What are the origins of the names Jesus and Isa and what are their meanings?

Answer 1

Isa and Jesus are the same name but in different languages.

Isa is Arabic.

Jesus is a transliteration, occurring in a number of languages and based on the Latin Iesus, of the Greek Iēsoûs, itself a Hellenisation of the Hebrew Yĕhōšuă'(Joshua) or Hebrew-Aramaic Yēšûă', meaning "Yahweh delivers (or rescues)".

Arabic and Hebrew are sister languages, and it's easy to see the similarity between "Isa" and "Yesua".

The name means, as mentioned above, "God delivers", or "God saves/rescues".

Answer 2 :

In Islam, Jesus PBUH is considered one of the most important prophets , a bringer of scripture & a worker of miracles. Jesus is called " Massiah", in Arabic it's transliterated as " Maseeh" & it's mentioned many times in the Holy Quran with also the name " Isa". In the translated verses of the Holy Quran into English, the name " Masseh" is also translated as "Christ".

- About how did the name Isa Originate:

The name is originally in Hebrew " Yahshua", which is " Iesous" in Greek, " Iesous" in Latin & " Jesus" in English. This is the derivation or the history of the translation of Jesus through the various languages. All agree that the word "Jesus is a transcription or a copy of the Greek name … which is a derivation of the Hebrew Ieshoua, a common Jewish name" according to the book The Names and Titles of Jesus by Leopold Sabourin, S.J.

When Christianity reached the Arabian World, the Arabic word for " Jesus" was " Isa" which is used until now by Arabs, both Muslims & Christians. The name " Masseh" is used by both of them too, & also the Christians use the name " Yasoo'a".

So, The name "Isa"was used by Arabs even before Islam.

The name "Yeshua`" means "salvation" in Hebrew. The Arabic name " Isa" has many meanings derived from many Arabian roots, the mot important two are :

1. From the root "Sa'ah or saw'a" in Arabic "ساعه"or " سوع",which refers to the time & this is a clue for the long life of the prophet Jesus PBUH & the excess in His life due to His return to the world after His ascension, here it's good to clarify that Islam teaches that Jesus ascended bodily to heaven without experiencing the crucifixion and resurrection, rather than the traditional Christian belief of the death and resurrection of Jesus.

(As Muslims believe that the crucifixion happened to another man & that Jesus PBUH was saved by God with a miracle)

2. From the root " saei" or in Arabic "سعي " which refers to working ,walking ,going & returning.

About the name "Massiah" which means the "Anointed One" in a clue to " the sacred oil ,scent & perfumes of high quality with which Jesus was anointed after His birth , this was done to make the child blessed & devoted to worshipping God". The same meaning is used for the Arabic name "Maseeh" with other meanings in the Islamic aspect. These meanings are all derived from the root "Masaha" or "مسح" in Arabic , such as :

1 - The one who is purified & whose sins are erased totally by Allah as Al-Tabari said in His book "Jame'a al-bayan".

2 - Al-Zamakhshari says that this name is an honorable name which points to the blessings of Allah. His illustration to the name is in the light of the Quranic verse:

" And He hath made me blessed wheresoever I be, and hath enjoined on me Prayer and Charity as long as I live "

( Holy Quran : Chapter 19 : verse 31 ) Maryam (Mary)

3 - The one who is prevented from Satan , because the angel Jibreel or " Gabriel" had protected Him with His wing from the satanic touch when He was born.

4 - In the book of " Lesan Al-Arab" by Ibn Mandoor, which means the tongue of Arabs , the name has two other illustrations which are , the one who travels a lot in the Earth & the one who causes the recovery to the ill person by anointing or touching him. In the Holy Quran, Allah says:

"And (appoint him) an apostle to the Children of Israel, (with this message): "'I have come to you, with a Sign from your Lord, in that I make for you out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by Allah.s leave: And I heal those born blind, and the lepers, and I quicken the dead, by Allah's leave; and I declare to you what ye eat, and what ye store in your houses. Surely therein is a Sign for you if ye did believe;"

( Holy Quran : Chapter 3 : verse 49 ) Al 'Imran (The Family Of 'Imran, The House Of 'Imran)

A side HintFor those who claim that Allah is Muslims own god and not God of Christians and Jews, could they explain why the Christian Arabs say in Arabic 'Isa Ibn Allah' or 'Masseh Ibn Allah' that translates as 'Jesus son of God'. Doesn't it mean Allah in Arabic is God in English and the God, the Creator.