShua wə·yê·šū·a‘ wəyêšūa‘Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts