What is the meaning of Matthew 2:23? And he went “After Herod died, Joseph got up … and went” (Matthew 2:21-22). Matthew shows Joseph’s immediate obedience. • Similar swift obedience is seen in Genesis 12:4, where Abram “went as the LORD had told him.” • Luke 1:38 reflects the same heart in Mary: “May it be to me according to your word.” Obedience is portrayed as the normal response of God’s people when He directs their steps. And lived in a town called Nazareth The family settles in a small, seemingly insignificant village (John 1:46). • Isaiah 11:1 pictures Messiah as a “Branch” (netzer), a shoot from Jesse’s stump—humble beginnings leading to greatness. • Psalm 22:6-8 foreshadows the contempt Messiah would face, something that growing up in Nazareth prepared Him for (see Luke 4:28-29). Choosing Nazareth highlights God’s consistent pattern of exalting what the world overlooks (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophets Matthew links the move to Nazareth with prophetic expectation. He writes “prophets” (plural), signaling a composite theme rather than one isolated verse. • Judges 13:5 and 1 Samuel 1:11 show lifelong consecration vows, pointing to a set-apart Deliverer. • Isaiah 53:2 speaks of Messiah growing up “like a root out of dry ground,” again echoing obscurity and unimpressiveness. The phrase underscores Scripture’s unity: diverse prophetic voices converge in Jesus. He will be called a Nazarene Being labeled “Nazarene” carried stigma (John 7:52), fulfilling anticipations of a despised yet victorious Servant. • Psalm 69:8: “I have become a stranger to my brothers.” • Isaiah 49:7: “The Redeemer of Israel, to the One despised.” Matthew affirms that even the scorn attached to Jesus’ hometown was foreseen, weaving mockery into God’s redemptive plan. summary Matthew 2:23 reveals God directing Joseph to Nazareth, fulfilling a tapestry of prophetic themes. Jesus’ humble residence, the contempt signaled by the title “Nazarene,” and the certainty of Scripture all work together to show that God’s Messiah would rise from obscurity, bear reproach, yet accomplish salvation exactly as foretold. |
    |