New Jerusalem

In the inspired Revelation, the apostle John records information concerning the “new Jerusalem.” (Rev. 3:12) This “new Jerusalem” is not depicted as the wife of God and mother of Christians, but as the “bride” of Christ. (Rev. 21:2, 9-27) Other apostolic writings apply the same figure to the Christian congregation of anointed ones. (2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:21-32) In Revelation chapter 14 the “Lamb” Christ Jesus is depicted as standing on Mount Zion, a name also associated with Jerusalem (compare 1 Peter 2:6), and with him are 144,000 having his name and the name of his Father written on their foreheads.—Rev. 14:1-5; see NEW JERUSALEM.

Unfaithful Jerusalem

Since much that is said concerning Jerusalem in the Scriptures is in condemnation of her, it is clear that only when faithful did Jerusalem symbolize or prefigure the true Christian congregation, the “Israel of God.” (Gal. 6:16) When unfaithful, it was pictured as a prostitute and an adulterous woman; it became like the pagan Amorites and Hittites that once controlled the city. (Ezek. 16:3, 15, 30-42) As such it could only represent apostates, those following a ‘prostitute’ course of infidelity to the God whose name they claim to bear.—Jas. 4:4.

It can thus be seen that “Jerusalem” is used in a multiple sense and the context must in each case be considered to gain correct understanding.—See APPOINTED TIMES OF THE NATIONS.

JERUSHA(H)

(Je·ruʹsha[h]) [possessed, i.e., married].

Mother of King Jotham; wife of Uzziah; daughter of Zadok.—2 Ki. 15:32, 33; 2 Chron. 27:1, 2.

JESHAIAH

(Je·shaʹiah) [salvation of Jah].

1. A Levitical descendant of Moses through Eliezer, and an ancestor of the Shelomoth whom David appointed one of his treasurers.—1 Chron. 23:15; 26:24-26.

2. A Levite musician of “the sons of Jeduthun,” selected by lot to head the eighth of the twenty-four Davidic musical groups.—1 Chron. 25:1, 3, 15.

3. A Benjamite whose distant descendant lived in Jerusalem during Nehemiah’s governorship.—Neh. 11:4, 7.

4. Head of the paternal house of Elam in whose group were seventy males accompanying Ezra on the return to Jerusalem.—Ezra 8:1, 7.

5. A Merarite Levite who also returned with Ezra from Babylon.—Ezra 8:1, 19.

6. A descendant of King David; grandson of Governor Zerubbabel.—1 Chron. 3:1, 19, 21.

JESHANAH

(Jeshʹa·nah) [possibly, old].

A place mentioned along with Mizpah as indicating the location of the stone that Samuel set up and called “Ebenezer.” (1 Sam. 7:12) Jeshanah was one of the cities captured by Judean King Abijah (980-977 B.C.E.) from Jeroboam the king of Israel. (2 Chron. 13:19) It is considered to be identical to the Isanas referred to by Josephus as the site of Herod the Great’s victory over General Pappus. (Antiquities of the Jews, Book XIV, chap. XV, par. 12) The name “Isanas” seems to be preserved in Burj el-Isaneh, a village some five miles (8 kilometers) N-NE of Bethel. This place has therefore been suggested as a possible identification for ancient Jeshanah. Another site, favored by some, is Ain Sinja, about three miles (c. 5 kilometers) SW of Burj el-Isaneh.

JESHARELAH

(Jesh·a·reʹlah) [upright toward God].

A ‘son of Asaph’ listed among the musicians and singers in David’s time. (1 Chron. 25:1, 9, 14) He is probably the same as Asharelah.—1 Chron. 25:2.

JESHEBEAB

(Je·shebʹe·ab) [perhaps, may the father continue to live].

The priest whose paternal house was selected by lot for the fourteenth course when David had the priestly services divided up.—1 Chron. 24:6, 13.

JESHER

(Jeʹsher) [uprightness].

A son of “Caleb the son of Hezron; of the tribe of Judah.”—1 Chron. 2:3-5, 18.

JESHIMON

(Je·shiʹmon) [a waste, a desert].

1. A bare wilderness area seemingly at the NE end of the Dead Sea, in which area Beth-jeshimoth was perhaps located. Apparently Pisgah and Peor overlooked Jeshimon.—Num. 21:20; 23:28; Josh. 12:1-3.

2. A region near Ziph, situated N of the wilderness of Maon. It would appear that Jeshimon included part of the wilderness of Judah and lay a few miles SE of Hebron. In this area of naked, chalky hills David and his men hid from King Saul.—1 Sam. 23:19, 24; 26:1, 3; see JUDAH, WILDERNESS OF.

JESHISHAI

(Je·shishʹai) [aged].

A descendant of Gad.—1 Chron. 5:11, 14.

JESHOHAIAH

(Jesh·o·haiʹah) [perhaps, humiliated by Jah].

A Simeonite chieftain, one of those to expand their territory at the expense of the Hamites during the days of King Hezekiah.—1 Chron. 4:24, 34-41.

JESHUA

(Jeshʹua) [Jehovah is salvation].

