In Hebrews 4:8 in the King James Version, why is Joshua called 'Jesus'?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The original word in the Old Testament’s Hebrew, Yehoshua, was translated into the New Testament’s Greek as Iesous. When Mary was told that she was to have a baby and to call His name “Jesus,” the Greek word used was also Iesous. Therefore, “Joshua” is the consistent translation for Iesous. However, a decision was made to distinguish between the Old Testament Yehoshua and New Testament Iesous by translating the Old Testament name as Joshua and the New Testament one as Jesus.

While trying to maintain strict uniformity in the New Testament, the King James translators translated all uses of Iesous as “Jesus,” even when the word in the New Testament referred to the Old Testament Joshua. Future translators realized the confusion that caused, changing instances of Iesous to be “Joshua” when it referred to the Old Testament person (Hebrews 4:8 and Acts 7:45).

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• The answer to this question is related to translating between different languages. The Old Testament was primarily written in Hebrew. In Hebrew, “Joshua” is Yehoshua (pronounced “ye o shu ah”).
• Originally Joshua was named Hoshea. Moses was the one who changed his name to Yehoshua (Numbers 13:16). The word Yehoshua is a combination of two words, Ya and Hoshea. Ya is the personal name for Yahweh (God). Hoshea means “saves.” So, Yehoshua means, “God Saves.” See the New Testament section for how Yehoshua was translated into Greek, and why the confusion in the King James Version of the Bible.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Names tend to change when they go from one language to another. For example, the English name Matthew is Mateo in Spanish, Mattieu in French, Matthaeus in German, Matvei in Russian, and Mattathias in Greek. Similarly, Joshua is the English form of the Hebrew name Yehoshua. When Yehoshua was translated into Greek, it became Iesous (pronounced “e a sue’s”). When Mary was instructed in Luke 1:31 to name her son Jesus (see, also, Matthew 1:21), it is the Greek word Iesous, that is, “Joshua.”
• If English translations were consistent, since Iesous came from Yehoshua, then Jesus would be called Joshua in the New Testament. If that had been true, we would have seen an interesting parallel where Joshua was the one God used to save the Israelites in the Old Testament and was the same name of His Son who was God and Savior of the world in the New Testament. However, English translators decided to distinguish between the Hebrew Yehoshua and Greek Iesous by translating directly from Iesous to the English equivalent of Jesus in the New Testament. By doing that, they distinguished between the Old Testament Joshua and the New Testament Jesus. That is why Iesous is translated as Jesus instead of Joshua.
• This, then, was the source of the problem in the King James Version. Because they were following the name rule strictly, every time Iesous was used in the New Testament, they translated it as Jesus. However, there were a couple times that Iesous in the New Testament refers to the Old Testament Joshua. Hebrews 4:8 is one example (as is Acts 6:45).
• Later translations, including the New King James Version, adjusted those passages to be clear that they referred to the person Joshua by using the Old Testament translation of Joshua. That is why all modern English translations translate Hebrews 4:8 as “Joshua,” not “Jesus,” in seeming contradiction to the original King James Version.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Joshua’s name brought great hope to the people in the Old Testament. It meant, “God saves.” Likewise, thousands of years later, another “Joshua” came. Though we call Him Jesus, the idea is the same: He came to save.

Jesus truly fulfilled the meaning of His name. Being fully God (Colossians 1:19), He added on humanity to be like us (Philippians 2:6–8). He was without any sin (1 Peter 2:22). Since death is only required for sinners (Romans 6:23), He did not have to die. However, God sent Him to save sinners (John 3:16). So, Jesus willingly died. When He died, the Father poured out His judging wrath on Him for all who believe in Jesus (1 John 4:10). By His death, and subsequent resurrection, He brought the ultimate salvation through faith in Him. Paul explained to Titus, “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:4–6). True salvation comes only from God through His Son Jesus Christ whose very name reminds us of the words of David: “For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation” (Psalm 62:1).

Because only Jesus brings salvation, we must call on His name, believing that He is who He said He was. When we do, we will have eternal life, being saved from God’s future wrath which is coming upon the world (Romans 5:9).

UNDERSTAND

• The name "Jesus" in the New Testament comes from the Greek "Iesous," which is the same name used for "Joshua" in Hebrew (Yehoshua).
• The King James Version translated all uses of "Iesous" in the New Testament as "Jesus," even when referring to the Old Testament figure Joshua (as in Hebrews 4:8).
• Modern translations correct this by using "Joshua" when the New Testament refers to the Old Testament person, to avoid confusion.

REFLECT

• How does knowing that “Jesus” and “Joshua” come from the same original name affect the way you understand the meaning of Jesus’ name?
• How have you experienced the saving power of Jesus—whose name means “God saves”—in your own life?
• How does understanding the deeper meaning of names in Scripture help you better understand God’s plan and character?

ENGAGE

• Why is it important for us to know that later Bible translators clarify the name confusion between Jesus and Joshua in modern translations?
• What does the connection between the Old Testament Joshua and Jesus in the New Testament show us about God’s consistent purpose in salvation history?
• How can understanding this translation issue lead to a greater appreciation for the accuracy and integrity of Scripture?