Text: 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. (Matthew 2:23)
Text: In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel. (Isaiah 4:2)
Text: And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: (Isaiah 11:1)
Tweet: Matthew 2:23 teaches us that Jesus growing up in Nazareth fulfilled “what the prophets had said, He will be called a Nazarene.†However, this verse has long puzzled many Bible scholars, since no Old Testament prophecy can be cited that states this precise prediction. This perplexing problem is solved, however, by a simple word study. The word “Nazarene†means “sprout†or “branch.†Therefore, the fact that Jesus was called a Nazarene fulfilled the prediction of the Prophet Isaiah that Christ would be called “a branch†or “the Branch of the Lord†(Isaiah 11:1; 4:2). As it has been often argued, perceived contradictions in the Bible exist only in our heads, never on the sacred pages of God’s divinely inspired and infallible Word.