The following entry reflects the standard 19th-century lexicographical treatment of the Greek name Ι᾿ησοῦς, distinguishing its grammatical forms and historical usage across Second Temple and early Jewish–Christian literature.
(Ι᾿ησοῦς, Gen., Dat., and Voc. οῦ, Acc. οῦν; from the Heb. יֵשׁוִּ, Yeshu’a, “Jeshua” or “Joshua;” Syr. Yeshu), the name of several persons (besides our Savior) in the New Testament, the Apocrypha, and Josephus. For a discussion of the full import and application of the name, SEE JESUS CHRIST)
— McClintock & Strong, Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature
The Hebrew form יֵשׁוּ reflects a shortened Semitic (Aramaic-influenced) form of יֵשׁוּעַ (Yēšûaʿ), commonly cited in older lexicographical works when tracing Greek transliterations.
(Hebrew יֵשׁוּעַ Yēšûaʿ → Greek Ιησοῦς Iēsous [terminal -s added for Greek masculine grammar; Hebrew š /ʃ/ rendered as Greek s /s/, since Greek lacks /ʃ/] → Latin Iesus [Vulgate standardization; initial I functioning as a consonant /j/] → Early English Iesus [Wycliffe, Tyndale; initial I still written, but phonologically transitioning from /j/ toward /dʒ/ through French-influenced palatalization] → Later English Jesus [17th c.; J formally split from I and acquired the affricate /dʒ/ sound; spelling standardized in English Bibles by the mid-1600s to 1700s]. Hebrew pronunciation (academic IPA): /jeːˈʃu.aʕ/ (je = /jeː/).
English equivalent: Yeshua
IPA Key (footnote):
/j/ = palatal approximant (English y in yes); /dʒ/ = voiced postalveolar affricate (English j in judge); /ʃ/ = voiceless postalveolar fricative (English sh in ship); /s/ = voiceless alveolar fricative (English s in see); /a/ = open unrounded vowel (a in father); /u/ = close back rounded vowel (oo in food); /eː/ = close-mid front long vowel (prolonged e); /ʕ/ = voiced pharyngeal fricative (Semitic ʿayin); ˈ = primary stress; ː = vowel length.