Matthew 2:23 · Bible study
Matthew 2:23 Commentary: The Prophetic Title 'Nazarene'
Greek · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Understand Matthew's puzzling prophecy: the Messiah called a Nazarene. Is it from Isaiah's Branch, the Nazirite, or contempt? Commentary and analysis.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Jesus' residence in Nazareth fulfills the prophetic theme of the humble Branch (Isaiah 11:1), combined with the reproach attached to the Messiah in the Psalms and Isaiah.
- Key words: πληρωθῇ (aorist passive subjunctive of fulfill), Ναζωραῖος (Nazarene; Thayer: 'one separated'), προφητῶν (prophets, plural, indicating a composite citation).
- Main debate: Which prophecy does Matthew intend? Options: Isaiah's netser (Branch), the Nazirite vow (Numbers 6; Judges 13), or a summary of messianic contempt.
- Theological theme: God's sovereignty in using lowly circumstances to identify the Messiah with the humble and rejected.
- Best use: Teaching on how the New Testament interprets the Old Testament: as a tapestry of patterns and promises that find their centre in Christ, not as a checklist of proof-texts.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
and came and lived in a city called Nazareth; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets that he will be called a Nazarene.
KJV King James Version 1769
And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
and came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets, that he should be called a Nazarene.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and coming, he dwelt in a city named Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled that was spoken through the prophets, that `A Nazarene he shall be called.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
and came and dwelt in a town called Nazareth; so that that should be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets, He shall be called a Nazaraene.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And coming he dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was said by the prophets: That he shall be called a Nazarene.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y vino, y habitó en la ciudad que se llama Nazaret: para que se cumpliese lo que fué dicho por los profetas, que había de ser llamado Nazareno.
E veio a habitar na cidade chamada Nazaré, para que se cumprisse o que foi dito pelos profetas, que: Ele será chamado de Nazareno.
et vint demeurer dans une ville appelée Nazareth, afin que s’ accomplît ce qui avait été annoncé par les prophètes: Il sera appelé Nazaréen.
und kam und wohnte in der Stadt die da heißt Nazareth; auf das erfüllet würde, was da gesagt ist durch die Propheten: Er soll Nazarenus heißen.
En daar gekomen zijnde, nam hij zijn woonplaats in de stad, genaamd Nazareth; opdat vervuld zou worden, wat door de profeten gezegd is, dat Hij Nazarener zal geheten worden.
e venne ad abitare in una città detta Nazaret, affinché si adempiesse quello ch’era stato detto dai profeti, ch’egli sarebbe chiamato Nazareno.
I przyszedłszy mieszkał w mieście, które zowią Nazaret, aby się wypełniło co powiedziano przez proroki: Iż Nazarejczykiem nazwany będzie.
и, придя, поселился в городе, называемом Назарет, да сбудется реченное через пророков, что Он Назореем наречется.
到了 一座城，名叫 拿撒勒，就住 在那裡。這是要 應驗 先知 所 說， 他將稱為 拿撒勒人的話了。
And he came and was living in a town named Nazareth: so that the word of the prophets might come true, He will be named a Nazarene.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Matthew 2:23
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree on several points. The plural 'prophets' signals a composite citation: Matthew gathers a theme rather than one verse (Barnes, Vincent). The aorist subjunctive πληρωθῇ (may be fulfilled) matches the Gospel writer's pattern of showing God's design behind human events (Vincent). On the title itself, Calvin and Gill connect 'Nazarene' to the Hebrew netser (branch) of Isaiah 11:1, while the Cambridge Bible and Lange note the wordplay between Netser and the town name Nazareth. Clarke and Wesley stress the contempt, to be from Nazareth was to invite scorn, as John 1:46 shows. A minority, including Calvin and Poole, suggest the Nazirite vow (Numbers 6; Judges 13:5), though the Greek term differs. The shared conviction is that Matthew sees Jesus' residence in obscurity as a divinely intended fulfilment of prophetic patterns of lowliness and consecration.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: High
Main views:
- Netser / Branch: Isaiah 11:1 uses netser for the messianic shoot; the town Nazareth sounds like netser, creating a wordplay. Supported by Targums and rabbinic expectation.
- Nazirite Vow: Judges 13:5 and Numbers 6 speak of a Nazirite consecrated to God; some early Fathers and Calvin read this as a type of Christ's holiness. The Greek term differs, but the conceptual link is defended.
- Composite of Contempt: The plural 'prophets' and cross-references like Psalm 69:9–10 and Isaiah 53:2–3 point to a pattern of reproach. Wesley and Vincent emphasize this reading.
