What does Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs) mean in the Bible?
Ἰησοῦς is the Greek form of the name Jesus. In the Pastoral Epistles, the name is never a bare historical label.
Greek · G2424
Ἰησοῦς
Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites
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Ἰησοῦς G2424
Pronunciation Iēsoûs
What does Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs) mean in the Bible?
Ἰησοῦς is the Greek form of the name Jesus. In the Pastoral Epistles, the name is never a bare historical label.
Reader summary
Full entry for Ἰησοῦς (G2424) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G2424?
The BSB source-word alignment has 916 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include Jesus (779), of Jesus (52), [He] (12), to Jesus (10), Jesus’ (7).
Where does Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 1:1. Its strongest book concentrations include John (245), Matthew (150), Luke (88), Mark (81).
Are there verse guides for Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs)?
This entry includes 23 verse guides that explain exact original-language forms in context.
What This Word Actually Means
Ἰησοῦς is the Greek form of the name Jesus. In the Pastoral Epistles, the name is never a bare historical label. It names the incarnate Savior who came into the world to save sinners, the one mediator between God and humanity, the risen descendant of David whom Timothy must remember, and the one through whom God pours out the Holy Spirit richly. The letters often join the name with Χριστός, showing that the named man Jesus is also the promised Christ.
This matters pastorally because familiar use of the name can become thin. Paul does not invoke Jesus as a symbol for religious sincerity or as a general example of kindness. He names Jesus as the center of apostolic ministry, gospel proclamation, endurance, Scripture-shaped salvation, and the hope of eternal life. Teaching this word should help readers see that Christian faith is not trust in an idea about salvation.
It is faith in Jesus Christ, the real Savior who entered the world, gave Himself as mediator and ransom, rose from the dead, and continues to form His church through the apostolic word.
How the Bible Uses It
In the Pastoral Epistles, Ἰησοῦς names the Savior in concrete gospel terms: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, mediates between God and humanity, is remembered as risen from the dead, and is the one through whom saving mercy is poured out.
- 1Tim.1.15
This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.
Paul names the saving mission of Christ Jesus in a trustworthy saying. The emphasis is not moral inspiration but the incarnation's saving purpose for sinners.
- 1Tim.2.5
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
Jesus is named as the man who is the one mediator between God and humanity. The verse keeps Christ's true humanity and exclusive mediatorial role together.
- 2Tim.1.10
And now He has revealed this grace through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the gospel,
The appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus brings life and immortality to light through the gospel. The name is tied to resurrection-shaped hope.
- 2Tim.2.8
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David, as proclaimed by my gospel,
Timothy is commanded to remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead and descended from David. The verse joins resurrection, messianic promise, and ministry endurance.
- 2Tim.3.15
From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
The sacred writings make one wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. The name marks the goal toward which Scripture's saving wisdom points.
- Titus.3.6
This is the Spirit He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
God pours out the Holy Spirit richly through Jesus Christ our Savior. The name stands inside Trinitarian gospel mercy rather than isolated devotion.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It Jesus 779× Matthew 1:16, Matthew 1:21, Matthew 1:25, Matthew 2:1
of Jesus 52× Matthew 1:1, Matthew 1:18, Matthew 27:57, Matthew 27:58
[He] 12× Matthew 9:28, Mark 12:35, Luke 7:9, Luke 19:5
