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Nazarene

Faith Q&A › Metropolitan Youssef › Our Lord and the Faith › Nazarene

The question

Is there any reference in the Old Testament concerning Christ being a Nazarene as mentioned in Matthew 2:23 "And He came and dwelt in the city called Nazareth that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, 'He shall be called a Nazarene.'"

The answer

The word Nazarene or the Greek Nazaraios is applied to our Lord Christ only once as in  (Mt 2:23). According to the Easton's Bible dictionary, this name is an allusion to the Hebrew word 'netser' which signifies a branch or sprout. It is so applied to the Messiah i.e., He whom the prophets called the Netse, the 'Branch' "There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots" (Isa 11:1).

In the place where we read and translate, "There shall come forth a Rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots," in the Hebrew idiom it is written thus, "There shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse and a Nazarene shall grow from his root." (Jerome, Letter 47:7)

Zechariah prophesied about the Branch who was our Lord Jesus: "Behold, a man whose name is Branch, for He will branch out from where He is; and He will build the temple of the Lord" (Zech 6:12). Other Old Testament passages regarding branch are: Isa 4:2; 53:2; Jer 23:5; 33:15; Zech 3:8.

Answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab)

Questions answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab) of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Question 922 on the Diocese’s Q&A site. Questions and answers © Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. All rights reserved.