What is clear: Matthew interprets Jesus' upbringing in the obscure town of Nazareth as a divinely intended fulfillment of prophetic patterns of humility, consecration, and reproach.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Identity of the quoted prophecy | Matthew uses 'the prophets' in the plural, indicating a summary of many passages rather than one quotation. | Some see the primary reference as Isaiah's netser (Branch, Isa 11:1); others lean toward the Nazirite consecration (Judges 13:5; Numbers 6); still others view it as a general prophecy of the Messiah's lowly state (Psalm 69, Isaiah 53). Each tradition offers a faithful reading. |
| Meaning of 'Nazarene' | The title was used as a term of contempt and was associated with Jesus and his followers. | Protestant commentators (Calvin, Gill) emphasize the wordplay with netser (Branch); Catholic and Orthodox traditions have often linked it to the Nazirite vow. Both see it as pointing to Christ's holiness and lowliness. |
| Fulfillment method | The fulfillment is not a single direct prediction but a divinely intended correspondence between Jesus' life and Scripture. | Some hold that Matthew is using typology: the Nazirite foreshadows Christ's consecration. Others see a more direct verbal prophecy through wordplay (Nazareth, netser). Both methods are recognized within Christian hermeneutics. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Nazareth was a small, unwalled village in Galilee, near the Plain of Esdraelon. Its name probably means 'the guarded one' (Thayer), but in Jesus' day it was proverbially insignificant. Nathanael's question 'Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?' (John 1:46) captures its low reputation. The region itself was looked down on by Judeans because of its mixed population and distance from Jerusalem.
The verse sits at the end of Matthew's infancy narrative. After the magi's visit, Joseph fled to Egypt to escape Herod. When Herod died, an angel told Joseph to return. But Archelaus, Herod's son, ruled Judea so brutally that Joseph feared to go back. Warned again in a dream, he turned aside to Galilee and settled in Nazareth. To Matthew, this was no accident. The Greek verb κατῴκησεν (aorist indicative) means he made it his permanent dwelling (Barnes). God had earlier ‘spoken through the prophets’ that the Messiah would emerge from hidden, humble origins. Isaiah had pictured Him as a tender shoot from the cut-down stump of Jesse (Isaiah 53:2). The prophets also attached reproach to the righteous Servant (Psalm 69:9, 10; Isaiah 53:3, 4). Matthew reads the name ‘Nazareth’ as carrying the sound of ‘branch’ (netser) and the sting of scorn.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Matthew 2:23. The Greek text is stable across major manuscripts. Some early witnesses (Codex Sinaiticus) spell the town as ‘Nazareth’ while others use ‘Nazara,’ but the essential reading is unchanged. The difference does not affect the interpretation of the verse.
Reception History
Early Christians were called ‘Nazarenes’ by Jewish opponents (Acts 24:5), so this verse took on additional meaning for the persecuted church. Church Fathers such as Jerome and Augustine read it as a reference to Isaiah's Branch (netser). In the Middle Ages, exegetes often connected it to the Nazirite vow, seeing in Jesus the perfect consecrated one. The Reformers, especially Calvin, focused on the wordplay and the contempt attached to the name. Modern scholarship tends toward the view that Matthew is making a thematic summary: the prophets foretold a Messiah who would be humble, lowly, and branded as a Nazarene. The verse has been sung in hymns of refuge, celebrating that Jesus knows the sting of being dismissed.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God works through the lowly. Jesus grew up in a place people mocked. He did not come with worldly credentials. His roots were hidden, like a shoot from dry ground (Isaiah 53:2). God is not afraid of small towns or humble beginnings.
- Fulfilment can be a pattern, not a prediction. Matthew doesn't quote one prophet. He summarises what the prophets said in many ways: the Messiah would be despised, set apart, and linked to a Branch. Scripture's promises can be woven through multiple texts.
- Our identities can bear prophetic weight. The name 'Nazarene' was used to sneer, but Jesus wore it without shame. What others mean for harm, God can turn into a title of honour.
Five-point outline
- The location: Nazareth was obscure and despised.
- The prophecy: Isaiah's 'Branch' (netser) pointed to a humble Messiah.
- The pattern: prophets also spoke of the righteous One who would be rejected (Psalm 69, Isaiah 53).
- The wordplay: the name 'Nazarene' echoes both the town and the Branch.
- The sting: early Christians were called Nazarenes as an insult (Acts 24:5), but it became a badge of belonging to Christ.
Illustration hooks
- Small-town stigma: Think of someone from a place where 'nothing ever happens.' People write it off. Jesus came from such a place, God works in unseen corners.
- A nickname that sticks: A child is given a label at school, 'the quiet one,' 'the weird one.' Labels can wound, but they can also be redeemed. Jesus took a contemptuous name and made it sacred.
- The plant in a crack: A tree stump looks dead, but a tiny shoot appears from the root. Life can push through unpromising ground.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does Matthew say 'the prophets' when no single verse says 'Nazarene'?
- Does this mean every detail of Jesus' life was predicted in advance?
- How can I trust God's plan when my own story feels too small or overlooked?