to Jesus 10× Matthew 15:1, Matthew 17:4, Matthew 17:19, Matthew 18:1
Jesus’ 7× Matthew 26:51, Luke 5:8, Luke 8:35, Luke 8:41
. . . 6× Matthew 27:20, Matthew 27:26, Luke 19:35, John 18:22
[Him] 6× Matthew 9:10, Mark 2:15, John 5:16, John 6:24
in Jesus 5× Romans 3:22, Romans 3:26, Galatians 2:16, Galatians 3:22
- 4× Matthew 21:27, Mark 11:33, John 16:19, John 19:9
[when] Jesus 4× Mark 10:14, John 1:47, John 9:35, John 17:1
[After] Jesus 3× John 12:36, John 13:21, John 18:1
[that] Jesus 2× Acts 18:5, Acts 18:28
about Jesus 2× Matthew 14:1, Revelation 1:9
for Jesus’ 2× 2 Corinthians 4:5, 2 Corinthians 4:11
Joshua 2× Acts 7:45, Hebrews 4:8
[ named ] Jesus 1× Acts 17:7
[a] Jesus 1× 2 Corinthians 11:4
[and] Jesus 1× John 13:1
[But] Jesus 1× John 10:32
[Him] {away} 1× John 19:16
[His] 1× John 13:23
[of] Jesus 1× 2 Corinthians 4:10
[to belong to] Jesus 1× Romans 1:6
[who] 1× John 1:42
{he had} Jesus 1× Mark 15:15
for Jesus 1× Revelation 17:6
from Jesus 1× Galatians 1:12
He 1× Matthew 3:16
Jesus [Himself] 1× Galatians 4:14
Jesus {also} 1× Hebrews 13:12
Jesus {away} 1× Mark 14:53
Jesus {to life} 1× Acts 2:32
of Joshua 1× Luke 3:29
When Jesus 1× John 5:6
with Jesus 1× John 18:15
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 1:1 Ἰησοῦ to of Jesus Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular Matthew 1:16 Ἰησοῦς to Jesus Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular Matthew 1:18 Ἰησοῦ to of Jesus Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular Matthew 1:21 Ἰησοῦν to Jesus Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular Matthew 1:25 Ἰησοῦν to Jesus Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular Matthew 2:1 Ἰησοῦ to Jesus Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular Matthew 3:13 Ἰησοῦς to Jesus Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular Matthew 3:15 Ἰησοῦς to Jesus Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular Matthew 3:16 Ἰησοῦς to He Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular Matthew 4:1 Ἰησοῦς to Jesus Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 1:1
Aligned rows 916
Books represented 26
Matthew 150 Mark 81 Luke 88 John 245 Acts 69 Romans 37 1 Corinthians 26 2 Corinthians 19 Galatians 17 Ephesians 20 Philippians 22 Colossians 7 1 Thessalonians 16 2 Thessalonians 13 1 Timothy 14 2 Timothy 13 Titus 4 Philemon 6 Hebrews 14 James 2 1 Peter 9 2 Peter 9 1 John 12 2 John 2 Jude 7 Revelation 14
Source forms
Ἰησοῦς 454x Iēsous Matthew 1:16, Matthew 3:13, Matthew 3:15, Matthew 3:16
Ἰησοῦ 325x Iēsou Matthew 1:1, Matthew 1:18, Matthew 2:1, Matthew 8:34
Ἰησοῦν 126x Iēsoun Matthew 1:21, Matthew 1:25, Matthew 14:29, Matthew 17:8
ΙΗΣΟΥΣ 5x IĒSOUS Matthew 27:37, John 19:19, 1 Corinthians 12:3, Philippians 2:11
Ἰησοῦ» 2x Iēsou Acts 4:33, 1 Corinthians 1:2
Ἰησοῦς» 2x Iēsous Matthew 14:27, Jude 1:5
Ἰησοῦς〉 1x Iēsous John 8:9
Ἰησοῦς* 1x Iēsous John 4:1
Parsing patterns
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular 463x Matthew 1:16, Matthew 3:13, Matthew 3:15, Matthew 3:16
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular 225x Matthew 1:1, Matthew 1:18, Matthew 2:1, Matthew 14:1
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular 126x Matthew 1:21, Matthew 1:25, Matthew 14:29, Matthew 17:8
Noun - Dative Masculine Singular 92x Matthew 8:34, Matthew 9:10, Matthew 9:27, Matthew 14:12
Noun - Vocative Masculine Singular 10x Mark 1:24, Mark 5:7, Mark 10:47, Luke 4:34
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Teach the name Jesus with the gospel actions attached to it: He came to save, mediates, was raised, fulfills promise, and gives mercy.
- Do not let familiar repetition of the name reduce wonder. The Pastoral Epistles speak the name with confession, endurance, and hope.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that the name Ἰησοῦς by itself proves every doctrine about Christ apart from the passages that interpret Him.
- Do not claim that Jesus is only an example in these letters. Paul names Him as Savior, mediator, risen Messiah, and the object of saving faith.
Key Verse and Form Guides
Verse-level guides showing how this original-language form works in its specific context, including grammar, verse function, and guarded interpretation.
