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Nazareth

Nazareth was a village in Galilee where Jesus grew up, giving rise to His title "Jesus of Nazareth."

Also known as Nazarene · Nazareth,Nazarene

Nazareth was a village in the region of Galilee, located about 15 miles west of the Sea of Galilee. It is best known as the hometown of Jesus Christ (Matt. 2:23; Luke 1:26; 2:39, 51; 4:16). Jesus was often referred to as "Jesus of Nazareth" or "the Nazarene" (Mrk.1.24; 10:47; Luke 18:37; 24:19; Jhn.18.5, 7; 19:19; Act.2.22; 10:38).

Nazareth is not mentioned in the Old Testament or in other ancient literature, suggesting it was a small, relatively insignificant village. The Gospels record that Jesus grew up in Nazareth, preached in its synagogue (Luke 4:16-30), and was initially rejected by its inhabitants (Matt. 13:54-58; Mrk.6.1-6; Luke 4:28-30).

In the first century, Nazareth had a negative reputation, as evidenced by Nathanael's question, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" (Jhn.1.46). However, Jesus' upbringing in Nazareth fulfilled the prophecy that He would be called a Nazarene (Matt. 2:23), a term possibly derived from the Hebrew word "netzer," meaning "branch" or "shoot," and alluding to the Messiah (Isa. 11:1).

Approximate location: 32.707, 35.302 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas

Connections

Jesus and his family at Nazareth

HometownStated in the text

Luke says Mary and Joseph returned to Nazareth after the infancy events, and Mark shows Jesus teaching in his home town among people who knew his mother, brothers and sisters.

JesusSon of JosephMaryMosther of JesusJosephMary's husbandJamesSon of JosephNazarethThe hometown of Jesus in Galilee
Where the text shows it: Luke 2:39 — They returned to Nazareth.Mark 6:1-3 — Hometown synagogue; family named.Luke 4:16 — Jesus comes to Nazareth.

Sources: Luke 2:39 · Mark 6:1-3

Bible dictionary

Nazareth Easton Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897)

Separated, generally supposed to be the Greek form of the Hebrew netser, a “shoot” or “sprout.” Some, however, think that the name of the city must be connected with the name of the hill behind it, from which one of the finest prospects in Palestine is obtained, and accordingly they derive it from the Hebrew notserah, i.e., one guarding or watching, thus designating the hill which overlooks and thus guards an extensive region. This city is not mentioned in the Old Testament. It was the home of Joseph and Mary (Luke 2:39), and here the angel announced to the Virgin the birth of the Messiah (1:26-28). Here Jesus grew up from his infancy to manhood (4:16); and here he began his public ministry in the synagogue (Matt. 13:54), at which the people were so offended that they sought to cast him down from the precipice whereon their city was built (Luke 4:29). Twice they expelled him from their borders (4:16-29; Matt. 13:54-58); and he finally retired from the city, where he did not many mighty works because of their unbelief (Matt. 13:58), and took up his residence in Capernaum. Nazareth is situated among the southern ridges of Lebanon, on the steep slope of a hill, about 14 miles from the Sea of Galilee and about 6 west from Mount Tabor. It is identified with the modern village en-Nazirah, of six or ten thousand inhabitants. It lies “as in a hollow cup” lower down upon the hill than the ancient city. The main road for traffic between Egypt and the interior of Asia passed by Nazareth near the foot of Tabor, and thence northward to Damascus. It is supposed from the words of Nathanael in John 1:46 that the city of Nazareth was held in great disrepute, either because, it is said, the people of Galilee were a rude and less cultivated class, and were largely influenced by the…

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Nazareth Smith Smith’s Bible Dictionary (1863)

(the guarded one) the ordinary residence of our Saviour, is not mentioned in the Old Testament, but occurs first in (Matthew 2:23) It derives its celebrity from its connection with the history of Christ, and in that respect has a hold on the imagination and feelings of men which it shares only with Jerusalem and Bethlehem. It is situated among the hills which constitute the south ridges of Lebanon, just before they sink down into the plain of Esdraelon, (Mr. Merrill, in “Galilee in the Time of Christ” (1881), represents Nazareth in Christ’s time as a city (so always called in the New Testament) of 15,000 to 20,000 inhabitants, of some importance and considerable antiquity, and not so insignificant and mean as has been represented.—ED.) Of the identification of the ancient site there can be no doubt. The name of the present village is en-Nazirah the same, therefore, as of old it is formed on a hill or mountain, (Luke 4:29) it is within the limits of the province of Galilee, (Mark 1:9) it is near Cana, according to the implication in (John 2:1,2,11) a precipice exists in the neighborhood. (Luke 4:29) The modern Nazareth belongs to the better class of eastern villages. It has a population of 3000 or 4000; a few are Mohammadans, the rest Latin and Greek Christians. (Near this town Napoleon once encamped (1799), after the battle of Mount Tabor.) The origin of the disrepute in which Nazareth stood, (John 1:47) is not certainly known. All the inhabitants of Galilee were looked upon with contempt by the people of Judea because they spoke a ruder dialect, were less cultivated and were more exposed by their position to contact with the heathen. But Nazareth labored under a special opprobrium, for it was a Galilean and not a southern Jew who asked the reproachful question whether…

