Is he the “Saviour” or was he “saved”?
It is a common Christian argument that Jesus’ (P) original name is “Yeshua`“, which they claim means “salvation” in Hebrew. However, the entry “Yeshua`” in Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon elicits an interesting entry that is contrary to what they are claiming.
[H. W. F. Gesenius (S. M. Tregelles [tr.]), Gesenius’s Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon To The Old Testament Scriptures, 1881, Samuel Bagster & Sons: London (UK), p. 373]
We can see from the scanned entry above that the word means “that which is delivered, safe”, with the evidence of usage in Isaiah 26:1, 18. “Yeshua`” does not exist as a word other than as this name. Another name involving this root is “Jeshua`” (Joshua), which means ‘God + save’, just like many other Hebrew names, such as “Yehonatan” – ‘God gave’, “Yehoshafat” – ‘God judged’. In other words, “Yeshua`” is clearly related to a group of words meaning “save”.