Immanuel or Yeshua?

Tikkun Global

Jerusalem, Israel

How One Messiah Can Carry Two Names and One Mission

As we enter a season filled with themes of light and hope — Hanukkah celebrating God’s faithful light among His people, and Christmas remembering the birth of the Messiah — I found myself reflecting on a familiar passage in Scripture, and a meaningful question came to mind:

If Isaiah said the Messiah’s name would be Immanuel, why did the angel tell Miriam and Joseph to name Him Yeshua?

Isaiah 7:14 gives one of the clearest Messianic promises:

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and shall call His name Immanuel.”

Centuries later, Matthew records the angel’s instruction:

“You shall call His name Yeshua,

for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)

Matthew then adds:

“All this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet…

‘They shall call His name Immanuel.’” (Matthew 1:22–23)

So which name is correct?

Immanuel or Yeshua?

The answer is beautifully simple:

YES — both.

Each reveals a different aspect of who He is.

Yeshua — His Given Name and Saving Purpose

The angel’s command to name Him Yeshua is intentional.

“Yeshua” means “YHWH saves.”

This is the heart of His mission at His first coming:

to save, to restore, to forgive, and to rescue His people.

His earthly name expresses His saving purpose.

Immanuel — His Prophetic Name and Eternal Identity

“Immanuel” means “God with us.”

In Scripture, “name” (shem) often refers to a person’s identity, calling, or destiny, not just a literal personal name. Many figures in the Old Testament received symbolic names that revealed God’s perspective on their lives.

One example is Solomon.

Though known as Shlomo, God gave him the prophetic name Yedidyah (יְדִידְיָהּ) — “Beloved of the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:25). The prophetic name revealed God’s heart toward him.

Similarly, the Messiah carries prophetic names that speak of His divine identity:

• Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)

• YHWH our Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6)

These names reveal who He is, not what people would call Him at birth.

In this same pattern:

• Yeshua expresses His mission to save.

• Immanuel reveals His identity as God dwelling with His people.

At His first coming, He began fulfilling Immanuel by literally being “God with us” in human flesh.

At His second coming, He will fully embody that name as He rescues Israel, judges evil, restores creation, and dwells with His people forever.

Two Names, One Messiah, One Story

This season helps us see the unity of His mission across both comings:

• In His first coming, He is Yeshua — bringing salvation and opening the way for every nation to know God.

• In His second coming, He will reveal the fullness of Immanuel — God dwelling with His people — while completing His work of delivering Israel and restoring all things.

Both names point to the same Messiah and the same ultimate purpose:

God Himself coming to save, to dwell, and to reign.

The baby in Bethlehem was already “God with us.”

The returning King will make that reality complete — for Israel and for the entire world.

This is the hope of Hanukkah.

This is the joy of Christmas.

This is the story of redemption — past, present, and future