and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth.Nazareth was a small and relatively obscure village in the region of Galilee. At the time of Jesus, it was not a place of great significance or renown, which is reflected in Nathanael's question in
John 1:46, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" This phrase highlights the humility and lowliness of Jesus' upbringing, aligning with the theme of God choosing the humble and lowly to accomplish His purposes. The choice of Nazareth as Jesus' hometown fulfills God's plan for the Messiah to be approachable and relatable to the common people. Archaeological evidence suggests that Nazareth was a small agricultural settlement during the first century, with a population of a few hundred people.
So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophets:
This phrase emphasizes the fulfillment of prophecy, a recurring theme in the Gospel of Matthew, which seeks to demonstrate that Jesus is the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. Although there is no direct Old Testament prophecy that states the Messiah would be called a Nazarene, this phrase suggests a broader understanding of the prophetic tradition. The prophets often spoke of the Messiah in terms that implied humility and rejection, such asIsaiah 53:3, which describes the suffering servant as "despised and rejected by men." The fulfillment of prophecy in Jesus' life serves to validate His messianic identity and divine mission.
“He will be called a Nazarene.”
The term "Nazarene" may carry a dual significance. First, it connects to the Hebrew word "netzer," meaning "branch," found inIsaiah 11:1, which speaks of a shoot coming from the stump of Jesse, a prophecy about the Davidic lineage of the Messiah. This connection suggests that Jesus, as a Nazarene, is the righteous branch from David's line. Second, being called a Nazarene also implies being despised or scorned, as Nazareth was a town of little repute. This aligns with the prophetic theme of the Messiah being one who would be rejected and suffer for the sake of humanity, as seen in passages likePsalm 22 andIsaiah 53. The title "Nazarene" thus encapsulates both Jesus' royal lineage and His role as the suffering servant.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
JesusThe central figure of the New Testament, whose life and ministry fulfill Old Testament prophecies.
2.
JosephThe earthly father of Jesus, who leads his family to Nazareth in obedience to divine guidance.
3.
MaryThe mother of Jesus, who accompanies Joseph and Jesus to Nazareth.
4.
NazarethA small town in Galilee where Jesus grew up, fulfilling the prophecy that He would be called a Nazarene.
5.
ProphetsRefers to the collective voice of Old Testament prophets whose writings and prophecies point to the coming Messiah.
Teaching Points
Fulfillment of ProphecyJesus' life in Nazareth fulfills the prophetic words, demonstrating God's faithfulness to His promises.
Humility and ObscurityJesus' upbringing in a humble town teaches us about God's value of humility and His ability to use the seemingly insignificant for His purposes.
Divine GuidanceJoseph's obedience to divine direction in moving to Nazareth is a model for trusting God's guidance in our lives.
Identity in ChristJust as Jesus was identified as a Nazarene, believers are called to find their identity in Christ, regardless of their earthly origins.
God's SovereigntyThe fulfillment of prophecy through Jesus' life in Nazareth underscores God's sovereign control over history and His plan for redemption.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Matthew 2:23?
2.How does Matthew 2:23 fulfill Old Testament prophecy about Jesus' identity?
3.Why is Nazareth significant in understanding Jesus' humble beginnings and mission?
4.What Old Testament prophecies connect to Jesus being called a Nazarene?
5.How can Jesus' upbringing in Nazareth inspire humility in our daily lives?
6.In what ways does Matthew 2:23 encourage us to trust God's sovereign plan?
7.How does Matthew 2:23 fulfill Old Testament prophecy if "Nazarene" isn't explicitly mentioned there?
8.Why is Nazareth significant in Matthew 2:23 for Jesus' identity and mission?
9.Does Matthew 2:23 imply a historical inaccuracy regarding Old Testament prophecies?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Matthew 2?
11.Was Nazareth inhabited during Jesus' lifetime?
12.Who are the Natsarim?
13.Why does Matthew 2:23 cite a prophecy not found anywhere in the Hebrew Scriptures, claiming “He shall be called a Nazarene”?
14.What do Nazarenes believe and represent?What Does Matthew 2:23 Mean
And he went“After Herod died, Joseph got up … and went” (Matthew 2:21-22). Matthew shows Joseph’s immediate obedience.
• Similar swift obedience is seen inGenesis 12:4, where Abram “went as the LORD had told him.”
•Luke 1:38 reflects the same heart in Mary: “May it be to me according to your word.”
