Jesus in Aramaic: Isho (ܝܫܘܥ)

The Aramaic name of Jesus, from Hebrew Yehoshua to Greek Iesous, and how the Maronite Church still says it

Jesus in Aramaic is Yeshua, written ܝܫܘܥ in Syriac script. In the Syriac Christian tradition the name is spoken Isho or Yeshuʿ, and it is the name the Maronite Church has sung in Syriac since long before it was written in English.

It is a short name with a long road behind it: Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Latin, English. This page follows that road and shows where a Maronite hears the name today. For the other words Jesus spoke, see the Aramaic words Jesus spoke.

The Aramaic Name of Jesus: Yeshua, Isho, Yeshuʿ

ܝܫܘܥ

Ishoʿ (Eastern Syriac) · Yeshuʿ (Western Syriac) · written Isho in most English texts

The Syriac spelling has four letters, read right to left: yudh, shin, waw, ʿe. The last one is the ʿayin, a guttural consonant with no English equivalent. Both the Eastern and Western Syriac traditions keep it in the written name, so the spelling ܝܫܘܥ is the same for both. You can see how each letter is drawn in the Aramaic alphabet.

How to pronounce it

The same spelling is read two ways. The Eastern Syriac tradition, which is that of the Assyrian and Chaldean churches, says Ishoʿ. The Western Syriac tradition, which is that of the Maronites, Syriac Catholics and Syriac Orthodox, is usually given as Yeshuʿ. This site spells it Isho where the name stands alone and Yeshuʿ in the Hail Mary, so you may meet both forms.

Nobody can say exactly how Jesus himself pronounced it in Galilee two thousand years ago. The Gospels were written in Greek and keep only the Greek form. Scholars reconstruct Yeshua from Hebrew and Aramaic evidence, and the Syriac forms are the living, sung descendants of it.

Yeshua and Yehoshua: Where the Name Comes From

The name is Hebrew in origin. Yehoshua, the name of Moses' successor Joshua, combines a short form of the divine name with a verb meaning "to save," and is usually explained as "the Lord is salvation." In the later books of the Hebrew Bible and in everyday speech, Yehoshua was shortened to Yeshua.

Aramaic, the everyday language of Jewish Galilee, took the shortened form over, and a further shortened Yeshu also existed. The Syriac Isho is the Aramaic Yeshua carried into the language of Edessa, the home of Syriac and of its early Bible, the Peshitta.

What the name means

It means "the Lord saves." The Gospel of Matthew gives the reason in the angel's words to Joseph: "You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). The Hail Mary in Syriac ends its first half with this name, "and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Yeshuʿ" (the Hail Mary in Aramaic).

Joshua and Jesus are the same name, travelling through two different languages.

From Yeshua to Jesus: Greek, Latin, English

The name changed shape each time it crossed a language. Each step follows the habits of the new language.

Greek, Iesous (Ἰησοῦς): Greek has no "sh" sound, so the sh became s, and Greek masculine names needed an ending, so -s was added. The Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, the Septuagint, already used Iesous for Joshua, and the Gospels followed it.
Latin, Iesus: the Latin Bible carried the Greek form over almost unchanged.
English, Jesus: English took the Latin spelling. The initial letter J developed from I over the centuries and came to be pronounced as it is today.

So "Jesus" is a Greek and Latin shaping of an Aramaic and Hebrew name. The Syriac form is closer to the original shape, which is one reason Maronites value keeping it in the liturgy.

Jesus in Arabic: Yasuʿ and Isa

Lebanese Maronites speak Arabic, and in Arabic the Christian name for Jesus is Yasuʿ (يسوع), used by Arabic-speaking Christians of every church. It follows the same chain as above, from the Hebrew-Aramaic name, and keeps the final ʿayin.

The Quran calls Jesus Isa (عيسى), and Arabic-speaking Muslims use that form. Where that name comes from is debated among scholars, so this page does not guess. In daily life in Lebanon, a Christian says Yasuʿ al-Masih and a Muslim says Isa, two names for one figure honored in two faiths.

Titles of Jesus in Syriac: Moran and Mshiho

Syriac Christians rarely say the bare name. It travels with titles, and two of them are worth learning.

Moran, ܡܪܢ: "our Lord." It is the same word as in Maranatha, and the title the Syriac liturgy gives to Christ (see God in Aramaic).
Mshiho, ܡܫܝܚܐ: "the Anointed One," the Messiah, which Greek translated as Christos. In a Maronite chant it appears in the line Mshiho qom, "Christ is risen."

Joined, they give the Syriac form of "Our Lord Jesus Christ": Moran Isho Mshiho. The three words are each attested in Syriac Christian prayer. Because liturgical wording varies between books and feasts, check your own Qurbono book for the exact phrase at a given place.

Where Maronites Say the Name

In the Maronite Qurbono the name of Jesus is sung in Syriac even in parishes that otherwise pray in Arabic, English, French or Portuguese. It is in the Syriac Hail Mary, and in the hymns and chants of the liturgy.

Saint Charbel celebrated the Qurbono in this Syriac-Maronite tradition throughout his life as a priest and hermit. Saying Isho slowly is a short, honest way to begin to pray in the same language of the Church he served.

A Caution on Online Aramaic

Many websites print "Aramaic" names of Jesus such as invented titles or devotional paraphrases that no Syriac-speaking church has ever used. If you want the name as the living tradition says it, use the Peshitta forms on this page: Isho, Yeshuʿ, Moran, Mshiho. The wider story of his language is in what language did Jesus speak.

Pray the Name in Aramaic

Start with one word. Say Isho quietly on each breath for a minute, then add Moran Isho Mshiho. A recording of a Maronite Qurbono will teach the sound better than any transliteration.

The Charbel app includes guided prayer in Syriac Aramaic alongside English, Arabic, French and Portuguese, so you can pray in the language of Jesus as part of your daily rhythm.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Jesus in Aramaic?

Jesus in Aramaic is Yeshua, written ܝܫܘܥ in Syriac script. Eastern Syriac churches say Ishoʿ and Western Syriac churches say Yeshuʿ; English-language materials on Syriac Christianity usually write it Isho. The name is the Aramaic form of the Hebrew Yehoshua (Joshua), meaning 'the Lord is salvation'.

How do you say Jesus in Aramaic?

Say 'Yeh-SHOO-a' for the Galilean-era form Yeshua, 'ee-SHO' for the Eastern Syriac Isho, or 'ye-SHOO' for the Western Syriac Yeshu. The last letter is the ʿayin, a throaty consonant that the Syriac spelling keeps and that English speakers usually drop.

What does the name Jesus mean in Aramaic?

It means 'the Lord saves' or 'the Lord is salvation'. The Gospel of Matthew explains the name this way when the angel tells Joseph to call the child Jesus 'for he will save his people from their sins' (Matthew 1:21).

Is Yeshua the same as Joshua?

Yes. Yeshua is a shortened form of the Hebrew name Yehoshua, which English renders Joshua. The Greek Septuagint writes both with the same Greek name, Iesous, which is why some English Bibles call Joshua 'Jesus' in Acts 7:45 and Hebrews 4:8.

What do Maronites call Jesus?

Maronites pray in Syriac and Arabic. In Syriac the name is Isho or Yeshuʿ, with the titles Moran, 'our Lord', and Mshiho, 'the Messiah' or 'Christ'. In Arabic, Lebanese Maronites say Yasuʿ (يسوع) and Yasuʿ al-Masih, 'Jesus the Christ'.