# Joshua bar-Joseph of Nazareth
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joshua-bar-joseph-of-nazareth/104521
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports
**Created:** [April 19, 2002, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joshua-bar-joseph-of-nazareth/104521 "2002-04-19T14:14:24Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Tom\_Arctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Arctus)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2002, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joshua-bar-joseph-of-nazareth/104521/1 "2002-04-19T14:14:24Z")
A fine point to add to [Cecil’s answer about Jesus’s real name](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_035a.html): I’ve heard it said that the name “Jesus” rendered in the Greek is close to another Greek word meaning “healer.”
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### Author:  [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2002, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joshua-bar-joseph-of-nazareth/104521/2 "2002-04-19T14:47:59Z")
Isn’t there also a word “ben” in hebrew that refers to the mother? As in “Joshua ben-Miriam” which would be son of Miriam, or Mary?
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### Author:  [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2002, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joshua-bar-joseph-of-nazareth/104521/3 "2002-04-19T14:51:34Z")
“Ben” in Hebrew means son-of.
So X-ben-Y would mean X the son of Y. Y could be the father or the mother.
“Bar” is Aramaic for son-of.
Zev Steinhardt
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### Author:  [@spacepony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spacepony)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2002, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joshua-bar-joseph-of-nazareth/104521/4 "2002-04-19T15:18:02Z")
I’m a bit dubious about this one. According to [www.merriam-webster.com](http://www.merriam-webster.com), Joshua (and my name is Joshua and I’m Jewish) comes from the Hebrew name Yehoshua. It says that the name Jesus comes from the Hebrew name Yeshua. Not quite the same. Joshua was, of course, Moses’ lieutenant in the Old Testament. At least, that’s who I was named after 🙂
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### Author:  [@RedNaxela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedNaxela)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2002, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joshua-bar-joseph-of-nazareth/104521/5 "2002-04-19T18:45:48Z")
**spacepony** ,
Actually, Yeshua is just another variant of Yehoshua, and they can be used interchangeably for the same person. For example, the first High Priest in the second Temple is alternately called Yehoshua ben Yehotzadak (as in Haggai 1:1) and Yeshua ben Yotzadak (as in Ezra 3:2). Not only that, but **the** Joshua, after whom you’re named, is called Yeshua in one place (Nehemiah 8:17).
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### Author:  [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2002, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joshua-bar-joseph-of-nazareth/104521/6 "2002-04-30T17:17:56Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by zev\_steinhardt \*
> \*\*“Ben” in Hebrew means son-of.
>
> So X-ben-Y would mean X the son of Y. Y could be the father or the mother.
>
> “Bar” is Aramaic for son-of.
>
> Zev Steinhardt \*\*
Thanks Zev. So, I wonder, does the name “Benjamin” mean “son of Jamin” (or Yamin)?
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### Author:  [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2002, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joshua-bar-joseph-of-nazareth/104521/7 "2002-04-30T17:20:44Z")
Almost forgot,
Does either Hebrew or Aramaic have a word for “daughter of”?
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### Author:  [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2002, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joshua-bar-joseph-of-nazareth/104521/8 "2002-04-30T18:29:10Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by photopat \*
> \*\*Almost forgot,
>
> Does either Hebrew or Aramaic have a word for “daughter of”? \*\*
Yes. The word (in both languages) is “bas.”
My daughter is Tzivya Machla bas Zev Ari.
Zev Steinhardt
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### Author:  [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2002, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joshua-bar-joseph-of-nazareth/104521/9 "2002-04-30T18:31:44Z")
According to translations I’ve read, Benjamin means “son of the south” or “son of the right hand.” So Jamin would mean “south” or “right hand”- I’m not sure if it was likely to be a person’s name. Zev obviously knows Hebrew; I don’t.
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### Author:  [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2002, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joshua-bar-joseph-of-nazareth/104521/10 "2002-04-30T18:34:10Z")
Literally translated, the word “yamin” means right (as opposed to left). So, _Binyamin_ (as the name would be said in Hebrew) could literally mean “son of the right” or “son of right.”
Zev Steinhardt