Did You Know?
“Blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.” — Matthew 13:16
Understanding the Letter “J “and Why It Did Not Exist in Ancient Hebrew
1. The Letter “J” Is Only About 500 Years Old
Historically, the Latin alphabet had no letter J at all. The letter I was used for both the vowel i and the consonant y sound. The letter J was introduced as a new letter in the 1500s, becoming widely used only after the 1600s.
This means:
- There was no J when the Scriptures were written.
- There was no J when Yeshua walked the earth.
- There was no J in the 1611 King James Bible (it spelled His name Iesus).
So any name beginning with J today is a later English development, not an ancient Hebrew one.
2. Ancient Hebrew Did Not Have a “J” Sound
Ancient Hebrew used the letter י (Yod), which produced a Y sound — not a J. This is confirmed by Hebrew linguistics and the history of the Hebrew alphabet.
Examples:
- Yehudi (meaning “Jew”)
- Yerushalayim (Jerusalem)
- Yeshua (Jesus’ original name)
None of these began with a J sound in Hebrew.
3. Why English Later Created the “J” Sound
The letter J was originally just a fancy form of I. Only in the 1500s–1600s did scholars decide it should represent a new sound. This new sound became the English “juh” sound (like jam or Jew).
This sound did not exist in:
- Ancient Hebrew
- Ancient Greek
- Ancient Latin
It is purely an English invention.
4. Why “Jew” Sounds Like It Starts With a J Today
The English word Jew comes from the Hebrew word Yehudi.
- Hebrew: Yehudi (starts with Y)
- Greek: Ioudaios (starts with I)
- Latin: Iudaeus (starts with I)
- Old English: Iudea / Iew
- Modern English: Jew
English eventually replaced the I/Y sound with the new J sound after the 1500s. This is why “Jew” sounds different from the original Hebrew Yehudi.
5. Why Yeshua’s Name Never Had a J
Because:
- Hebrew had no J sound
- Greek had no J sound
- Latin had no J sound
- Early English had no J sound
His name was:
- Yeshua in Hebrew
- Iēsous in Greek
- Iesus in Latin
- Iesus in early English
- Jesus only after English invented the letter J in the 1500s–1600s
So the J‑spelling is new, but the meaning of His name remains the same: “Yahweh saves.”
Below you will see some examples:
Biblical Names (True Name First • Interpretation • Hebrew/Aramaic • Meaning • Pronunciation)
Yeshua
- English Interpretation: Jesus
- Hebrew/Aramaic: יֵשׁוּעַ
- Meaning: Yahweh saves
- Pronunciation: Yeh‑SHOO‑ah
Yehudi
- English Interpretation: Jew
- Hebrew/Aramaic: יְהוּדִי
- Meaning: One from Judah / Praise
- Pronunciation: Yeh‑HOO‑dee
Yerushalayim
- English Interpretation: Jerusalem
- Hebrew/Aramaic: יְרוּשָׁלַיִם
- Meaning: City of Peace
- Pronunciation: Yeh‑roo‑sha‑LIE‑yeem
Yehudah
- English Interpretation: Judah
- Hebrew/Aramaic: יְהוּדָה
- Meaning: Praise
- Pronunciation: Yeh‑HOO‑dah
Yaʿaqov
- English Interpretation: Jacob / James
- Hebrew/Aramaic: יַעֲקֹב
- Meaning: Supplanter
- Pronunciation: Yah‑ah‑KOHV
Yosef
- English Interpretation: Joseph
- Hebrew/Aramaic: יוֹסֵף
- Meaning: He will add / increase
- Pronunciation: Yoh‑SEF
Yonah
- English Interpretation: Jonah
- Hebrew/Aramaic: יוֹנָה
- Meaning: Dove
- Pronunciation: YOH‑nah
Yo’el
- English Interpretation: Joel
- Hebrew/Aramaic: יוֹאֵל
- Meaning: Yahweh is God
- Pronunciation: Yoh‑EL
Yehoshua
- English Interpretation: Joshua
- Hebrew/Aramaic: יְהוֹשֻׁעַ
- Meaning: Yahweh saves
- Pronunciation: Yeh‑HO‑shoo‑ah
Yirmeyahu
- English Interpretation: Jeremiah
- Hebrew/Aramaic: יִרְמְיָהוּ
- Meaning: Yahweh will exalt / Yahweh lifts up
- Pronunciation: Yeer‑meh‑YAH‑hoo
Iyov
- English Interpretation: Job
- Hebrew/Aramaic: אִיּוֹב
- Meaning: Persecuted / attacked
- Pronunciation: Ee‑YOHV
Shophetim
- English Interpretation: Judges
- Hebrew: שֹׁפְטִים
- Meaning: Judges / rulers
- Pronunciation: Sho‑feh‑TEEM
Yarden
- English Interpretation: Jordan
- Hebrew/Aramaic: יַרְדֵּן
- Meaning: Descender / flowing down
- Pronunciation: Yar‑DEN
Yochanan
- English Interpretation: John
- Hebrew/Aramaic: יוֹחָנָן
- Meaning: Yahweh is gracious
- Pronunciation: Yoh‑kha‑NAHN
Below you will find a very sad reality:
The Reality That Christ Kept His Scars
Christ rose from the dead in a glorified body, yet He kept every scar. The marks of the nails, the wound in His side, and the evidence of His suffering were not removed. They remained as eternal testimony of His love, His sacrifice, and His victory over death.
Scripture shows this clearly.
The Scars Christ Kept: A Real and Holy Reality
When Yeshua rose from the dead, He did not erase the marks of His suffering. He kept them every scar.
His glorified body carried the full truth of His sacrifice.
The Whip Scars
Before the crucifixion, Yeshua was scourged with a Roman whip (John 19:1). This whip was designed to tear flesh, leaving deep, permanent wounds.
After the resurrection, He still carried the marks of His suffering. His glorified body did not remove them, it preserved them as eternal testimony.
The Beard Torn From His Face
Isaiah prophesied this suffering:
Isaiah 50:6 (KJV)
“I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair…”
His beard was ripped out, a brutal act of humiliation and pain.
And He kept those marks.
The face of the risen Christ still bears the evidence of what He endured for us.
The Crown of Thorns
The soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and pressed it into His scalp (John 19:2). Thorns pierce deeply, leaving wounds that scar.
The risen Christ still carries the marks of that crown, the scars of mockery turned into symbols of kingship, The sacrifice He made for you and me.
The Nail Scars
He showed these scars openly:
John 20:27 (KJV)
“Behold my hands…”
The nails that held Him to the cross left permanent holes. He kept them so no one could ever doubt His identity or His sacrifice.
The Spear Wound
He also kept the wound in His side:
John 20:20 (KJV)
“He shewed unto them his hands and his side.”
This was not a small injury, it was a deep spear thrust that pierced Him.
Yet He kept it. For you. For your family. For those you love. For His mothers, brothers and sisters.
Why He Kept Every Scar
1. To show that the One who died is the One who rose
His scars are His eternal signature of love for us.
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13
2. To show the cost of redemption
He carries the evidence of His love forever.
3. To show that suffering was not erased, it was glorified
His scars are not signs of defeat. They are signs of victory!
4. To show He understands our pain
He did not remove the marks of agony. He kept them so we would know He understands ours.
5. To show we understand our pain
He did not remove the marks of agony. He kept them so we would know He understands ours.
6. To fulfill prophecy eternally
In heaven, He is still seen as:
Revelation 5:6 (KJV)
“a Lamb as it had been slain“
Not “a Lamb that was once slain.” But a Lamb as it had been slain, still bearing the marks he took for us.
6. “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
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