Matthew 2:23
So the family went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what the prophets had said: “He will be called a Nazarene.”
Here is my challenge. Where in the Tanakh (OT) is this so called prophecy that he will be called a Nazarene? Now I really must insist that this prophecy be concerning the town of Nazareth, since Matthew makes it ALL about Nazareth. So please, no references about Nazarites -- that is something completely different. If you can't come up with a direct quote of "He shall be called a Nazarene," I will settle for any prophecy that the Messiah will come from the city of Nazareth.
Throughout Isaiah, messiah is referred to as a branch. Isaiah 60:21 uses the very consonants that the future city of Nazareth are based on נצר (nun-tsaddi-reish) to speak of messiah. Isaiah 53:2 says this branch will sprout out of dry, unwatered, ground. Throughout the book of Isaiah the relationship between messiah and a nazar נצר or branch is frequent and both implicit and explicit.
That Jesus of Nazareth, Isaiah's branch, would be called Jesus the Nazar --ene, is quite a coincidence. Perhaps worse is the coincidence that the prophet Zechariah claims messiah's very name will include the word "branch" (Zechariah 6:12). Zechariah uses different consonants, צמח, but these consonants translate "branch" all the same such that regardless of the consonants used to say messiah's name will include a Hebrew word for "branch" (נער or צמח), Zechariah's prophesy concerning messiah's name, claims part and parcel of what he's called will include the idea that he's the branch for which the city he grows up in is named based on the prophesy that he will grow up there.
That's kinda how prophesy works. The spirit of prophesy informed the prophets that messiah will be known as, literally called, "branch" (a nazar--ene) such that as the spirit of prophesy worked its magic, the town where messiah would eventually grow up was named, based on the spirit of prophesy, Nazar---eth.
What's even more ironic than that Isaiah prophesies that part of messiah's name will include the Hebrew consonants for a "branch" (נצר), is the prophesy the same prophet gives by saying that this part of messiah's name and person is the part of his name and person that was hidden from the Torah only to be revealed by Isaiah himself (Isaiah 48:6). The very word "nazareth" is hidden in the Hebrew of a prophetic passage of scripture (48:6) where Isaiah laments that this name will remain "
hidden" from Israel because they're still the same ole rebels they've always been.
Almost beyond belief, Ramban (Nachmanides), in his commentary, makes reference to a direct parallel between Isaiah 48:6, and Deuteronomy 31:17, where, the latter, God claims, prophetically, that he will hide messiah's name from Israel. Nachmanides draws this very verse, God hiding messiah's name from Israel, to Isaiah 48:6, where literally beyond belief, the word "nazareth" (נערות) is hidden in the verse. Ramban notes that in Deuteronomy 31:17 God prophesies that he will hide his messiah from Israel. He then, Ramban, draws a parallel to this hiding of messiah from Israel, to Isaiah 48:6 where the name "nazareth" נערות is hidden in a verse telling of messiah (or his name and face) being hidden from Israel. Not only are the two verses a direct parallel, but one of the greatest Jewish sage of all time acknowledges they're parallel without himself finding out the name of messiah hidden in the verse he acknowledges hides the name of messiah. Nazareth is hidden in a verse hiding the name of messiah.
John
