Seven hundred years or so before Jesus was born, the prophet Isaiah gave Him four names in a single breath. Wonderful Counselor. Mighty God. Everlasting Father. Prince of Peace. We sing them every December, usually somewhere between the eggnog and the wrapping paper, and hardly stop on a single one.
This year, I'd love for us to stop.
The Christmas story is full of names for Jesus. Angels announce them. Prophets predict them. Wise men travel across deserts asking about them. And each name tells us something different about the baby in the manger. Let's walk through the names of Jesus at Christmas, what they mean, and why they're still worth praying.
In this post
Why names matter so much in the Bible
In the Bible, a name usually isn't just a label. It's a description, a promise, sometimes a whole prophecy. When God renamed Abram to Abraham, it meant "father of many." When He renamed Jacob to Israel, it marked a turning point in his life.
So when Scripture gives Jesus a name, pay attention. Every one of them answers a question we're asking, whether we know it or not. Who is He? What did He come to do? And what does that have to do with me?
The names of Jesus at a glance
| Name | What it means | Pray it when |
|---|---|---|
| Jesus Matthew 1:21 |
"The LORD saves" | You need rescue, not just advice |
| Immanuel Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23 |
"God with us" | You feel alone |
| Wonderful Counselor Isaiah 9:6 |
A guide beyond human wisdom | You don't know what to do |
| Mighty God Isaiah 9:6 |
God Himself, with power | The problem feels too big |
| Everlasting Father Isaiah 9:6 |
A forever, fatherly care | You need to be held |
| Prince of Peace Isaiah 9:6 |
The One who brings shalom, wholeness | Your heart or home is in turmoil |
| Savior, Messiah, Lord Luke 2:11 |
Rescuer, anointed King, Master | You need to remember Who is in charge |
| King of the Jews Matthew 2:2 |
The promised King from David's line | Worship feels small |
Jesus: "The LORD saves"
Let's start with the name we say most. When an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, he told him exactly what to call the baby:
“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:21 (NIV)
"Jesus" comes to us through Greek from the Hebrew name Yeshua, a form of Joshua, which means "the LORD saves." So every time someone called His name, they were saying what He came to do. It's a rescue mission folded into two syllables.
I love that God didn't name Him something that sounded impressive. He named Him something that sounded like help.
Immanuel: "God with us"
This is probably the most beloved Christmas name of all. Isaiah spoke it first, to a frightened king in a frightening time: "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14). Centuries later, Matthew quotes that verse in the story of Jesus' birth and translates it for us:
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel (which means "God with us").”
Matthew 1:23 (NIV)
You'll see it spelled two ways, Immanuel and Emmanuel. Both are right. Immanuel follows the Hebrew; Emmanuel follows the Greek spelling, and the King James Version actually uses both: Immanuel in Isaiah and Emmanuel in Matthew.
What does Immanuel mean for you? It means God didn't shout instructions from a distance. He came close. He slept in a feeding trough. He got tired and hungry and cried. Whatever you're walking through this December, Immanuel means you're not walking through it alone.
The four names of Isaiah 9:6
Now to the verse that gives us four names at once. Isaiah wrote it during a dark period for God's people, and if it sounds familiar, Handel set these words to music in the "For unto us a Child is born" chorus of Messiah:
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)
Notice something? A child is born, and a son is given. Born as a human baby, given as a gift from heaven. Christmas in one sentence.
Wonderful Counselor
"Wonderful" here doesn't just mean nice. It carries the sense of something beyond human understanding, the kind of thing that makes you stop and stare. A Wonderful Counselor gives guidance no human advisor could. If you're facing a decision this season and nobody seems to have the answer, He does.
Mighty God
This one is breathtaking. Isaiah calls a baby "Mighty God." The same tiny hands that grabbed Mary's finger held the universe together. If your problem feels too big this year, it isn't too big for Him.
Everlasting Father
This name speaks of a forever kind of care. It doesn't confuse Jesus with God the Father; rather, it describes the way the promised King would care for His people: protective, provident and permanent, like the best father who never leaves. For anyone whose earthly father fell short, this name can be a healing one.
Prince of Peace
The Hebrew word for peace, shalom, is so much bigger than "no fighting." It means wholeness, completeness, everything as it should be. The Prince of Peace doesn't just calm things down. He puts broken things back together, starting with our hearts and our relationship with God. (If you'd like to sit with this idea longer, I wrote about Bible verses about peace and what they really mean.)
Savior, Messiah and Lord: the angels' announcement
On the night Jesus was born, an angel showed up in a field outside Bethlehem and gave the shepherds three names in one sentence:
“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord.”
Luke 2:11 (NIV)
Savior means rescuer. Messiah comes from the Hebrew for "anointed one," the King God had promised for centuries; "Christ" is the Greek word for the same thing. And Lord means He's in charge. Rescuer, King, Master. That's who was lying in the manger.
And notice who heard it first. Not kings in palaces. Shepherds on a night shift. The greatest announcement in history went to working people out in the cold.
King of the Jews: the name the wise men asked about
When the Magi arrived in Jerusalem, they asked a question that terrified King Herod: "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him" (Matthew 2:2).
They traveled a long way to bow before a child. They came looking for a King, and they found Him. Herod saw the same news as a threat, even though this was the King God had promised would come from David's family line. The wise men brought gifts. Herod brought fear. The same name produced both.
How to pray the names of Jesus this Christmas
Here's a simple way to make these names part of your December, whether you've got five minutes or fifty:
- One name a week. Pick one name each week of December. Write it on a card by the coffee pot. Pray it every morning.
- Match the name to the need. Use the "pray it when" column in the table above. Feeling alone? Pray "Immanuel, You're with me." Overwhelmed? "Mighty God, this is Yours."
- Read the verse with your kids. Ask, "What does this name tell us about Jesus?" Kids often give the best answers.
- Listen for the names in carols. "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" ("Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace"). You'll start hearing them everywhere.
- Write them in your Christmas cards. A single name and verse at the bottom of a card can carry more hope than a page of news.
If you'd like to keep a name close all season, our Christmas tees for women include several of them, from Emmanuel to Prince of Peace. And for something warmer, our Christian sweatshirts carry many of the same designs.
So, Who is He?
Put all the names together and you get a picture no single name could hold. He saves. He's with us. He counsels and He's mighty. He cares like a forever Father, and He brings peace that puts broken things back together. He's the rescuer, the anointed King, the Lord.
And He came as a baby. That's the wonder of Christmas. All those names, all that power, wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger, so that we could come close.
Whichever name you need most this December, I pray you'll find Him there. And if you're looking for gifts that say something real this year, take a look at our Christian Christmas gift guide for her.
With love, Anna
P.S. If Prince of Peace is the name you need most this year (me too), our Prince of Peace tee makes a lovely Christmas gift for a friend who's had a heavy year. It's a quiet way of saying, "I'm praying peace over you."
Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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