Meaning of NAZARETH

(possible meaning: "greening, offspring", or "protector, guardian", see below).
City of Galilee (Mt. 2:23) where Joseph and Mary lived (Lk. 2:39).

Jesus was raised there (Lk. 4:16), and there he spent most of his life (cf. Lk. 3:23; Mr. 1:9); This is the reason why he receives the name "Jesus of Nazareth" (Mt. 21:11; Mark 1:24).

His fellow citizens esteemed him (Lk. 2:52; 4:16), yet they twice rejected his ministry (Lk. 4: 28-31; cf. Mt. 4:13; 13: 54-58 ; Mr. 6: 1-6).

Nazareth, which stood on a hill (Lk. 4:29) must have been a small and unimportant town or of recent origin, since it is not mentioned in the OT or the Apocrypha, not even in Josephus.

In our days it is still called “en-Nãsirah”; It is located in an isolated valley in Lower Galilee, slightly north of the great plain of Esdraelon, about 24 km west-southwest of Tiberias and about 140 km from Jerusalem.

From east to west, this small valley measures less than 1.5 km; from north to south only about a quarter of this dimension. To the northwest is a hill rising to around 150 m. above the valley, and some ravines cut its eastern slope.

The current population of Nazareth occupies this slope. The white limestone of the surrounding hills provides the materials for the houses, well located among the fig trees, olive trees and some cypresses.

Further down, in the valley, among the orchards surrounded by fig trees, is the "fountain of the virgin", which provides water to the population. There is no doubt that Jesus' mother went to this fountain to bring the water necessary for her family.

Nazareth is, according to the 1973 census, a city of 18,000 inhabitants, mostly Christian Arabs. There are several places in Nazareth that are considered holy, but the only place identified with certainty is the fountain of the virgin.

The place on the hill from which Jesus' fellow citizens attempted to throw him off a cliff (Lk. 4:29) is probably near the Maronite church. There are two ravines that fall steeply, with a height between 6 and 15 meters.

Regarding the meaning of the name Nazareth, there are many doubts. The Hebrew root "nêser" and the Aramaic "nisrã" would give the meaning of "rod, branch", and this would explain the relationship between Is. 11:1 and Mt. 2:23.

Others propose the Heb root. «nãsar», «keep, protect». Nazareth would then mean "protector, guardian", in the sense of "watchtower".