John 1:17 Noun Genitive Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦ Iesou Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites The genitive form keeps the focus on Jesus as the personal reference in a relationship phrase, helping the verse communicate that grace and truth came in connection with him. Read verse guide John 1:29 Noun Accusative Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦν Iesoun Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites The form keeps attention on Jesus as the observed figure in the scene and supports the flow into John's spoken witness. Read verse guide John 1:36 Noun Dative Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦ Iesou Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites The dative form helps the verse read as a moment of directed attention toward Jesus, supporting the eyewitness feel of the scene. Read verse guide John 1:37 Noun Dative Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦ. Iesou Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites The form reinforces that the action moves toward Jesus as the person being followed, which keeps the verse focused on discipleship in the narrative flow. Read verse guide John 1:38 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦς Iesous Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites The form clarifies that Jesus is the sentence's subject, so the reader receives the question as his action in the scene rather than as a detached quotation. Read verse guide John 1:42 Noun Accusative Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦν. Iesoun Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites The form reinforces that the scene moves toward Jesus as the destination of the action, which supports the narrative flow without changing the name's identity. Read verse guide John 1:42 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦς Iesous Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites The form supports a straightforward reading in which Jesus is the active speaker, but the surrounding context carries the main interpretive weight. Read verse guide John 1:43 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦς Iesous Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites The form helps the verse read as a report of Jesus' deliberate initiative, not as a passive or unnamed event. Read verse guide John 1:45 Noun Accusative Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦν Iesoun Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites The form sharpens the sentence by making Jesus the direct object of the finding claim, while the surrounding words supply his messianic and geographic description. Read verse guide John 1:47 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦς Iesous Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites The form reinforces that Jesus is the subject of the action, so the verse reads as his deliberate observation and spoken evaluation of Nathanael. Read verse guide John 1:48 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦς Iesous Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites The form helps the reader see Jesus as the direct respondent in the dialogue, which sharpens the scene's focus on his knowledge and authority. Read verse guide John 1:50 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦς Iesous Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites The form helps the reader identify Jesus as the speaker, so the reply is read as his direct response in the dialogue. Read verse guide Show 11 more verse guides
Matthew 1:1 Noun Genitive Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦ Iesou Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites Read verse guide Matthew 1:16 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦς Iesous Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites Read verse guide Matthew 1:18 Noun Genitive Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦ Iesou Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites Read verse guide Matthew 1:21 Noun Accusative Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦν· Iesoun Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites Read verse guide Matthew 1:25 Noun Accusative Singular Masculine
ἸΗΣΟΥΝ. Iesoun Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites Read verse guide Revelation 22:16 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦς Iesous Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites Read verse guide Revelation 22:20 Noun Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦ. Iesou Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites Read verse guide Revelation 22:21 Noun Genitive Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦ Iesou Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites Read verse guide Romans 3:22 Noun Genitive Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦ Iesou Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites Read verse guide Romans 3:24 Noun Dative Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦ· Iesou Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites Read verse guide Romans 3:26 Noun Genitive Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦ. Iesou Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites Read verse guide Evidence Summary
Canonical Anchor
Greek word. Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites
Source Gloss
Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites
Extended definition Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Iesous, -ou, o (Heb. Yeshua, a later form of Yehoshua, i.e. Yahweh is salvation). 1. Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2. Jesus called Justus, a Jewish Christian (Col 4:11). 3. Joshua (Acts 7:45, Heb 4:8). The Greek transliteration of the Hebrew Yeshua — itself a contraction of Yehoshua (H3091) — meaning Yahweh saves. Programmatic force given at the annunciation (Matt 1:21): he will save his people from their sins. The name occurs 906 times in the NT.
