Matthew 2:23
Read Matthew 2:23 Using Other Translations
What does Matthew 2:23 mean?
And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth
Which was a city of Galilee, and where Joseph and Mary had both
dwelt before, ( Luke 1:26 ) ( 2:4 ) here they came and
fixed their habitation,
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the
prophet.
This affair of going into Galilee, and settling at Nazareth, was
brought about with this view, to accomplish what had been
foretold by the prophets, or prophet, the plural number being
used for the singular, as in ( John 6:45 ) ( Acts 13:40 ) . And
indeed it is so rendered here in the Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic
versions; and designs the prophet Isaiah, and respects that
prophecy of his in ( Isaiah 11:1 ) "and
there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and
(run) , "a branch shall
grow out of his roots"; a prophecy owned by the Jews F5
themselves to belong to the Messiah, and which was now fulfilled
in Jesus; who as he was descended from Jesse's family, so by
dwelling at Nazareth, he would appear to be, and would be "called
a Nazarene, or Netzer, the branch"; being an inhabitant of
Natzareth, or Netzer, so called from the multitude of plants and
trees that grew there.
A Nazarene,
as David de Pomis says F6,
``is one that is born in the city Netzer, which is said to be in the land of Galilee, three days journey distant from Jerusalem.''Now though Christ was not born, yet because he dwelt at Nazareth, and was educated there; hence the Jews frequently call him (yruwnh ewvy) , "Jesus, the Nazarene F7"; and sometimes only (yruwnh) , "the Nazarene" F8. They also design him by (run Nb) , "Ben Netzer" F9, of whom they say a great many evil things: and that Christ is often called Jesus of Nazareth, or the Nazarene, and his followers Nazarenes, from the place of his habitation, is known to everyone. One of Christ's disciples is called Netzer in the Talmud F11, and made to plead for his life, because his name signified a branch, according to ( Isaiah 11:1 ) . Surenhusius observes F12, that the form (rmanv hm Mwyql) "to fulfil what is said", used by the Talmudists, and which he takes to be the same with this here, is used by them, when they allege not the very words of Moses, or the prophets, but their sense, which is deduced as a certain axiom from them; and thinks it is applicable to the present case.
F5 Targum, Jarchi, Aben Ezra & Kimchi in loc.
F6 Lexic Heb. fol. 141. 2.
F7 T. Bab. Avoda Zara, fol. 17. 1. Ganz. par. 2. fol. 14. 2. Abarbinel in Dan. fol. 44. 1.
F8 Ganz. par. 1. fol. 24. 2.
F9 T. Bab. Cetuboth, fol. 51. 2. & Gloss. in ib. Bereshith Rabba, fol. 67. 2. Abarbinel in Dau. fol. 44. 1.
F11 T. Bab. Sanhedrim, fol. 43. 1.
F12 Biblos Katallages, p, 2, 3, 4, 197
