Matthew 2:23 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."

◄ Matthew 2:23 ►

New International Version
and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.

New Living Translation
So the family went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what the prophets had said: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

English Standard Version
And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.

Berean Standard Bible
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.”

Berean Literal Bible
And having come, he dwelt in a city being called Nazareth, so that it should be fulfilled that having been spoken through the prophets, that "He will be called a Nazarene."

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
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.”

New American Standard Bible
and came and settled in a city called Nazareth. This happened so that what was spoken through the prophets would be fulfilled: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

NASB 1995
and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

NASB 1977
and came and resided in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

Legacy Standard Bible
and came and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken through the prophets would be fulfilled: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

Amplified Bible
and went and settled in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

Christian Standard Bible
Then he went and settled in a town called Nazareth to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then he went and settled in a town called Nazareth to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets, that He will be called a Nazarene.

American Standard Version
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.

Contemporary English Version
and they went to live there in the town of Nazareth. So the Lord's promise came true, just as the prophet had said, "He will be called a Nazarene."

English Revised Version
and came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, that he should be called a Nazarene.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
and made his home in a city called Nazareth. So what the prophets had said came true: "He will be called a Nazarene."

Good News Translation
and made his home in a town named Nazareth. And so what the prophets had said came true: "He will be called a Nazarene."

International Standard Version
and settled in a town called Nazareth in order to fulfill what was said by the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene."

Majority Standard Bible
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.”

NET Bible
He came to a town called Nazareth and lived there. Then what had been spoken by the prophets was fulfilled, that Jesus would be called a Nazarene.

New Heart English Bible
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 Nazorean.

Webster's Bible Translation
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.

Weymouth New Testament
and went and settled in a town called Nazareth, in order that these words spoken through the Prophets might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazarene."

World English Bible
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.

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
and coming, he dwelt in a city named Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled that was spoken through the Prophets, that “He will be called a Nazarene.”

Berean Literal Bible
And having come, he dwelt in a city being called Nazareth, so that it should be fulfilled that having been spoken through the prophets, that "He will be called a Nazarene."

Young's Literal Translation
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.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And having come, he dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be completed spoken by the prophets, That he shall be called a Nazarite.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
And coming he dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was said by prophets: That he shall be called a Nazarene.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And arriving, he lived in a city which is called Nazareth, in order to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “For he shall be called a Nazarene.”

New American Bible
He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He shall be called a Nazorean.”

New Revised Standard Version
There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazorean.”

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, so that what was said by the prophet, might be fulfilled, He shall be called a Nazarene.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And he came to dwell in a city that is called Nazareth, so that the thing would be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophet, “He shall be called The Nazarene.”

NT Translations

Anderson New Testament
and came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that the word might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets: He shall be called a Nazarene.

Godbey New Testament
And having come, he went down into the city called Nazareth, in order that the words spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that He shall be called a Nazarene.

Haweis New Testament
and came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that what was said by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he shall be called a Nazarean.

Mace New Testament
and went to dwell in a town called Nazareth, so that those words of one of the prophets were fulfill'd, "He shall be called a Nazarene."

Weymouth New Testament
and went and settled in a town called Nazareth, in order that these words spoken through the Prophets might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazarene."

Worrell New Testament
and, coming, he dwelt in a city called Nazareth; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets, "A Nazarene shall He be called."

Worsley New Testament
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.

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

The Return to Nazareth
…22But when he learned that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

Isaiah 11:1
Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.

Judges 13:5
For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall touch his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”

Isaiah 53:3
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.

John 1:45-46
Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law, the One the prophets foretold—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” / “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.

Luke 2:39
When Jesus’ parents had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.

Acts 24:5
We have found this man to be a pestilence, stirring up dissension among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes,

Isaiah 9:1-2
Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those in distress. In the past He humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future He will honor the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations: / The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.

Jeremiah 23:5
Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land.

Zechariah 3:8
Hear now, O high priest Joshua, you and your companions seated before you, who are indeed a sign. For behold, I am going to bring My servant, the Branch.