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Nazareth Hitchcock Hitchcock’s Bible Names Dictionary (1869)

separated; crowned; sanctified

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Nazareth Hastings Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible (1898)

NAZ'ARETH (separated.?), a city of Galilee, famous as the home of Jesus during his childhood and youth until he began his public ministry. It was about 14 miles from the Sea of Galilee, 6 miles west of Tabor, and 66 miles north of Jerusalem in a straight line. On the north side of the plain of Esdraelon is a crescent-shaped valley about a mile long and averaging a quarter of a mile wide, but swelling out into a broader basin, completely shut in by a wall of gently rounded hills, some fifteen in number, and from 400 to 500 feet in height. Within this basin, and on the lower slope of these hills, is Nazareth. Although the village itself was shut in by these hills, the view from the summit behind the town is quite extensive, taking in Hermon, Carmel, Gilead, Tabor, Gilboa, and the plain of Esdraelon. It is one of the most beautiful views in the Holy Land. History. - Nazareth is not mentioned in the O.T. nor by any classical author, nor by any writer before the time of Christ. It was for some unknown reason held in disrepute among the Jews of Judaea. John 1:46. It was situated in a mountain, Luke 4:29, within the province of Galilee, Mark 1:9, and near Cana, as John 2:1-2, Rev 1:11 seems to imply. There was a precipice near the town, down which the people proposed to cast Jesus. Luke 4:29. It is mentioned twenty-nine times in the N.T. At Nazareth the angel appeared to Mary; the home of Joseph, Luke 1:26; Luke 2:39, and to that place Joseph and Mary returned after their flight into Egypt. Matt 2:23. The hills and places about the town possess a deep and hallowed interest to the Christian as the home of Jesus during his childhood and youth, until he entered upon his ministry, and had preached in the synagogue, and was rejected by his own townspeople. Even after Capernaum…

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Nazareth Schaff Schaff’s Dictionary of the Bible

NAZ'ARETH (separated.?), a city of Galilee, famous as the home of Jesus during his childhood and youth until he began his public ministry. It was about 14 miles from the Sea of Galilee, 6 miles west of Tabor, and 66 miles north of Jerusalem in a straight line. On the north side of the plain of Esdraelon is a crescent-shaped valley about a mile long and averaging a quarter of a mile wide, but swelling out into a broader basin, completely shut in by a wall of gently rounded hills, some fifteen in number, and from 400 to 500 feet in height. Within this basin, and on the lower slope of these hills, is Nazareth. Although the village itself was shut in by these hills, the view from the summit behind the town is quite extensive, taking in Hermon, Carmel, Gilead, Tabor, Gilboa, and the plain of Esdraelon. It is one of the most beautiful views in the Holy Land. History. - Nazareth is not mentioned in the O.T. nor by any classical author, nor by any writer before the time of Christ. It was for some unknown reason held in disrepute among the Jews of Judaea. John 1:46. It was situated in a mountain, Luke 4:29, within the province of Galilee, Mark 1:9, and near Cana, as John 2:1-2, Rev 1:11 seems to imply. There was a precipice near the town, down which the people proposed to cast Jesus. Luke 4:29. It is mentioned twenty-nine times in the N.T. At Nazareth the angel appeared to Mary; the home of Joseph, Luke 1:26; Luke 2:39, and to that place Joseph and Mary returned after their flight into Egypt. Matt 2:23. The hills and places about the town possess a deep and hallowed interest to the Christian as the home of Jesus during his childhood and youth, until he entered upon his ministry, and had preached in the synagogue, and was rejected by his own townspeople. Even after Capernaum…

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Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.

Where Nazareth appears

30 verses in 5 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s G3478

Matthew4
Mark5
Luke8
John5
Acts8

Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.