In our studies, we have taken the position that the name of MASHIACH is YAHUSHA, and nothing other.  There are many however who will argue that, no, the name is YESHUA which means salvation, or the name is YAHUSHUA or YAHOSHUA, all which reference the name (in English) Joshua.  (See my post Would you still worship if his name was Joshua?).

But, another bit of evidence has surfaced which most certainly separates YAHUSHA from the name YESHUA.  Let’s take a look:

We have recently published a Scripture Comparison Chart on our website comparing the various bibles that have been compiled, and the books which they have included.  The winner in terms of the number of books compiled is clearly the Ethiopian Bible, with its 88 books.  The Septuagint is at a distinct disadvantage, because it contains only what is commonly referred to as the Old Testament.

So, the books of the Septuagint are:

Genesis; Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I Reigns (1 Samuel), II Reigns (2 Samuel), III Reigns (1 Kings), IV Reigns (2 Kings), I Paralipomenon (1 Chronicles), II Paralipomenon (2 Chronicles), I Esdras, II Esdras, Ezra-Nehemiah, Tobit, Judith, Esther, Esther with additions, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, 3 Maccabees, 4 Maccabees, Wisdom, Psalms, Psalm 151, Prayer of Manasseh, Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon or Canticles, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach or Ecclesiasticus, Psalms of Solomon, Hosea, Amos, Micah, Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zachariah, Malachi, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Baruch, Lamentations, Epistle of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel with additions.

However, it is worth the time to take a look at the Greek names the seventy interpreters elected to use, particularly when it came to the book of Joshua.  For we have the name Ἰησοῦς Nαυῆ as the title and the name for the book Joshua, son of Nun.  For those who don’t read Greek, this is spelled Iêsous Nauê. Now, let’s compare with the Greek name for the Messiah: Ιησους Χριστος.

The name Iesous is the Greek for Joshua, or whatever the underlying Hebrew name that has been interpreted as Joshua is.  Let’s take a look when this fellow Joshua first appears:

Bemidbar (Numbers) 13:8

Of the tribe of Ephraim, Husha (הוֺשֵׁעַ) the son (בֵּן)of Nun (נוּן).

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary 1954 sets forth the name (הוֺשֵׁעַ).  Although it gives the pronunciation as Howshea`, the better use is either Hosha, or Husha – but it most certainly is not Hoshua or Hushua, because no vav appears.

Bemidbar (Numbers) 13:16

These are the names of the men which Mosheh sent to spy out the land. And Mosheh called Husha (הוֺשֵׁעַ) the son of Nun Yahusha (יהושׁע).

Let there be no doubt, therefore, that the name which is interpreted as Joshua, appears in the text as Yahusha (יהושׁע) in the Hebrew.

Further, the name Yahusha as found in the Hebrew was interpreted into Greek by the seventy some 200 years before the arrival of MASHIACH as Ἰησοῦς – Iesous.  This is very persuasive evidence that the name of MASHIACH was not YESHUA, although the beauty is undeniable, but rather YAHUSHA, the name interpreted as Joshua. 

Suddenly, this makes Zakaryahu (Zechariah) 3 completely relevant as a Messianic prophecy.  The name YESHUA does not.