According to the research that I have done, I would like to clarify some teaching and understanding of Hebrew popular today. I believe I have found a plausible explanation of the name, "Yahshua"
1) Semitic languages
It is historically and linguistically clear that Semitic languages are very unlike our modern English, and so cannot be understood and interpreted in the same way. One vital key to understanding Semitic languages is this: Meanings are carried by consonants.Vowels are merely pronunciation aids, in a way. Words change drastically in spelling while the original meaning still remains. Let
Wikipedia explain it:
The Semitic languages are well known for their nonconcatenative morphology.
That is, word roots are not themselves syllables or words, but instead
are isolated sets of consonants (usually three, making a so-called triliteral root). Words are composed out of roots not so much by adding prefixes or suffixes, but rather by filling in the vowels between the root consonants (although prefixes and suffixes are often added as well). For example, in Arabic, the root meaning "write" has the form k – t – b. From this root, words are formed by filling in the vowels, e.g. kitāb "book", kutub "books", kātib "writer", kuttāb "writers", kataba "he wrote", yaktubu "he writes", etc.
Despite the seemingly complete difference in the words "kitab" and "yaktubu" to our English eyes, they essentially carry the same root meaning. It is the same with the words "Islam" and "Muslim". It is the same in Hebrew (tzaddik, tzedek), and it is the same in Aramaic, and Ugaritic, and Syriac, etc.
This is a primary feature almost unique to Semitic Languages.
Nonconcatenative morphology is extremely well developed in the Semitic languages, where it forms the basis of virtually all higher-level word formation (as with the example given in the diagram). This is especially pronounced in Arabic, where it is also used to form approximately 90% of all plurals; see broken plural.
We must understand the whole concept of "
nonconcatenative morphology". I believe that we must be intellectually honest when it comes to subjects such as ancient languges and that we must have a thorough understanding of
what we are dealing with. Linguistics should not be played around with - we musn't go by "feeling" or by oversimplified logic.
2)Hebrew Construction
So, having established that vowels are not important and consonants are, we can understand that though the vowels for YHWH or YHVH has been lost, we still have the full essence of the meaning of His name.
We also must have a good understanding of Hebrew construction when it comes to names. The pattern that I have noticed that YH in the beginning of words is "Yeho" such in "Yehoshaphat" and at the end of words, it is "Yahu", such as in "Yeshayahu". Either way, the meaning of the root YH remains the same in its essence. This is the way it works in
Hebrew. We must not understand Hebrew from the way English is written and spelt, and the way Hebrew is translated.
The "Ye" in Yeshua is pronounced with a "Tsere", which in Sephardi and Mizrachi, Hebrew, is pronounced the same as "e" not as "ei". In
Tiberian Hebrew, which is an outdated but commonly printed pronunciation of Hebrew, "Tsere" is pronounced as "ei", making the name, "Yeyshua".
So far, I have not a dialect of Hebrew pronouncing the "Tzere" vowel "e" as "a", though, perhaps, Samaritan or Arabic Hebrew
would pronounce it as such. That is plausible. I have heard that "Bereishit" in Samaritan Hebrew is "Barashit", so perhaps, some vowels considered "e" in Hebrew could be "a" in Samaritan Hebrew.
3) Arabic
And so we come to my conclusion. Let us compare some Hebrew names with their Arabic pronunciation. (I transliterated it from Google Translate)
Hebrew: YHWH (vowels unknown)
Arabic: Yehuwahu
Hebrew: Yehoshaphat
Arabic:Yehuwashephat
Hebrew: Yehudi
Arabic: Yahudi
Hebrew: Yeshua
Arabic: Yahsuwah
Hebrew: Ha-mashiach
Arabic: Al-masiyah
Aha! So it is, that those who pronounce Yah in Yeshua as Yahshua are actually using legitimate Arabic pronunciation. Which is fine, as long their remain authentic and drop the "h", making it "Yahsua". or "Yaswa"
See, it even goes along with the Arabic pronunciation, "Yahudi". I think a clear across-board application of a
single vowel rule of pronunciation would be the way to go to avoid confusion. What I mean is, if you wish to go with the Arabic pronunciation, you should stick 100% to it, or with the Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation, stick with it.
So, instead of "shalom", "salam" would be the pronunciation that goes with "Yahsua". But please don't mix and match languages with something like "Shalam" or "Yahshua". When it gets to "Al-" and "Ha-" prefixes you would all tangled up in knots.
Also note that if you wish to change "Tzere" to an "A", "Elohim" must by necessity become the Syriac "
Allaha"
because the "e" in "Elohim" is a "Tzere".
Perhaps, perhaps, and maybe perhaps, the Aramaic pronunciation would shed some light. Arabic is a beautiful, complex, classical language worth learning well.
Shalom (or salam)!
UPDATE: Please read this
excellent article by a real scholar, Dr. Daniel Botkin.