Obedience is portrayed as the normal response of God’s people when He directs their steps.
And lived in a town called NazarethThe family settles in a small, seemingly insignificant village (John 1:46).
•Isaiah 11:1 pictures Messiah as a “Branch” (netzer), a shoot from Jesse’s stump—humble beginnings leading to greatness.
•Psalm 22:6-8 foreshadows the contempt Messiah would face, something that growing up in Nazareth prepared Him for (seeLuke 4:28-29).
Choosing Nazareth highlights God’s consistent pattern of exalting what the world overlooks (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).
So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophetsMatthew links the move to Nazareth with prophetic expectation. He writes “prophets” (plural), signaling a composite theme rather than one isolated verse.
•Judges 13:5 and1 Samuel 1:11 show lifelong consecration vows, pointing to a set-apart Deliverer.
•Isaiah 53:2 speaks of Messiah growing up “like a root out of dry ground,” again echoing obscurity and unimpressiveness.
The phrase underscores Scripture’s unity: diverse prophetic voices converge in Jesus.
He will be called a NazareneBeing labeled “Nazarene” carried stigma (John 7:52), fulfilling anticipations of a despised yet victorious Servant.
•Psalm 69:8: “I have become a stranger to my brothers.”
•Isaiah 49:7: “The Redeemer of Israel, to the One despised.”
Matthew affirms that even the scorn attached to Jesus’ hometown was foreseen, weaving mockery into God’s redemptive plan.
summaryMatthew 2:23 reveals God directing Joseph to Nazareth, fulfilling a tapestry of prophetic themes. Jesus’ humble residence, the contempt signaled by the title “Nazarene,” and the certainty of Scripture all work together to show that God’s Messiah would rise from obscurity, bear reproach, yet accomplish salvation exactly as foretold.
(23)
He shall be called a Nazarene.--For an account of Nazareth, see Note on
Luke 1:26. Here it will be enough to deal with St. Matthew's reference to the name as in itself the fulfilment of a prophetic thought. He does not, as before, cite the words of any one prophet by name, but says generally that what he quotes had been spoken by or through the prophets. No such words are to be found in the Old Testament. It is not likely that the Evangelist would have quoted from any apocryphal prophecy, nor is there any trace of the existence of such a prophecy. The true explanation is to be found in the impression made on his mind by the verbal coincidence of fact with prediction. He had heard men speak with scorn of "the Nazarene," and yet the very syllables of that word had also fallen on his ears in one of the most glorious of the prophecies admitted to be Messianic--"There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a
Netzer (Branch) shall grow out of his roots" (
Isaiah 11:1). So he found in the word of scorn the
nomen et omen of glory. The town of Nazareth probably took its name from this meaning of the word, as pointing, like our
-hurst and
-holt, to the trees and shrubs for which it was conspicuous. The general reference to the prophets is explained by the fact that the same thought is expressed in
Jeremiah 23:5;
Jeremiah 33:15;
Zechariah 3:8;
Zechariah 6:12, though there the Hebrew word is
Zemach, and not
Netzer. A like train of thought is found in the language of Tertullian and other early Christian writers to their heathen opponents--"You call us Christians," they say," worshippers of Christos, but you pronounce the words
Chrestiani and
Chrestos, i.e., you give us a name which in your own language (Greek) means 'good,' and so you unconsciously bear testimony to the life we really lead." This seems the only tenable explanation of the passage. It is hardly likely that the Evangelist should have referred to the scorn with which Nazareth was regarded. Any reference to the Nazarite vow is out of the question, (1) because the two words are spelt differently, both in Greek and Hebrew, and (2) because our Lord's life represented quite a different aspect of holiness from that of which the Nazarite vow was the expression. That vow, as seen pre-eminently in the Baptist, represented the consecration which consists in separation from the world. The life of Christ manifested the higher form of consecration which is found in being
in the world but not
of it, mingling with the men and women who compose it, in order to purify and save. . . .
Verse 23. -
And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth.
En-Nasira, now of from five thousand to six thousand souls, in the hills on the northern edge of the Plain of Esdraelon, not mentioned in the Old Testament or by Josephus. "Nazareth is a rose, and, like a rose, has the same rounded form, enclosed by mountains as the flower by its leaves" (Quaresimus, in Stanley, 'Sinai and Palestine,' p. 365). Observe the (:) in the Revised Version, showing that the following "fulfilment" is not to be considered as part of Joseph's intention.
