Quoting the Meaning—Not the Exact Wording
Matthew 2:23 (NKJV)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.”
We have been introduced to a principle of understanding and applying Bible prophecy.
God, through Matthew’s Gospel, is teaching us to look for the meaning of a passage and not get hung up on the exact wording.
- Now, I admit that can get complicated.
- But it is, I believe, the only rational way to understand how Matthew could “without error” quote that phrase as prophecy when it isn’t found explicitly in the Bible.
- This is important because we need to understand what the Lord said will happen.
Matthew 16:2-3 NKJV He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; [3] and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.
- You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.
- Natural vs Spiritual
- Nothing wrong with KJV, but when that becomes a source of pride, or other translations becomes a source of rebellion, it is dangerous
- Seek the truth, and His Kindom
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 NKJV But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. [2] For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. [3] For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. [4] But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. [5] You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. [6] Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. [7] For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. [8] But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. [9] For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, [10] who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. [11] Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.
The resolution is found in searching out the Hebrew root word of Nazarene, netser (Strong’s H5342), meaning “branch.”
- And to make it even more complex, there is more than one word for “branch” in Hebrew.
You also have several synonyms for netser.
- One is tsemach (Strong’s H6780), meaning a sprout, a shoot, or a branch,
- another is choter (Strong’s H2415), meaning branch, twig, or rod.
- There is also, yowneq (Strong’s H3126), meaning a sucker or sapling (of a tree felled and sprouting), and
- sheresh (Strong’s H8328), meaning the root of a tree or vine (a branch in the ground).
Altogether, there are plenty of messianic associations connected with these images of a branch or young shoot.
- Notice how the image of a branch is tied to messianic hopes in these verses.
Isaiah 4:2 (NKJV) In that day the Branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious;
And the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing
For those of Israel who have escaped.
- In that day the Branch (tsemach) of the Lord
Jeremiah 23:5 (NKJV) “Behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD,
“That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness;
A King shall reign and prosper,
And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
- I will raise up for David a righteous Branch (tsemach),
Zechariah 3:8–9 (NKJV) ‘Hear, O Joshua, the high priest,
You and your companions who sit before you,
For they are a wondrous sign;
For behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH.
9 For behold, the stone
That I have laid before Joshua:
Upon the stone are seven eyes.
Behold, I will engrave its inscription,’
Says the LORD of hosts,
‘And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
- I am going to bring my servant, the Branch (tsemach).
Zechariah 6:12–13 (NKJV) Then speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, saying:
“Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH!
From His place He shall branch out,
And He shall build the temple of the LORD;
13 Yes, He shall build the temple of the LORD.
He shall bear the glory,
And shall sit and rule on His throne;
So He shall be a priest on His throne,
And the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” ’
- Here is the man whose name is the Branch (tsemach),
Isaiah 60:21 (NKJV) Also your people shall all be righteous;
They shall inherit the land forever,
The branch of My planting,
The work of My hands,
That I may be glorified.
- They are the shoot (netser) I have planted,
The image of the branch is also seen in the image of a young or tender shoot (yowneq), and Isaiah continues to connect the idea of a branch with messianic expectations.
- We see both the promise of the conquering king in Isaiah 11, and the suffering servant in Isaiah 53.
- Both passages also connect the picture with roots (sheresh), as from a stump in the ground that may appear dead but is very much alive.
Isaiah 11:1–5 (NKJV) The Reign of Jesse’s Offspring
11 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,
And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
3 His delight is in the fear of the LORD,
And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,
Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor,
And decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins,
And faithfulness the belt of His waist.
- A shoot (choter) will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots (sheresh) a Branch (netser) will bear fruit.
Isaiah 53:2 (NKJV) For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
And as a root out of dry ground.
He has no form or comeliness;
And when we see Him,
There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
- He grew up before him like a tender shoot (yowneq), and like a root (sheresh) out of dry ground.
The vision of the Branch, in a messianic sense with its association with Judah (the tribe of David) and a future judgment, is even seen cryptically in the blessing of Jacob (Israel) on his son, Judah (Genesis 49). In this blessing, we see a combination of messianic prophecies.
Genesis 49:10–11 (NKJV) The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
Until Shiloh comes;
And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
11 Binding his donkey to the vine,
And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine,
He washed his garments in wine,
And his clothes in the blood of grapes.
- his colt/donkey to the choice vine (soreq);
First, there is the promise that the line of Judah would be kings— and that the land of Judah would be the place of the kings’ rule.
Furthermore, before that rule fails, the one who will someday rule the nations will come.
This created the expectation that the Messiah would appear before the end of Jewish rule over Judah, which was fulfilled by the birth of Jesus Christ before the end of the Herodian dynasty.
The promise of the Messiah king is connected visually with a donkey and colt (Zechariah 9:9) and the “choicest branch” soreq (Strong’s H8321), which means the strong branch of a choice grapevine. It is another synonym for netser.
Zechariah 9:9 NKJV “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.
And lastly, the vision relates to divine judgment at the end of the age with the reference to washing his garments in wine; “his robes in the blood of grapes.” In this one passage we have a vision of both Christ’s first advent and his promised return.
Now considering all these prophetic images together, it is much easier to see how Matthew can affirm that the prophets declared; “He shall be called a Nazarene”—even though there is no precise quote for this in the Old Testament.
In that sense, the name Nazarene would mean a man of the branch, as well as a man from the town of Nazareth (the place of the branch).
Some may see this as a stretch; but it is essential to see these kinds of connections if one truly wants to not only understand prophetic fulfillments in the past but also in the present.
And specifically, to recognize that God uses synonyms interchangeably.
Proverbs 26:4-5 NKJV Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Lest you also be like him. [5] Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own eyes.
Thus, it doesn’t even have to be the same word if it means the same thing, which brings us to the next principle for interpreting prophecy.
Prophecy Isn’t Easy, But It Is Reliable
Jesus and The Disciples Interpreted Prophecy emphasizing the importance of interpreting the meaning of passages rather than focusing on exact wording.
This approach can be complex, as illustrated by the analysis of the term “Nazarene” and its Hebrew roots, which connect to various words for “branch” and messianic imagery
- Quoting the Meaning—Not the Exact Wording
- Messianic Associations
- Similar Images or Ideas Are Generally Related
- The “Son of Man” Image
- Stopping in the Middle of a Sentence
- Prophecies from Different Prophets May be Combined
- One Prophecy May be Embedded in Another
- Prophecies May Have Multiple Fulfillments Over Time
- Multiple Fulfillments in Different Ways
- Prophecies Should Generally be Understood to be Literal
- True Prophetic Insights Should Have Multiple Witnesses
We naturally want prophetic interpretations to be easy, cut-and-dried, undeniable, and unmistakable. But when we examine the prophetic fulfillments that are certified in the New Testament, we see that it isn’t always so simple.
I’m trying to shake off a rigid and legalistic view of prophecy—one that presumes that literal fulfillments must occur in exactly the way they are imagined, with perfect neat precision, however one defines that.
We must trust prophecy as something “completely reliable”
2 Peter 1:19 (NKJV) And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;
Conclusion
The prophetic fulfillment encourages readers to trust in the reliability of God’s prophetic word.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 (LSV) for this reason, comfort one another, and build up one another, as also you do.