Symbolic Meaning of the Name Joshua

Symbolic Meaning of the Name Joshua

The name Joshua is a form of the Hebrew Yehoshua, meaning “Jehovah saves.” According to Numbers 13:16, Joshua’s name was originally Hoshea, which means “Save!” and Moses added the divine name Jehovah to change it to “Jehovah saves.” In Joshua’s own life this has significance because one of the ways to save is through military means, which is what Joshua does during his life. The Hebrew name transliterates into Greek as Jesus, which means that Jesus’s name also means “Jehovah saves.” As appropriate as this symbolic name was for Joshua, the son of Nun, it is even more appropriate for Jesus Christ—Jehovah Himself, who saved His people.

Related verses

Numbers 13:16
Matthew 1:21