Dwelt; settled down after the exile life (cf
Acts 7:4).
That (
ὅπως). The purpose lay in the Divine overruling of Joseph's action,
ὄπως with
πληρωθῇ,
Matthew 8:17 and Matthew 13:35 only. In each case it is used with reference to general statements,
i.e. it marks a less close connection than that implied by
ἵνα.
It might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets.He shall be called (Revised Version,
that he should be called;
ὅτικληθήσεται; cf. also the Geneva)
a Nazarene. The Revised Version expresses the fact that the quotation is not of words, but of substance, for although the recitative
ὅτι is found in St. Matthew (
Matthew 7:23;
Matthew 9:18;
Matthew 14:26;
Matthew 27:43, 47) and even before verbal citations from Scripture after
γέγραπται (
Matthew 4:6) and
ἀνέγνωετε (
Matthew 21:16, contrast 42), yet it does not occur after the formula
τὸ ῤηθένκ.τ.λ.
By the prophets. Not "in the prophets" (
Acts 13:40), which might have preferred (yet cf.
Hebrews 1:1) only to the book containing their writings, and then would not in itself have implied more than one passage there. The present phrase (
διὰ τῶνπροφητῶν) suggests personality rather than writing, and implies either that two or more prophets were the agents by whom the words were spoken, or, better, that in some way the whole company of the prophets (cf.
Acts 3:25;
Hebrews 1:1) spoke the message now summarized. In this way the phrase will indicate that even if the following words are found in the utterances of only one prophet, they also represent a phase of teaching common to all.
A Nazarene. Those interpretations which connect this with
נזר (
nzr) ,
(1) in the sense of "separated" (Lightfoot, 'Hor. Hebr.'),
(a) generally (cf.Psalm 69:7);
(b) specifically as "Nazarite" (נזיר,Ναζηραῖος, so Tyndale to Rheims); or . . .
Parallel Commentaries ...
Greek
andκαὶ(kai)Conjunction
Strong's 2532:And, even, also, namely.he wentἐλθὼν(elthōn)Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2064:To come, go.[and] livedκατῴκησεν(katōkēsen)Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2730:To dwell in, settle in, be established in (permanently), inhabit. From kata and oikeo; to house permanently, i.e. Reside.inεἰς(eis)Preposition
Strong's 1519:A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases.a townπόλιν(polin)Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4172:A city, the inhabitants of a city. Probably from the same as polemos, or perhaps from polus; a town.calledλεγομένην(legomenēn)Verb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3004:(a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command.Nazareth.Ναζαρέτ(Nazaret)Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3478:Or Nazaret nad-zar-et'; of uncertain derivation; Nazareth or Nazaret, a place in Palestine.Soὅπως(hopōs)Conjunction
Strong's 3704:From hos and pos; what(-ever) how, i.e. In the manner that (as adverb or conjunction of coincidence, intentional or actual).was fulfilledπληρωθῇ(plērōthē)Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 4137:From pleres; to make replete, i.e. to cram, level up, or to furnish, satisfy, execute, finish, verify, etc.whatτὸ(to)Article - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.was spokenῥηθὲν(rhēthen)Verb - Aorist Participle Passive - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 2046:Probably a fuller form of rheo; an alternate for epo in certain tenses; to utter, i.e. Speak or say.throughδιὰ(dia)Preposition
Strong's 1223:A primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through.theτῶν(tōn)Article - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.prophets:προφητῶν(prophētōn)Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 4396:From a compound of pro and phemi; a foreteller; by analogy, an inspired speaker; by extension, a poet.“He will be calledκληθήσεται(klēthēsetai)Verb - Future Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2564:(a) I call, summon, invite, (b) I call, name. Akin to the base of keleuo; to 'call'.a Nazarene.”Ναζωραῖος(Nazōraios)Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3480:A Nazarene, an inhabitant of Nazareth. From Nazareth; a Nazoraean, i.e. Inhabitant of Nazareth; by extension, a Christian.
Links
Matthew 2:23 NIVMatthew 2:23 NLTMatthew 2:23 ESVMatthew 2:23 NASBMatthew 2:23 KJV
Matthew 2:23 BibleApps.comMatthew 2:23 Biblia ParalelaMatthew 2:23 Chinese BibleMatthew 2:23 French BibleMatthew 2:23 Catholic Bible
NT Gospels: Matthew 2:23 And came and lived in a city (Matt. Mat Mt) 