1. An Aaronic priest in David’s time. The ninth of the twenty-four divisions of the Aaronic priesthood as arranged by David was assigned to the house of Jeshua. Probably the same house is listed among those returning with Zerubbabel from Babylonian exile in 537 B.C.E.—1 Chron. 24:1, 11, 31; Ezra 2:1, 36; Neh. 7:39.

2. One of the Levites assigned in charge of distributing the tithes and contributions in the priests’ cities; also to such of these as were serving in the sanctuary during the service period of their divisions; these priests brought along with them their sons from three years old and upward when they came to serve at the sanctuary, and the children ate with the family in one of the sanctuary’s dining rooms.—2 Chron. 31:15, 16.

3. An Israelite of the family of Pahath-moab, some of whose descendants returned from Babylonian exile with Zerubbabel.—Ezra 2:1, 2, 6; Neh. 7:11.

4. A high priest (called Joshua in Haggai and Zechariah), son of Jehozadak and grandson of Seraiah. (Ezra 3:8; Neh. 12:26; 1 Chron. 6:14) He was of the house of Eleazar.—See Ezra 7:1-5 for the genealogy from Eleazar to Seraiah.

When Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem he put to death Seraiah, who was high priest then, and took Jehozadak captive to Babylon. (2 Ki. 25:18-21; 1 Chron. 6:14, 15; Neh. 7:7) Jeshua returned from Babylon in 537 B.C.E. with Zerubbabel and served as high priest to the restored Jewish remnant. (Ezra 2:2; 5:2; Hag. 1:1) Thus the high-priestly line was preserved by Jehovah, so that Israel had the services of high priests from the restoration until the coming of the Messiah. Jeshua took the lead, along with Zerubbabel, in setting up the altar, then in rebuilding the temple, encouraged by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. (Ezra 3:2; 5:1, 2) He stood by Zerubbabel in opposing the adversaries of the temple reconstruction. These troublemakers were people whom the king of Assyria had settled in the land when he took the ten-tribe kingdom of Israel into exile. Therefore they had no right nor part with the restored remnant in participating in the rebuilding work, as they requested.—Ezra 4:1-3.

Some of the older ones among the returned Israelites had seen the glory of Solomon’s temple and tended to view the rebuilt temple as nothing in comparison. Haggai the prophet was sent to speak to Zerubbabel and Joshua (Jeshua), telling them that the glory of the later house would become greater than that of the former one. Jehovah would do this by bringing in “the desirable things of all the nations.”—Hag. 2:1-4, 7, 9.

The prophet Zechariah was given a vision in which he beheld Joshua (Jeshua) the high priest standing before the angel of Jehovah, and Satan at his right hand to resist him. Joshua was given a change from befouled garments to robes of state and a clean turban. Then Joshua was told of God’s servant Sprout.—Zech. 3:1-8.

At another time Jehovah told Zechariah to put a crown on Joshua’s head and to say to him: “Here is the man whose name is Sprout . . . And he himself will build the temple of Jehovah, . . . and he must become a priest upon his throne.” This prophecy certainly applied to someone future for, under the Law, priesthood and kingship were strictly separate, and High Priest Joshua never ruled as king over Israel.—Zech. 6:11-13.

5. The head of a Levitical house, some of whom returned from Babylonian exile with Zerubbabel in 537 B.C.E. (Ezra 2:40; Neh. 7:43) If not another person by the same name, a representative of Jeshua’s house signed the “trustworthy arrangement” entered into by the priests, princes and people to walk in God’s law. He was the son of Azaniah (Neh. 9:38; 10:1, 9) and probably the same Jeshua mentioned at Nehemiah 12:8, 24.

“Jozabad the son of Jeshua,” one of the Levites to whom Ezra turned over the silver, gold and vessels for the house of God, was probably a member of this Jeshua’s house.—Ezra 8:33.

Ezer son of Jeshua, a prince of Mizpah, who worked under Nehemiah in repairing Jerusalem’s wall, may have been of the same family.—Neh. 3:19.

6. One of the Levite supervisors of the temple rebuilding.—Ezra 3:9.

7. One of the Levites reading and explaining the Law to the people and taking the lead in worship, under Ezra’s direction. Perhaps of the same house as No. 5.—Neh. 8:7; 9:4, 5.

8. A town in the southern part of Judah where some of the repatriated Jewish remnant dwelt. Its site is identified by some scholars as Tell es-Saʽweh, about twelve miles (c. 20 kilometers) E-NE of Beersheba. (Neh. 11:25, 26) It may be the Shema of Joshua 15:26, and possibly the Sheba of Joshua 19:2.

JESHURUN

(Jeshʹu·run) [upright one; probably drawn from ya·sharʹ (to be righteous)].

An honorary title for Israel. In the Septuagint Version “Jeshurun” becomes a term of affection, it being rendered “beloved.” The designation “Jeshurun” should have reminded Israel of its calling as Jehovah’s covenant people and therefore of its obligation to remain upright. (Deut. 33:5, 26; Isa. 44:2) At Deuteronomy 32:15 the name “Jeshurun” is used ironically. Instead of living up to its name “Jeshurun,” Israel became intractable, forsook its Maker and despised its Savior.

