Jesus

The Greek Iēsous is “only” a proper name but one with great importance. The following quote by John Ellington (in The Bible Translator 1993, p. 401ff. ) illustrates this:

“In Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus Christ, Joseph is told that when Mary gives birth to a son ‘you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins’ (1:21). This name is a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name [Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) which is a short form of a name meaning] ‘the Lord [Yahweh] saves.’ The name is very significant and is in itself especially dear to Christians around the world. (…) Unquestionably great importance is attached to the name of Jesus by Christians of all persuasions and backgrounds.”

While Iēsous (pronounced: /i.ɛː.suːs/) is transliterated as “Jesus” (pronounced /ˈdʒiːzəs/) in English (but was translated as “Hælend” [the “healing one”] in Old English — see Swain 2019) it is transliterated and pronounced in a large variety of other ways as well, following the different rules of different languages’ orthographies, writing systems and rules of pronunciation. The following is a (partial) list of forms of Jesus in Latin characters: aYeso, Azezi, Boiyesuq, Cecoc, Chesús, Chi̍i̍sū, Chisɔsi, Ciisahs, Ciise, Ciisusu, Djesu, Ɛisa, Ƹisa, Eyesu, Gesù, Gesû, Gesü, Ġesù, Ghjesù, Giêsu, ꞌGiê‑ꞌsu, Giê-xu, Gyisɛse, Hesu, Hesús, Hisus, Hisuw, Ià-sŭ, Iesen, Ié:sos, Iesu, Iesui, Iesusɨn, Iesusiva, Ié:sos, Ihu, Īhu, Iisus, Iisussa, Ijeesu, iJisọsị, Iji̍sɔ̄ɔsi, Iosa, Íosa, Ìosa, İsa, I’sa, Isiso, Isõs, Ísu, Isus, Isusa, Iisussa, Isuthi, Itota, Îtu, Isuva, Izesu, Izesuq, Jasus, Jeeju, Jeesus, Jeesuse, Jeezas, Jehu, Jeisu, Jeju, Jejus, Jesesi, Jeshu, Jeso, Jesoe, Jesosa, Jesoshi, Jesosi, Jesosy, Jesu, Jesû, Jesua, Jesuh, Jesuhs, Jesuo, Jesús, Jésus, Jesúsu, Jethu, Jetsóó, Jezed, Jezi, Jézi, Ježiš, Jezu, Jezus, Jézus, Jėzus, Jēzus, Jezusi, Jėzus, Jezuz, Jiijajju, Jíísas, Jiisusi, Jiizas, Jíìzọ̀s, Jisas, Jisase, Jisasi, Jisasɨ, Jisaso, Jisesi, Jisɛ̀, Jisos, Jisọs, Jisɔs, Jisu, Jiszs, Jizọs, Jizɔs, Jizọsi, Jizọsu, Jòso, Jusu, Jweesus, Ketsutsi, Njises, ọYẹsọ, Sesi, Sisa, Sísa, Sisas, Sises, Sīsū, Sizi, Txesusu, uJesu, Ujísɔ̄si, ŵaYesu, Xesosi, ´Xesús, Xesús, Yasu, Ya:su, yasuɛ, Yasuuⓐ, Ɣaysa, Yecu, Yeeb Sub, Yeeh Suh, Yeesey, Yeeso, Yeesso, Yēēsu, Yehsu, Yëësu, Yeiqsul, Yeisu, Yeisuw, Yeshu, Yē shú, Yeso, Yéso, Yesò, Yëso, Yɛso, ye-su, Yésu, Yêsu, Yẹ́sụ̃, Yěsù, Yésʉs, Yeswa, Yet Sut, Yetut, Yexus, Yezo, Yezu, Yiesu, Yiisa, Yiisu, Yiitju, Yis, Yisɔs, Yisufa, Yitati, Yusu, ‑Yusu, :Yusu’, Zeezi, Zezi, Zezì, Zezuz, Zezwii, Ziizɛ, Zisas, Zîsɛ, Zjezus, Zozi, Zozii, and this (much more incomplete) list with other writings systems: ᔩᓱᓯ, ᒋᓴᔅ, Հիսուս, ᏥᏌ, ኢየሱስ, ያሱስ, ܝܫܘܥ, Ісус, Їисъ, 耶稣, იესო, ईसा, イエス, イイスス, イエスス, 예수, येशू, येशो, ਈਸਾ, ພຣະເຢຊູ, ජේසුස්, যীশু, ଯୀଶୁ, ཡེ་ཤུ་, ‘ঈছা, இயேசு, ಯೇಸು, ພຣະເຢຊູ, ယေရှု, ઇસુ, जेजू, येसु, เยซู, យេស៊ូ, ᱡᱤᱥᱩ, ယေသှု, యేసు, ᤕᤧᤛᤢ᤺ᤴ, އީސާގެފާނު, ਯਿਸੂ, ꕉꖷ ꔤꕢ ꕞ, ⵏ⵿ⵗⵢⵙⴰ, ଜୀସୁ, يَسُوعَ,ㄧㄝㄙㄨ, YE-SU, ꓬꓰ꓿ꓢꓴ, 𖽃𖽡𖾐𖼺𖽹𖾏𖼽𖽔𖾏, ꑳꌠ, ᠶᠡᠰᠦᠰ (note that some of these might not display correctly if your device does not have the correct fonts installed).

