“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.”
— Matthew 2:23
Through the Bible: Matthew 2
If you’ve ever read Matthew 2 closely, you might have stumbled over that last verse. Matthew says Jesus settling in Nazareth was to fulfill prophecy: “He shall be called a Nazarene.” Pretty straightforward, right? And if you grew up singing hymns, you’ve probably sung “I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene” countless times.
There’s just one problem: you can’t find these words “He shall be called a Nazarene” anywhere in the Old Testament.
Not the Hebrew Bible, not the Septuagint (LXX), not the Apocrypha, not the Pseudepigrapha, not the Syriac traditions, not Qumran/Dead Sea Scrolls. It simply isn’t there as a quotation.
So what’s Matthew doing here? Is this a mistake? Did he misquote his Bible? Or is there something deeper? Let’s look at four possibilities scholars point to:
1. It’s Wordplay
The Hebrew word netzer means “branch.” Isaiah 11:1 says, “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch (netzer) from his roots shall bear fruit.” Some think Matthew is using a wordplay—Nazareth sounds like netzer, so calling Jesus a “Nazarene” ties him to the Branch prophecy of Isaiah. In other words, the Messiah comes from a place that itself points to the Branch.
Grade A-: This is probably the most popular view among conservative and evangelical scholars. It has the advantage of a clear messianic prophecy (Isa 11:1) and explains why Matthew could call it a fulfillment. But critics admit the wordplay is a stretch — “Nazareth” isn’t spelled quite the same way as netzer — so it may feel forced.
2. The “Despised” Identity
Another possibility: Matthew isn’t quoting a single prophet, but summarizing a theme. Many prophets describe the Messiah as one who would be despised and rejected (see Psalm 22; Isaiah 53:3). In the first century, Nazareth was a no-name backwater town. Remember Nathaniel’s words in John 1:46: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” To be called a Nazarene was practically an insult. So Matthew may be saying: “Look, the prophets told us Messiah would be despised—well, growing up in Nazareth guaranteed that.”
Grade B: This theory is widely respected across traditions. It makes sense of Matthew’s use of “prophets” (plural), since multiple prophets speak of Messiah’s rejection. It also fits the cultural reputation of Nazareth (“Can anything good come from Nazareth?” John 1:46). The weakness: it’s not a direct prophecy, but more of a thematic echo.
3. “The Prophets” Plural
Notice Matthew’s wording: “what was spoken by the prophets” (plural). When he quotes a single prophet, he names him (see Matthew 2:17—“spoken by the prophet Jeremiah”). But here he doesn’t. This suggests he isn’t citing one verse but gathering threads from across the prophets to show how Jesus fulfills the big picture: Messiah as Branch, Messiah as despised, Messiah from obscurity.
Grade: A This is the majority position in critical scholarship. Many modern commentators argue that Matthew often uses Scripture creatively, and here he blends several streams — Branch prophecy + rejection motif + obscurity. The downside: it feels less like “prophecy fulfillment” in the strict sense and more like theological paraphrase.
4. A Lost Source
Some interpreters suggest Matthew might be quoting from a prophetic text or oral tradition that has since been lost. The early church father Origen leaned this way, noting that the line “He shall be called a Nazarene” doesn’t exist in the Hebrew Bible or the Septuagint. Could Matthew have access to a prophetic book or scroll we no longer have?
Grade: C A handful of modern scholars still float this possibility, but most dismiss it for lack of evidence. No surviving apocryphal or intertestamental text contains this exact phrase. It’s possible, of course, that such a prophecy once existed, but given Matthew’s tendency elsewhere to weave together multiple texts, the “lost source” theory is usually seen as the weakest explanation.
God’s Word For Us
Whether it’s the Branch wordplay, the despised identity, or the summary of prophetic themes, Matthew is showing us the same truth: Jesus is the true Messiah. Even the “accident” of growing up in Nazareth was no accident at all. God was weaving His story so that His Son would be the fulfillment of all the prophets.
And maybe this is an encouragement for us, too: even the small-town obscurities of our lives, the places we’d rather not be from, the stories we think are beneath us—God can use them to fulfill His purposes. Jesus wore Nazareth like a badge of shame, and in so doing turned shame into glory.
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