In what verse was it prophesied that Jesus would be called a Nazarene?

Answer 1

Many scholars believe that Isaiah 11:1 is the source of this prophesy.

According to Matthew Henry's Bible Commentary:

To be called a Nazarene, was to be called a despicable man, a man from whom no good was to be expected, and to whom no respect was to be paid. The devil first fastened this name upon Christ, to render him mean, and prejudice people against him, and it stuck as a nickname to him and his followers. Now this was not particularly foretold by any one prophet, but, in general, it was spoken by the prophets, that he should be despised and rejected of men (Isa_53:2, Isa_53:3), a Worm, and no man (Psa_22:6, Psa_22:7), that he should be an Alien to his brethren Psa_69:7, Psa_69:8. Let no name of reproach for religion's sake seem hard to us, when our Master was himself called a Nazarene.

The point is that Jesus was to appear with absolutely no advantage whatsoever. Even the place of his childhood residence would cause the people to despise and reject him.

ANSWER

It comes from Isaiah 11:1 in the original HEBREW scriptures known as the 'Tanakh' . See the following quote.

Jerome says that Isa 11:1 is the Old Testament prophecy: "Once more it is written in the pages of the same evangelist, "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." Let these word fanciers and nice critics of all composition tell us where they have read the words; and if they cannot, let me tell them that they are in Isaiah. For in the place where we read and translate, "There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots," in the Hebrew idiom it is written thus, "There shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse and a Nazarene shall grow from his root." " (Jerome, Letter 47:7)

[end quote]

[Quote From Article "Extra-Biblical Oral Tradition Arguments Refuted:

Refutation of the false Catholic & Orthodox tradition argument

Point (3) @ "The Interactive Bible" ]

Answer 2

Matthew's Gospel explains (Matthew 2:23) that after the flight to Egypt, the young family did not return to their former home in Bethlehem but instead turned aside and travelled to Galilee, where they settled in Nazareth, thereby fulfilling a prophecy that Jesus be called a Nazarene: "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."
Scholars have long noted that there is no prophecy anywhere in the Old Testament that could associate Jesus with being called a Nazarene. With further research on the history of the gospels, we now know that Matthew was largely based on Mark's Gospel. Mark, in the original Greek, does not refer to 'Jesus of Nazareth' (as he is described in the later gospels) , but frequently refers to him as a 'Nazarene' (Ναζαρηνοῦ - although most English translations change this to 'of Nazareth' in line with the other gospels). So, when the author of Matthew wrote of prophets having called Jesus a Nazarene, his source was Mark's Gospel.

Answer 3

Matthew 2:23 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.