Hosea 11:1
When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son.

Micah 5:2
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel—One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity.

John 7:41-42
Others declared, “This is the Christ.” But still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee? / Doesn’t the Scripture say that the Christ will come from the line of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?”

John 7:52
“Aren’t you also from Galilee?” they replied. “Look into it, and you will see that no prophet comes out of Galilee.”

Matthew 21:11
The crowds replied, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Mark 1:24
“What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”

Treasury of Scripture

And he came and dwelled in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

Nazareth.

John 18:5,7
They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them…

John 19:19
And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Acts 2:22
Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:

He shall.

Matthew 26:71
And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth.

Numbers 6:13
And this is the law of the Nazarite, when the days of his separation are fulfilled: he shall be brought unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation:

Judges 13:5
For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no rasor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

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Matthew 2

1. The wise men from the east enquire after Jesus;
3. at which Herod is alarmed.
9. They are directed by a star to Bethlehem, worship him, and offer their presents.
13. Joseph flees into Egypt with Jesus and his mother.
16. Herod slays the children;
20. himself dies.
23. Jesus is brought back again into Galilee to Nazareth.

Berean Study Bible

And he went and lived
This phrase indicates a deliberate action taken by Joseph, under divine guidance, to settle in a specific location. The Greek word for "went" (ἀναχωρέω, anachōreō) often implies a withdrawal or retreat, suggesting a purposeful move to a place of safety. This reflects Joseph's obedience to God's direction, emphasizing the importance of following divine guidance in our lives.

in a town called Nazareth
Nazareth was a small, seemingly insignificant town in Galilee. The name "Nazareth" is believed to be derived from the Hebrew word "netzer," meaning "branch" or "shoot." This is significant because it connects to the Messianic prophecy in Isaiah 11:1, which speaks of a "Branch" from the line of Jesse. The choice of Nazareth highlights God's tendency to use humble beginnings to fulfill His grand purposes, reminding us that God often works through the ordinary and overlooked.

So was fulfilled
This phrase underscores the theme of fulfillment of prophecy, a recurring motif in Matthew's Gospel. The Greek word "πληρόω" (plēroō) means to complete or bring to full measure. Matthew frequently uses this term to demonstrate that Jesus' life and ministry were the culmination of Old Testament prophecies, affirming the divine plan and continuity of Scripture.

what was spoken through the prophets
The plural "prophets" suggests a collective testimony rather than a single prophecy. While there is no direct Old Testament quote that states "He will be called a Nazarene," this phrase likely refers to the general theme of the Messiah being despised and rejected, as Nazareth was a town of low reputation. This highlights the prophetic nature of Jesus' humble and misunderstood life, fulfilling the broader scriptural narrative of the suffering servant.

'He will be called a Nazarene.'
This statement encapsulates the essence of Jesus' identity and mission. Being called a "Nazarene" was often a term of derision, as seen in John 1:46, where Nathanael asks, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" This reflects the prophecy of Isaiah 53:3, where the Messiah is described as "despised and rejected by men." Jesus' association with Nazareth symbolizes His identification with the lowly and outcast, fulfilling His role as the Savior who came to serve and redeem the marginalized. This serves as an inspiration for believers to embrace humility and recognize the value in what the world may deem insignificant.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(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. . . .

Pulpit Commentary

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; ὅτι κληθήσεται; 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 ῤηθέν κ.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 τῶν προφητῶν) 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

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

he went
ἐλθὼν (elthōn)
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2064: To come, go.

[and] lived
κατῴκησεν (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.

in
εἰς (eis)
Preposition
Strong's 1519: A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases.

a town
πόλιν (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.

called
λεγομένην (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.

So
ὅπως (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 fulfilled
πληρωθῇ (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.

what
τὸ (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 spoken
ῥηθὲν (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.

through
διὰ (dia)
Preposition
Strong's 1223: A primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through.

the
τῶν (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 called
κληθήσεται (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.

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NT Gospels: Matthew 2:23 And came and lived in a city (Matt. Mat Mt)