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, 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 Luke 5:9 – 5:10

Exegesis:

thambos gar perieschen auton ‘for astonishment had seized him.’ The reference is to the state in which he speaks, hence ‘he was astonished.’ For thambos cf. on 4.36.

periechō ‘to seize,’ ‘to come upon.’

kai pantas tous sun autō ‘and all the men with him,’ i.e. the men who were with Simon in the same boat.

epi tē agra tōn ichthuōn hōn sunelabon ‘at the catch of fishes which they had taken.’ The relative pronoun goes with ichthuōn and agra has the same meaning as in v. 4 where it is to be understood in an active sense, and the genitive ichthuōn is objective. If the reading hē (cf. Nestle) is accepted agra is indirectly the object of sunelabon and is to be understood in a concrete sense, ‘catch,’ i.e. the thing caught, and the genitive ichthuōn is genitive of content.

hoi ēsan koinōnoi tō Simōni ‘who were partners of Simon’s.’ The phrase refers to the same persons as tois metochois in v. 7, i.e. to the people who came in the other boat. The two terms are nearly synonymous, the difference being that metochos stresses the fact of having something in common and koinōnos (when used with dative) the fact of belonging together, but the difference should not be pressed.

Translation:

For, or, to make a better translation, ‘thus his words, because’ (Balinese).

He was astonished … at, see on “wondered at” in 1.21.

All that were with him, or, ‘all his mates/companions,’ ‘all those in his boat.’

The catch of fish which they had taken. The extraordinary character of the catch may be brought out by the use of a demonstrative pronoun, e.g. ‘such a catch of fish…’ (cf. Ekari), or more explicitly by saying, ‘their taking such-a-number of fish’ (Javanese, similarly Santali), ‘because they had caught so may fish.’

(V. 10a) James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Another phrase order may be more idiomatic in the receptor language, e.g. ‘Simon’s partners J. and J., Z.’s sons’ (Batak Toba), ‘the two children of Z., J. and J., the companions of S.’ (Toraja-Sa’dan, similarly Ekari). Partners, or, ‘those associated with’ (Balinese); the rendering often has to coincide with that of Gr. metochoi in v. 7, as e.g. in Revised Standard Version, New English Bible, Tae,’ Santali.

Translation commentary on Luke 5:10b

Exegesis:

mē phobou ‘do not be afraid,’ cf. on 1.13.

apo tou nun ‘from now on,’ i.e., as the next verse shows, beginning immediately.

anthrōpous esē zōgrōn ‘you will be catching men.’ The place of anthrōpous at the beginning of the clause suggests emphasis and contrast with the fishes which he had been catching hitherto in his life. The periphrastic construction esē zōgrōn instead of the future indicative stresses the durative aspect: catching men will be his occupation. But v. 11 shows that this is not to be understood in a general sense. It is corollary to following Jesus.

zōgreō ‘to capture alive.’

Translation:

You will be catching men, a metaphor. In some cases the metaphor can be rendered rather literally, cf. ‘seeking for men’ (Kekchi, where ‘to seek fish’ is the idiomatical rendering of ‘to catch fish’). In several other languages, however, more radical adjustments are necessary, such as making explicit the underlying simile, ‘you will catch men, so to say,’ ‘you will not (or, no longer) catch fish, but men,’ cf. also ‘you will catch men as if you were catching fish’ (Barrow Eskimo); or a shift to a non-metaphorical rendering, sacrificing the play-on-words, e.g. ‘you will be a bringer of men’ (Northern Grebo), ‘you will be winning men,’ ‘you will make others come to me.’ In some cases the durative aspect of the construction is best expressed by an agent noun, e.g. ‘you will act-as a catcher of men,’ or an occupational term, e.g. ‘you will be one-whose-trade-is catching men’ (East and Toraja-Sa’dan, Balinese). Some of the above mentioned adjustments may cause the wording of Lk. 5.10 and Mk. 1.17 to converge or even to coincide; this will have to be accepted, if idiom and/or intelligibility require the adjustments in question. — Men. Where the language distinguishes between ‘men,’ i.e. individuals, and ‘men,’ i.e. human as contrasted with other living beings (as e.g. in Balinese) the latter is to be used here, of course.

Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 5:10

5:10a

his partners James and John, the sons of Zebedee: This is the first time that Luke specifically mentioned the names of some of Simon’s partners. (James and John were among the “partners” mentioned in 5:7.) He told us three things about them: their names, the name of their father, and their relationship to Simon (see the note below on his partners).

As you translate this verse, you will need to think about these questions:

(a) How are new characters introduced in a way that is natural in your language?

(b) What is the most natural order in your language for this information?

Another way to translate this part of the verse is:

Simon had two partners whose names were James and John. Their father was Zebedee. They too were amazed at what had happened.

his partners: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as partners indicates that James and John worked together with Simon as fishermen. It may indicate even more specifically that they were business partners. James and John may have owned the fishing business along with Simon.

This Greek word is different from the word that was translated as “partners” in 5:7a. However, the two words have very similar meanings. You can use the same word in your language for both Greek words. Or you could use a more specific word here that means “business partners.”

the sons of Zebedee: James and John were brothers, and Zebedee was their father.

General Comment on 5:8a–10a

Simon’s reaction in 5:8 was based on the miraculous catch of fish described in 5:6–7. The feelings behind his reaction are then explained in 5:9. In some languages, it may be a more natural order to first give Simon’s feelings, and then the reaction that resulted from his feelings. If this is true in your language, you might consider reordering these verses. For example:

8aWhen Simon Peter saw what had happened, 9he was astonished. 8bHe fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9All the men with Simon, 10aincluding James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were Simon’s partners, 9were likewise astonished.

5:10b–c

From now on: Other ways to translate the phrase From now on are:

starting from this time
-or-
from this day forward

you will catch men: The clause you will catch men is a figure of speech. It relates the ideas of fishing and “catching men.” Jesus was saying that Peter would leave his normal work of fishing. He would start bringing people into God’s kingdom.

Do not imply that Peter was going to “catch men” to do forced labor. Do not imply that he was going to catch criminals.

You may need to make the connection to fishing explicit in your translation. For example:

⌊You used to catch fish.⌋ From now on you will catch men.

If possible, use a word for catch in your language that could apply to both men and fish. In many languages the word normally used for catching fish will have a negative connotation such as “kill” or “capture.” This will not be appropriate for Jesus’ meaning in connection with men. In those languages you may need to say something like:

you will gather people ⌊to follow me⌋ ⌊instead of gathering fish to sell⌋
-or-
you will bring in people instead of fish (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
you will be bringing people to me ⌊instead of fishing for fish⌋

you: The pronoun you is singular. Jesus was talking specifically to Simon. However, other men who also wanted to be Jesus’ disciples heard these words.

will catch: The verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as will catch is literally “will be catching” in Greek. Jesus is using the future tense to imply a gentle command. Jesus told Simon what Simon would do. He implied that this is what he should or must do. Use a form in your language that implies a similar meaning.

The verb form used in Greek implies doing something repeatedly or habitually. It implies that catching men is something that Simon would do many times. This idea is already present in the phrase “From now on.” Some ways to make this meaning clear in English are:

you will be catching men (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
your occupation will be to catch men

men: In this context the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as men means people. It does not refer only to males. There is a contrast here between people and fish. Be sure to make this contrast clear in your translation. Another way to translate this is:

you will catch people instead of fish (God’s Word)

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