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In some languages the different confessions have selected different transliterations, such as in Belarusian with Isus (Ісус) by the Orthodox and Protestant churches and Yezus (Езус) by the Catholic church, Bulgarian with Iisus (Иисус) by the Orthodox and Isus (Исус) by the Protestant church, Japanese with Iesu (イエス) (Protestant and Catholic) and Iisusu (イイスス) (Orthodox), or Lingala with Yesu (Protestant) or Yezu (Catholic). These differences have come to the forefront especially during the work on interconfessional translations such as one in Lingala where “many hours were spent on a single letter difference” (source: Ellington, p. 401).

In Literary and Mandarin Chinese where transliterations of proper names between the Catholic and Protestant versions typically differ vastly, the Chinese name of Jesus (Yēsū 耶稣) remarkably was never brought into question between and by those two confessions, likely due to its ingenious choice. (Click or tap here to see more).

The proper name of God in the Old Testament, Yahweh (YHWH), is rendered in most Chinese Bible translations as Yēhéhuá 耶和華 — Jehovah. According to Chinese naming conventions, Yēhéhuá could be interpreted as Yē Héhuá, in which Yē would be the family name and Héhuá — “harmonic and radiant” — the given name. In the same manner, Yē 耶 would be the family name of Jesus and Sū 稣 would be his given name. Because in China the children inherit the family name from the father, the sonship of Jesus to God the Father, Jehovah, would be illustrated through this. Though this line of argumentation sounds theologically unsound, it is indeed used effectively in the Chinese church (see Wright 1953, p. 298).

Moreover, the “given name” of Sū 稣 carries the meaning ‘to revive, to rise again’ and seems to point to the resurrected Jesus. (Source: J. Zetzsche in Malek 2002, p. 141ff., see also tetragrammaton (YHWH))

There are different ways that Bible translators have chosen historically and today in how to translate the name of Jesus in predominantly Muslim areas: with a form of the Arabic Isa (عيسى) (which is used for “Jesus” in the Qur’an), the Greek Iēsous, or, like major 20th century Bible translations into Standard Arabic, the Aramaic Yēšūaʿ: Yasua (يَسُوعَ). (Click or tap here to see more.)

Following are languages and language groups that use a form of Isa include the following (note that this list is not complete):

  • Indo-Iranian languages: Persian, Dari, Central Pashto, Southern Pashto all use Eysa (عيسی or عيسىٰ for Southern Pashto), Sindhi uses Eysey (عيسيٰ), Southern Balochi Issa (ایسّا), Central Kurdish (Sorani) and Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) use Îsa (عیسای and Иса respectively), Turkmen has Isa, and Tajik Isoi (Исои — compare Iso/Исо in the Tajik Qur’an)
  • Turkic languages: Turkish uses İsa, Kazakh, Kumyk, Nogai, Crimean Tatar all have Isa (Иса), Kirghiz has Iysa (Ыйса), Uzbek has Iso (Исо — compare Iiso/Ийсо in the Uzbek Qur’an), Bashkir uses Aaisa (Ғайса), North Azerbaijani İsa, Uighur uses Eysa (ئەيسا), and Kara-Kalpak İysa (Ийса)
  • Caucasian languages: Bezhta and Lezghian use Isa (Иса), Avaric has Aisa (ГІиса), and Chechen Iza (Иза)
  • Various African languages: Somali, a Cushitic language, has Ciise, Kabyle has Ɛisa and Tahaggart Tamahaq has Yeswa (both Berber languages), the Saharan languages Central Kanuri, Manga Kanuri have Isa, the Atlantic-Congo languages Dagbani, Mampruli, and Bimoba use Yisa, and the Chadian Arabic Bible has Isa (عِيسَى)
  • In Indonesian, while most Bible translations had already used Yesus Kristus rather than Isa al Masih, three public holidays used to be described using the term Isa Al Masih. From 2024 on the government is using Yesus Kristus in those holiday names instead (see this article in Christianity Today ).
  • Some languages have additional “TAZI” editions (TAZI stands for “Tawrat, Anbiya, Zabur, and Injil” the “Torah, Prophets, Psalms and Gospel”) of the New Testament that are geared towards Muslim readers where there is also a translation in the same language for non-Muslims. In those editions, Isa is typically used as well (for example, the Khmer TAZI edition uses Isa (អ៊ីសា) rather than the commonly used Yesaou (យេស៊ូ), the Thai edition uses Isa (อีซา) rather than Yesu (เยซู), the Chinese edition uses Ěrsā (尔撒) vs. Yēsū (耶稣), and the English edition also has Isa rather than Jesus.)

In German the name Jesus (pronounced: /ˈjeːzʊs/) is distinguished by its grammatical forms. Into the 20th century the grammatical rules prescribed a unique Greek-Latin declination: Jesus (nominative), Jesu (genitive, dative, vocative), Jesum (accusative), from which today only the genitive case “Jesu” is still in active use. Likewise, in Seediq (Taroko), the morphological treatment of “Jesus” also occupies a special category by not falling under the normal rule of experiencing a vowel reduction when the object-specific suffix an is added “since it was felt that the readers might resent that the name has been changed that drastically.” (Compare Msian for “Moses” (Mosi) as an object, but Yisuan for “Jesus” (Yisu).) (Source: Covell 1998. p. 249)

In Lamba the name ŵaYesu consists of a transliteration Yesu and the prefix ŵa, a plural form for “proper names when addressing and referring to persons in any position of seniority or honor.” While this was avoided in early translations to avoid possible misunderstandings of more than one Jesus, once the church was established it was felt that it was both “safe” and respectful to use the honorific (pl.) prefix. (Source C. M. Doke in The Bible Translator 1958, p. 57ff. )

In virtually all sign languages, “Jesus” is signed with the middle finger of each hand pointing to the palm (or wrist) of the other in succession (signing the nails of the cross). In the context of Bible translation this has been pointed out as theologically problematic since the “semantic connections of the original name Jesus do point towards ‘salvation,’ they do not naturally lead to crucifixion.” (Source: Phil King in Journal of Translation 1 (2020), p. 33ff.)


“Jesus” in German Sign Language (source )

Following is the oldest remaining Ethiopian Orthodox icon of Jesus from the 14th or possibly 13th century (found in the Church of the Saviour of the World in Gurji, Ethiopia). As in many Orthodox icons, Jesus’ right hand forms the Greek letters I-C-X-C for IHCOYC XPICTOC or “Jesus Christ.” Another interpretation of the right hand is that it shows three fingers pointing to the Trinity, while the two other fingers point to Jesus’ two natures.

source (c) Jacques Mercier and Alain Mathieu

Orthodox icons are not drawings or creations of imagination. They are in fact writings of things not of this world. Icons can represent our Lord Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the Saints. They can also represent the Holy Trinity, Angels, the Heavenly hosts, and even events. Orthodox icons, unlike Western pictures, change the perspective and form of the image so that it is not naturalistic. This is done so that we can look beyond appearances of the world, and instead look to the spiritual truth of the holy person or event. (Source )

The following is the so-called “Wales Window for Alabama.” It is a stained-glass window by the artist John Petts from Carmarthenshire, Wales, created in response to the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing which took place in 1963:

Stained glass is not just highly decorative, it’s a medium which has been used to express important religious messages for centuries. Literacy was not widespread in the medieval and Renaissance periods and the Church used stained glass and other artworks to teach the central beliefs of Christianity. In Gothic churches, the windows were filled with extensive narrative scenes in stained glass — like huge and colorful picture storybooks — in which worshipers could ‘read’ the stories of Christ and the saints and learn what was required for their religious salvation. (Source: Victoria and Albert Museum )

The style of the following drawing of Jesus by Annie Vallotton is described by the artist as this: “By using few lines the readers fill in the outlines with their imagination and freedom. That is when the drawings begin to communicate.” (see here ; see also We All are One in Christ)

Illustration by Annie Vallotton, copyright by Donald and Patricia Griggs of Griggs Educational Service.

Other visual representation of Jesus in TIPs include several non-Western styles of art: traditional Korean art, traditional Chinese art, modern Chinese abstract art, northern and central Thailand’s popular art, Indian Hamzanama style, traditional Vietnamese art, or Japanese prints.

See also this devotion on YouVersion .

Translation commentary on Hebrews 4:14

Good News Translation reverses the two parts of this verse (contrast Revised Standard Version) and divides the sentence into two. We have a great High Priest should not, however, be emphasized in translation. It is not new information; it is repeated from 2.17. Revised Standard Version‘s “Since then,” a stronger expression than then, draws a conclusion from this and marks a return to the teaching of chapters 1–2.

The translation of High Priest raises several problems.
(a) Many cultures have priests, but their work and their place in society vary greatly. They are sometimes different from those of the Old Testament High Priest. His qualifications are described in Leviticus 21.10-15, and what he did on the Day of Atonement is described in Leviticus 16.6-17, where “Aaron” means any High Priest. common language translations and some other translations give additional information in a glossary note.
(b) The common words for “priest” may be used to describe ministers of a particular denomination. If so, it may be necessary to choose another word to translate High Priest; for example, “chief sacrificer,” as in some French translations. But in most instances a term used for “priest” in major Christian churches is quite satisfactory when used in referring to the role of Jesus Christ. In some languages, however, there may be more than one term for priest, and these terms may differ significantly in connotation. Therefore one must make certain that a term used in referring to Jesus Christ is one which has acceptable connotations; that is to say, it should be a term which does not suggest a hypocritical or exploitive role, or have any other negative features.
(c) Except at 9.7, the writer does not lay much stress on the distinction between priest and High Priest. “High Priest” is one word in Greek, so in some languages it may be necessary to translate great High Priest as “great priest” or “highest priest” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch), omitting great to avoid repetition.

Here and in the following verses, the writer continues to link himself with his readers. For example, he writes Let us … hold firmly, not “you must hold firmly.” Let us is not a request for permission but an exhortation, equivalent to “We should continue strongly to,” often expressed negatively as “we should not for a moment cease to.”

The faith we profess, literally “our confession” (Revised Standard Version), may mean either the act of stating publicly what one believes, or the words in which one’s faith is expressed. Similar language is used in 3.1 and 10.23. By the time Hebrews was written, more or less fixed summaries of Christian belief were probably being used. The faith we profess may be expressed as “what we say we believe” or “how we declare that we trust Christ.”

It may seem strange to say we have a great High Priest, for the High Priest is not possessed by people. He acts on behalf of people, and therefore it may be more natural and correct to say “he is a great High Priest for us.”

Good News Translation reverses the order of the Greek, beginning with an appeal which rounds off the previous section, and then introducing the theme of the High Priest. Gone into the very presence of God is literally “having gone through the heavens.” “Heaven” was often used in order to avoid speaking directly of God. Perhaps the writer is already thinking of Jesus passing through several heavens, as the High Priest on the Day of Atonement passed through the veils of the Temple in Jerusalem (9.3). For the idea of several heavens, see 2 Corinthians 12.2. But the plural “heavens” (Revised Standard Version) has no special significance here. The corresponding Hebrew word is dual in form but singular in meaning, and this fact probably influenced biblical Greek. It is impossible to make a precise distinction between the use of “heaven” (9.24) and “heavens” (9.23) in the Greek. Matthew uses the phrase “kingdom of the heavens” instead of “kingdom of God,” with no difference of meaning.

Who has gone into the very presence of God may be rendered as “who has gone before God himself” or “who has entered where God is.”

The apposition marked by the dash, and introducing Jesus, the Son of God, can rarely be translated literally, at least in the sequence which occurs in Good News Translation, since it would imply that Jesus, the Son of God is in apposition to God. It may be more appropriate in some languages to translate “this High Priest is Jesus, who is the Son of God.”

Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Letter of the Hebrews. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Hebrews 4:14

Division 4:14–8:13

Jesus is greater than any other high priest

Division 4:14–8:13 is the second major division of Hebrews. In this division the author discusses Jesus’ work as high priest for us his people. It is important to remember that in the OT God gave the people of Israel instructions about who could serve as high priest. Only one person served as high priest, and he served until he died. Then another priest was chosen. Only the high priest could make atonement for the people’s sins on the Day of Atonement. The other priests had different duties. As you translate, be sure that your translation fits with this background information.

Section 4:14–16

So let’s be faithful to Jesus, our great high priest

This short section (4:14–16) has three main points:

(a) It encourages the readers to continue to believe the truth about Jesus that they publicly accepted.

(b) It repeats that Jesus is our high priest (see 2:17), and it describes what kind of priest he is.

(c) It introduces the next section, which describes Jesus’ work as high priest.

Remember to translate the section before choosing a heading for it. Some other possible headings are:

Jesus Is the Great High Priest (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Jesus Our Compassionate High Priest (NET Bible)
-or-
Christ Is Superior to Other Chief Priests (God’s Word)

Paragraph 4:14–16

4:14

This verse summarizes what the author taught in 4:1–13.

4:14a

Therefore, since we have: The phrase Therefore, since we have is more literally “Having, therefore.” The word “therefore” implies that the author already taught his listeners about their great high priest (4:14a). He taught them that he is Jesus, the Son of God (4:14b). These teachings are the basis for what the author told them to do (4:14c). He told them to hold firmly to their confession of faith, because they know that their great high priest is Jesus the Son of God.

Some ways to translate 4:14a–c are:

So now we understand that we have a great high priest, Jesus the Son of God, and he has gone into heaven. So let us firmly continue to believe our confession of faith.
-or-
We have a great high priest, who has gone into heaven, Jesus the Son of God. That is why we must hold on to what we have said about him. (Contemporary English Version)

In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of the clauses in this verse. See the General Comment on 4:14a–c at the end of 4:14c for examples.

we have a great high priest: The phrase we have a great high priest indicates that there is a great high priest who represents us to God.

Some other ways to translate we have a great high priest are:

there is a great high priest for us
-or-
the most powerful/important of all chief priests ⌊represents⌋ us

we: The pronoun we refers to both the author and the people who listened to him. This applies to each we and “us” in the rest of the chapter.

great high priest: The people of Israel had one great high priest, who was the leader of all the other priests. He was greater than all of them, and he was responsible to make atonement for the people’s sins. Here the word great is added to the term high priest to emphasize even more the supreme greatness of Jesus.

You should translate high priest as you did in 2:17 and emphasize his greatness in a natural way in your language. See the examples in the preceding note. For more information on how to translate high priest, see the note on 2:17b.

4:14b

who has passed through the heavens: The clause who has passed through the heavens is a figure of speech. It indicates that Jesus entered heaven and came to God. It implies a comparison between Jesus and each high priest of Israel.

Once a year the person who was the high priest of Israel came into the tabernacle. He passed through the outer room and came into the inner room. After he finished his work in that room, he left. In contrast with those high priests, Jesus came to God himself in heaven, and he is still in the presence of God.

Some ways to translate who has passed through the heavens are:

who has gone up into heaven
-or-
He went through the sky/heavens and came to God

Jesus the Son of God: The phrase Jesus the Son of God expresses the fact that Jesus has the same nature and character as God. This is the only place in Hebrews where the author puts the name Jesus and the phrase the Son of God together. For more information about how to translate the title the Son of God, see the note on “his Son” in 1:2a.

4:14c

let us hold firmly to what we profess: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as let us hold firmly is a command. It means that we must continue to be firmly committed. (Remember that it is not a request for permission.) The phrase what we profess refers here to a statement of what we believe (about Jesus). It includes a declaration of commitment to him.

Some other ways to translate this command are:

we must hold firm to our profession of faith (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
it is necessary/essential that we continue to be committed to our declaration of faith in Jesus

Translate this command in a way that is natural in your language.

what we profess: The phrase what we profess means “what we say/declare that we believe.” The word profess refers here to making a statement about what followers of Jesus believe. A follower of Jesus makes this statement in public and expresses agreement with those beliefs. It is a way for the person to publicly state his allegiance (devotion) to Jesus. The word profess does not refer here to confessing sins.

Some other ways to translate what we profess are:

what we believe about Jesus
-or-
acknowledging Jesus ⌊as our Lord⌋

The Greek word translated here as profess occurs six times in the NT. Three of those are in the book of Hebrews (here and in 3:1 and 10:23).

General Comment on 4:14a–c

In 4:14c the author told his listeners to hold firmly to their profession of faith. In some languages it may be more natural to put this exhortation at the beginning of 4:14, and then give the description of Jesus in 4:14a–b. Then that description will connect with the description of the high priest in 4:15. For example:

14c Let us, then, hold firmly to the faith we profess. 14a For we have a great high priest 14b who has gone into the very presence of God—Jesus, the Son of God. 15 Our High Priest is not one who cannot feel sympathy for our weaknesses. (Good News Translation)
-or-

14c So then, we must hold firmly to what we believe and declare 14b about Jesus. He is the Son of God, and he has gone into heaven 14a as our great high priest to represent us. 15 This high priest of ours understands our weaknesses…

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