JESIMIEL

(Je·simʹi·el) [God establishes].

One of the Simeonite chieftains who, in King Hezekiah’s day, extended their territory to the E of the valley of Gedor.—1 Chron. 4:24, 34-41.

JESSE

(Jesʹse) [perhaps, Jah exists].

Father of King David of the tribe of Judah; grandson of Ruth and Boaz and a link in the genealogical line from Abraham to Jesus. (Ruth 4:17, 22; Matt. 1:5, 6; Luke 3:31, 32) Jesse fathered eight sons, one of whom apparently died before producing any sons of his own, which may account for the omission of his name from the genealogies of Chronicles. (1 Sam. 16:10, 11; 17:12; 1 Chron. 2:12-15) The two sisters of David, Abigail and Zeruiah, are nowhere called Jesse’s daughters, but one is called “the daughter of Nahash.” (1 Chron. 2:16, 17; 2 Sam. 17:25) It may be that Nahash was the former husband of Jesse’s wife, making her girls half sisters to Jesse’s sons, unless Nahash is another name for Jesse, or even the name of his wife, as some have suggested.

Jesse was a sheep owner living at Bethlehem. After King Saul turned away from true worship, Jehovah sent Samuel to Jesse’s home to anoint one of his sons as king. Jesse brought in the seven older boys, but when Jehovah chose none of these Jesse was obliged to call his youngest son David from pasturing the sheep; this son was Jehovah’s choice.—1 Sam. 16:1-13.

When Saul summoned David to play the soothing harp for him, aged Jesse sent along a generous gift and later granted permission for David to remain some time in attendance at Saul’s court. (1 Sam. 16:17-23; 17:12) Later, when it appears that David was back again tending the sheep, Jesse sent him with some provisions for the three oldest boys, who were in Saul’s army. (1 Sam. 17:13, 15, 17, 18, 20) During the time David was outlawed by Saul, Jesse and his wife were given asylum in Moab.—1 Sam. 22:3, 4.

Often David is called “the son of Jesse,” disparagingly, by persons such as Saul, Doeg, Nabal and Sheba (1 Sam. 20:27, 30, 31; 22:7-9, 13; 25:10; 2 Sam. 20:1; 1 Ki. 12:16; 2 Chron. 10:16), but more respectfully in other instances, for example, by David himself, Ezra, Jehovah God and others.—1 Sam. 16:18; 17:58; 2 Sam. 23:1; 1 Chron. 10:14; 12:18; 29:26; Ps. 72:20; Luke 3:32; Acts 13:22.

The prophetic promise that the “root of Jesse” would ‘stand up as a signal for the peoples’ and would judge in righteousness finds fulfillment in Christ Jesus.—Isa. 11:1-5, 10; Rom. 15:8, 12.

JESUS

(Jeʹsus) [Latin form of the Greek I·e·sousʹ, which corresponds to the Hebrew Ye·shuʹaʽ or Y^eho·hsuʹaʽ and means Salvation (or, Help) of Jehovah].

Jewish historian Josephus of the first century C.E. mentions some twelve persons, other than those in the Bible record, bearing that name. It also appears in the Apocryphal writings of the last centuries of the B.C.E. period. It therefore appears to have been a not uncommon name during that period.

1. The name I·e·sousʹ appears in the Greek text of Acts 7:45 and Hebrews 4:8 and applies to Joshua, the leader of Israel following Moses, death.—See JOSHUA No. 1.

2. An ancestor of Jesus Christ, evidently in his mother’s line. (Luke 3:29) Some ancient manuscripts here read “Jose (s).”—See GENEALOGY OF JESUS CHRIST.

3. A Christian, evidently Jewish, and fellow worker of Paul. He was also called Justus.—Col. 4:11.

4. See JESUS CHRIST.

JESUS CHRIST

The name and title of the Son of God from the time of his anointing while on earth.

The name Jesus (Greek, I·e·sousʹ) corresponds to the Hebrew name Jeshua (or, in fuller form, Jehoshua), meaning “Salvation [or Help] of Jah [Jehovah].” The name itself was not unusual, many men being so named in that period. For this reason persons often added further identification, saying, “Jesus the Nazarene.” (Mark 10:47; Acts 2:22) Christ is from the Greek Khri·stosʹ, the equivalent of the Hebrew Ma·shiʹahh (Messiah), and means “Anointed One.” Whereas the expression “anointed one” was properly applied to others before Jesus, such as Moses, Aaron and David (Heb. 11:24-26; Lev. 4:3; 8:12; 2 Sam. 22:51), the position, office or service to which these were anointed only prefigured or typified the superior position, office and service of Jesus Christ. Jesus is therefore preeminently and uniquely “the Christ, the Son of the living God.”—Matt. 16:16; see CHRIST; MESSIAH.

PREHUMAN EXISTENCE

The person who became known as Jesus Christ did not begin life here on earth. He himself spoke of his prehuman heavenly life. (John 3:13; 6:38, 62; 8:23, 42, 58) John 1:1, 2 gives the heavenly name of the