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 975 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
ihsou
Jesus
Read verse ihsouv
Jesus
Read verse ihsou
Jesus
Read verse ihsoun
Jesus
Read verse ihsoun
Jesus
Read verse Matthew 2:1 Noun Genitive Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦ ihsou
Jesus
Read verse Matthew 3:13 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦς ihsouv
Jesus
Read verse Matthew 3:15 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦς ihsouv
Jesus
Read verse Matthew 3:16 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦς ihsouv
Jesus
Read verse Matthew 4:1 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦς ihsouv
Jesus
Read verse Matthew 4:7 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦς, ihsouv
Jesus
Read verse Matthew 4:10 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦς, ihsouv
Jesus
Read verse Matthew 4:12 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦς ihsouv
Jesus
Read verse Matthew 4:17 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦς ihsouv
Jesus
Read verse Matthew 4:18 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦς ihsouv
Jesus
Read verse Matthew 4:23 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
Ἰησοῦς, ihsouv
Jesus
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 5 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 5 Aligned forms 906 Case pattern Nominative (456) Number pattern Singular (906)
Nominative · Singular · Masculine Matt 1:16 · Matt 3:13 · Matt 3:15 · Matt 3:16 · Matt 4:1 · Matt 4:7 · Matt 4:10 · Matt 4:17 · Matt 7:28 · Matt 8:4 · Matt 8:10 · Matt 8:13 · Matt 8:14 · Matt 8:18 · Matt 8:20 · Matt 8:22 456×
Genitive · Singular · Masculine Matt 1:1 · Matt 1:18 · Matt 2:1 · Matt 14:1 · Matt 26:6 · Matt 26:51 · Matt 26:59 · Matt 26:69 · Matt 26:71 · Matt 26:75 · Matt 27:1 · Matt 27:58 · Mark 1:1 · Mark 5:21 · Mark 5:27 · Mark 14:55 220×
Dative · Singular · Masculine Matt 8:34 · Matt 9:10 · Matt 9:27 · Matt 14:12 · Matt 15:1 · Matt 17:4 · Matt 17:19 · Matt 18:1 · Matt 21:27 · Matt 26:17 · Matt 26:49 · Matt 27:55 · Matt 27:57 · Mark 2:15 · Mark 9:4 · Mark 9:5 92×
Accusative · Singular · Masculine Matt 1:21 · Matt 1:25 · Matt 14:29 · Matt 17:8 · Matt 26:4 · Matt 26:50 · Matt 26:57 · Matt 27:16 · Matt 27:17 · Matt 27:20 · Matt 27:22 · Matt 27:26 · Matt 27:27 · Matt 27:54 · Matt 28:5 · Mark 5:6 128×
Vocative · Singular · Masculine Mark 1:24 · Mark 5:7 · Mark 10:47 · Luke 4:34 · Luke 8:28 · Luke 17:13 · Luke 18:38 · Luke 23:42 · Acts 7:59 · Rev 22:20 10×
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Witnesses
Luke 2:21–24 Ἰησοῦς Iēsoûs
Jesus ('Yahweh saves')
Showing 1 selected witness from 906 lexical occurrence verses.
Canonical Themes
Canonical Anchor
Cross-Language Connections
Hebrew roots and equivalents that share conceptual or etymological ground with this Greek word.
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
In the Pastoral Epistles, the name Jesus is filled with gospel history and saving authority. Paul can say Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners because salvation is not an abstraction; it is bound to the person who came. He can say the man Christ Jesus is the one mediator because reconciliation with God rests on a real incarnate mediator, not on religious access or moral worth.
He can tell Timothy to remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead and descended from David, because endurance in ministry is sustained by the risen Messiah, not by memory of a generic founder. He can say Scripture makes one wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus because the biblical writings direct saving faith toward Him. He can say the Spirit is poured out through Jesus Christ our Savior because mercy is personally mediated.
The name should therefore be spoken with doctrinal clarity, pastoral warmth, and worshipful specificity.
Anchor passage
1Tim.1.15
Doctrinal connections
- G5547 Christos: The Pastoral Epistles often join Jesus with Christ, identifying the named man as the promised Messiah.
- G4982 Sōzō: 1 Timothy 1:15 states that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
- G3316 Mesitēs: 1 Timothy 2:5 names Jesus as the one mediator between God and humanity.
- G386 Anastasis: 2 Timothy 2:8 commands Timothy to remember Jesus Christ raised from the dead.
- G1124 Graphē: 2 Timothy 3:15 ties the sacred writings to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
- G4151 Pneuma: Titus 3:6 places the pouring out of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Ἰησοῦς is a proper name, but in these letters the surrounding titles and predicates carry heavy theological force. The name should be interpreted with its phrases: Christ Jesus, the man Christ Jesus, Jesus Christ our Lord, and Jesus Christ our Savior.
From Old to New Testament
The command to remember Jesus Christ as raised from the dead and descended from David joins the name Jesus to Israel's royal promise and to the resurrection. The Pastoral Epistles therefore read Jesus through the story of promise fulfilled, not through a detached religious biography.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain