Notice that the family does not return to Jerusalem. The reason for the move was because the one that was
appointed as head of Judea was Archelaus, the son of Herod the Great. He, as much as it may be hard to
believe, was even worse than his father. He was so bad that he was eventually banished by Rome
altogether.
In order to avoid problems with Archelaus who may have inherited the paranoia of his father, the family
chose to move to Galilee which was outside of his jurisdiction. It was under the jurisdiction of Herod Antipas.
Although Herod Antipas was also the son of Herod the Great, he was very different than Archelaus.
2:22- 23 "... that He should be called a Nazarene"
―(22) But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to
go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee: (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‖.
On a literal level, this would clearly be another ―error‖ on Matthew's part, as no prophet ever made this
prediction. Some scholars explain that Isaiah refers to the Messiah as a ―branch" (netzer) which is word play
on Nazarene (Natzeret). Isaiah 11:1 ―And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a
Branch (netzer) shall grow out of his roots‖, but this connection is very farfetched.
Note: The Hebrew, Aramaic and Syrian versions of Matthew all have the singular "prophet" in verse 23,
whereas the Greek has the plural "prophets‖.
Another category of how the New Covenant quotes the Original Testament is called a ‖summation‖ or
―summary‖. In this verse, the specific quotation in question is, ―He should be called a Nazarene‖. As said, try
as you may, you will not find a single prophecy that states, ―He should be called a Nazarene‖.
Verse 23 uses the plural term ―prophets‖, but there is not even a single one that says this. This category
does not have a direct quotation from the Tanach, but a summary of what the Tanach taught. The clue is
when the word ―prophets‖ is used in the plural here. In the first three categories the word ―prophet‖ is, in most
cases, singular. In the fourth category, it is used in the plural. The author is not quoting but summarising
what the prophets said.
There are two schools of thought concerning Y‘shua‘s lifestyle and looks:
- The first, as per most pictures of Y‘shua where he has a short beard and very long hair and blue eyes.
- The less famous one of which very few students know or would like to know – the Y‘shua that has no
beauty that we should desire him.
Which one is right? Both theories will be given—you decide for yourself.
The good-looking Y‟shua?Let‘s start with the good-looking Y‘shua. References to Y‘shua being a Nazarene relate only to His growing
up and coming from the town of Nazareth and not belonging to the nazir religious group.
In English, the town (Nazareth) and the vow in Numbers (Nazarite) for the nazir religious group seem to be
similar. But in Hebrew they are two totally different words. The town, transliterated, would be: Nats-raht.
While the vow would be: nah-zear.
It becomes very clear then, that what the Gospels are doing is not making Y‘shua out to be the ―vow taker‖
but ―the Branch‖; for the meaning of Nazareth is ―branch‖, a very powerful Messianic title used by a number
of prophets:
―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)
―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)
―Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the
work of my hands, that I may be glorified‖ (Isaiah 60:21)
―Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall
reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth‖. (Jer 23:5)
―In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he
shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land‖ (Jer 33:15)