Matthew 2:23

[chelsey]

Matthew 2:23 "and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene."

The word Nazarene is not used or talked about by any of the prophets. Where did they get their information?
Again where is this confirmed in the ?

[alon]

Mat 2:23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled: "He shall be called a Nazarene."

The Bible, as much Jewish literature is, is filled with wordplay.

First off, the term here is plural, and this is the only time Matthew gives a prophetic reference without naming the prophet (singular). So I think this is intentionally vague. There are a few possibilities and he may be referring to any or all of them.

* His followers were called notsri, notsrim, or notsarim

* the p'shat is that He lived in Natsaret, so would be called Yeshua of Natsaret, or a natzrati- in English that'd be a Nazarine

* Isaiah 11:1 prophesied He would be a netzer, or a branch of King David

*** Jeremiah and Zechariah both spoke of the same theme:

Isaiah 11:1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

H5342 נצר nêtser nay'-tser From H5341 in the sense of greenness as a striking color; a shoot; figuratively, a descendant: - branch.

Jeremiah 23:5 "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.

Jeremiah 33:15 In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.

Zechariah 3:8 Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch.

Zechariah 6:12 And say to him, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD.

H6780 צמח tsemach tseh'-makh From H6779; a sprout (usually concretely), literally or figuratively: - branch, bud, that which (where) grew (upon), spring (-ing).

The wordplay alludes to most of or all these meanings, spoken of by more than one prophet and, if speaking of the name given His followers the passage in Matthew is itself prophetic (though possibly coincidental).

Most of this information, and a much more exhaustive writeup can be found in the Jewish New Testament Commentary, by David Stern

Dan C

[chelsey]

Nazareth does not mean twig/branch or anything to do with the references above in the greek. Look at the hebrew and yes you have the word for branch in some of the cases that still does not even come close to what was quoted by whoever authored the book. To make a direct quote that is not found any place other than the NT is reaching. I can find words that may sound similar but it does not mean they share anything in common. How can one come to terms with nothing to back it up like this?

[alon]

Jan 11, 2015 17:23:33 GMT -8 chelsey said:

Nazareth does not mean twig/branch or anything to do with the references above in the greek. Look at the hebrew and yes you have the word for branch in some of the cases that still does not even come close to what was quoted by whoever authored the book. To make a direct quote that is not found any place other than the NT is reaching. I can find words that may sound similar but it does not mean they share anything in common. How can one come to terms with nothing to back it up like this?

I gave you credible references for the words that meant branch. And actually I can make the connection.

If you are Jewish, as you seem to be (we can't know for sure because you havn't told us who you are), than you are familiar with the Seven Rules of Hillel.

2. G'zerah Shavah (Equivalence of expresions)

An analogy is made between two separate texts on the basis of a similar phrase, word or root

Here, I typed in a search for you and took the first one to come up just to be fair:

www.yashanet.com/studies/revstudy/hillel.htm

So apparently I can make the connection.

Dan C

[jimmie]

Not to distract from what alon has said, but maybe a more direct answer to your question would be:
According to Isaiah 53:3, the Servant of the LORD (we understand him to be the Messiah) would be “DESPISED and rejected of men.” This passage of prophecy is what Matthew quotes/paraphrases in Matthew 2:23.
In John 1:46, Nathaniel comments, ” “’Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?’” Coupled with other obvious references suggesting that southern Jews (Judeans) looked down upon northern Jews (from Galilee, the province in which Nazareth was located), it seems to be called a Nazarene was considered a put-down. The phrase “he will be called a Nazarene” is equal to “he was despised.”

[alon]

Miykhael suggested reading this passage:

Isaiah 44:1-5 (ESV) "But now hear, O Jacob my servant, Israel whom I have chosen! Thus says the LORD who made you, who formed you from the womb and will help you: Fear not, O Jacob my servant, Jeshurun whom I have chosen. For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. They shall spring up among the grass like willows by flowing streams. This one will say, 'I am the LORD's,' another will call on the name of Jacob, and another will write on his hand, 'The LORD's,' and name himself by the name of Israel."

This definitely supports the analogy of branches being offspring or descendants.

Dan C

[Miykhael]

B”H

“Nazareth” is derived from one of the Hebrew words for ‘branch’, namely ne·ṣer, נֵ֫צֶר, and alludes to the prophetic, messianic words in Book of (יְשַׁעְיָהוּ) Y'sha' Yahu Isaiah 11:1, ‘from (Jesse’s) roots a Branch (netzer) will bear fruit. “And there shall come forth a Khoter (Branch) out of the Geza (Stem, Stump, Stock) of Yishai, and a Netzer [Branch [SEE TZEMACH, MOSHIACH JER 23:5; 33:15; ZECH 3:8; 6:12, EZRA 3:8 WHICH GIVE AS MOSHIACH’S NAMESAKE YEHOSHUA/YESHUA; COMPARE MT.2:23 OJBC] shall bear fruit of his roots:” (Excerpt From: Dr. Phillip E. Goble. “The Orthodox Jewish Bible.”)

One view suggests this toponym might be an example of a tribal name used by resettling groups on their return from exile. Alternatively, the name may derive from the verb na·ṣar, נָצַר, “watch, guard, keep,”(9) and understood either in the sense of “watchtower” or “guard place”, implying the early town was perched on or near the brow of the hill, or, in the passive sense as 'preserved, protected' in reference to its secluded position. (10)

(9) “...if the word Nazareth is be derived from Hebrew at all, it must come from this root [i.e. נָצַר, naṣar, to watch]" (Merrill, Selah, (1881) Galilee in the Time of Christ, p. 116.
Francis Brown, S. R. Driver, Charles A. Briggs, The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (1906/2003), p. 665.

(10) R.H.Mounce, 'Nazareth,' in Geoffrey W. Bromiley (ed.) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Vol.3 Eerdmans Publishing 1986, pp.500-501.

Miykhael