Gospel of Matthew Chapter 2 Vs. 23

 The Return to Nazareth

Matthew 2:23 “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.”

city called Nazareth... Is situated in lower Galilee just north of the Plain of Esdraelon (Armageddon), and about 70 miles north of Jerusalem. It is a somewhat isolated town and thus is significant only in that it was the hometown of Joseph and Mary and the place where Jesus spent most of His first 30 years. When Jesus began His public ministry He made Capernaum His headquarters (chapter 4:13-16).

fulfilled which was... The 5th Old Testament prophecy fulfilled in Matthew (Mat. 2:23). Next, Mat. 3:3. "Spoken," not written by the prophets, for no prophet recorded this as here stated.

God takes care of all the prophecies. One thing to note is that Jesus was a Nazarene, not a Nazarite.

The only significant relation between Nazareth and Christ’s ministry was His rejection by its inhabitants (Luke 4:16-30). Few significant archeological discoveries have been made at Nazareth except for demonstrating that Nazareth did exist long before New Testament times.

Since it is not mentioned in the Old Testament, the Talmud, the Apocrypha, or by Josephus the Jewish historian, some have imagined that it did not exist historically at the time of Jesus. Presently Nazareth is a town of over 26,000 primarily Arab inhabitants.

It was said that nothing good could come out of Nazareth (John 1:46), but with Jesus all things are possible.

The fact that the family moved to Nazareth was once again said to be in fulfillment of prophecy (Mat. 2:23). However, the words He will be called a Nazarene, were not directly spoken by any Old Testament prophet, though several prophecies come close to this expression. Isaiah said the Messiah would be “from [Jesse’s] roots” like “a Branch” (Isa. 11:1). “Branch” is the Hebrew word neṣer, which has consonants like those in the word “Nazarene” and which carry the idea of having an insignificant beginning.

Since Matthew used the plural prophets, perhaps his idea was not based on a specific prophecy but on the idea that appeared in a number of prophecies concerning Messiah’s despised character. Nazareth was the town which housed the Roman garrison for the northern regions of Galilee. Therefore most Jews would not have any associations with that city. In fact those who lived in Nazareth were thought of as compromisers who consorted with the enemy, the Romans. Therefore to call one “a Nazarene” was to use a term of contempt. So because Joseph and his family settled in Nazareth, the Messiah was later despised and considered contemptible in the eyes of many in Israel. This was Nathanael’s reaction when he heard Jesus was from Nazareth (John 1:46): “Can anything good come from there?” This concept fit several Old Testament prophecies that speak of the lowly character of the Messiah (e.g., Isa. 42:1-4). Also the term “Nazarene” would have reminded Jewish readers of the similar-sounding word “Nazirite” (Num. 6:1-21). Jesus was more devoted to God than the Nazirites.