Leading a Discussion
This passage shows us a God who works through the overlooked and the unexpected. Jesus did not come from Jerusalem or Bethlehem. He came from Nazareth, a town people dismissed. Yet Matthew insists that even this detail was woven into the prophets' witness. As you discuss, watch for how Matthew reads Scripture: not as a list of predictions but as a living promise that finds its centre in Jesus.
Discussion questions
- Read Matthew 2:19, 23. What circumstances pushed Joseph to settle in Nazareth? How does the text describe the family's movement?
- What do we know about Nazareth from these verses and from other biblical or historical sources? Why would it surprise the original readers?
- Matthew says the move fulfilled 'what was spoken through the prophets.' Which Old Testament passages come to your mind? (Consider Isaiah 11:1, Judges 13:5, Psalm 69.)
- Commentators disagree whether the main reference is the Branch (netser), the Nazirite, or the general theme of contempt. Which view seems strongest to you? Why?
- How does the fact that Jesus was called a Nazarene shape your understanding of His identity and mission?
- Jesus accepted a title that was meant to belittle Him. How does that challenge the way you think about reputation and status?
- What does this passage teach us about the way God fulfills His promises? Is it always literal? Always direct? Always easy to spot?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Numbers 6:13 | “‘This is the law of the Nazirite: when the days of his separation are fulfilled, he shall be brought to the door of the Tent of Meeting, |
| Judges 13:5 | for, behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son. No razor shall come on his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb. He shall begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.” |
| I Samuel 1:11 | She vowed a vow, and said, “Yahweh of Armies, if you will indeed look at the affliction of your servant and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a boy, then I will give him to Yahweh all the days of his life, and no razor shall come on his head.” |
| Psalms 69:9 | For the zeal of your house consumes me. The reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me. |
| Psalms 69:10 | When I wept and I fasted, that was to my reproach. |
| Isaiah 53:1 | Who has believed our message? To whom has Yahweh’s arm been revealed? |
| Isaiah 53:2 | For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no good looks or majesty. When we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. |
| Amos 2:10 | Also I brought you up out of the land of Egypt and led you forty years in the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
11 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke traces the title "Nazarene" to two distinct Old Testament roots: the Nazirite vow of dedication from Judges and the "branch" (netser) prophecy in Isaiah. He sees God's providence in the name, noting early Christians were also called Nazarenes.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes interprets Matthew's reference not as a single Old Testament quotation but as a summary of many prophecies: the Messiah would be lowly and despised. Nazareth's proverbial disgrace made "Nazarene" a title of contempt, so Jesus living there fulfilled that entire prophetic picture.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin argues that Matthew is not giving a strict etymology from Nazareth but making an allusion to the Hebrew word for Nazarite, meaning one consecrated and set apart to God. He sees the name as pointing to Christ's special holiness, with the ancient Nazarites serving as a shadow of what was fulfilled in him.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge commentary highlights that the name Nazarene involves a Hebrew wordplay likely linking Jesus' hometown with a prophetic title like "Branch" (netser) or "Protector" (natsar). The passage also notes that early Christians were scornfully called Nazarenes, yet they saw this as an unconscious connection to a Messianic title for their Master.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Bible notes highlight a deliberate wordplay between the name Nazareth and the term Nazarite. They interpret Jesus living there as fulfilling the prophets' pronouncement that He would be called a Nazarite, one consecrated and set apart for God's purpose.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill connects Jesus settling in Nazareth with the prophecy of a "branch" (Netzer) from Jesse's roots in Isaiah. He notes that Nazareth's name likely derives from "Netzer," so Jesus being called a Nazarene directly fulfilled that messianic prophecy about the branch.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB sees the name Nazarene as an intentional link to Isaiah’s prophecy of a lowly twig springing from the stump of Jesse. Nazareth itself was a despised town, so Jesus being raised there embodied both local contempt and the prophetic picture of the Messiah’s humble, branch-like origin.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange stresses that the flight to Egypt fulfills Hosea's prophecy not by literal prediction but as a type: Israel as God's son was called out of Egypt, and now the true Son relives that pattern. He similarly reads the title "Nazarene" as summing up all prophetic descriptions of the Messiah's lowliness.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry focuses on how Egypt served only as a temporary refuge, not a permanent home. Christ had to return because his mission was to Israel. The death of Herod, he notes, shows that even proud tyrants who oppress God's people must eventually fall, so believers need not fear them.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent highlights that the word “prophets” appears in the plural, pointing to several Old Testament predictions rather than a single one. He then explains that “Nazarene” was a term of contempt, and the town’s name means “sprout” or “shoot”—connecting Jesus’ humble upbringing to Isaiah’s image of the Messiah as a lowly shoot from the stump of Jesse, not a lofty royal branch.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley notes that the prophecy "He shall be called a Nazarene" is not a direct quote from any one prophet but sums up what several prophets said: the Messiah would be despised and rejected. He connects the name with contempt, seeing it fulfilled in Jesus living in Nazareth, a place proverbially held in low regard.