[Footnote 1: Their testimony is collected by _Seb. Edzardi_ in the treatise: _Cap. xi. Esaiae Christo vindicatum adversus Grotium et sectatores ejus, imprimos Herm. v. d. Hardt._ Hamburg 1696.] [Footnote 2: "The madness of the Jews is indeed to be lamented who refer this prophecy to Zerubbabel."] [Footnote 3: Although _Umbreit_ denies it, yet this is implied in the designation of the Messiah as a shoot from the roots. Moreover, the lowliness of the Messiah himself at His appearance is a necessary consequence of the lowliness of His family; and it is a bad middle course to acknowledge the latter and deny the former. To this may, moreover, be added the parallel passage Is. liii. 2.] [Pg 106] ON MATTHEW II. 23. Καὶ ἐλθὼν κατῴκησεν εἰς πόλιν λεγομένην Ναζαρέτ• ὅπως πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν διὰ τῶν προφητῶν, ὅτι Ναζωραῖος κληθήσεται. We here premise an investigation as regards the name of the town of Nazareth. Since that name occurs in the New Testament only, different views might arise as to its orthography and etymology. One view is this: The name was properly and originally נצר. Being the name of a town, it received, in Aramean, in addition, the feminine termination א. And, finally, on account of the original appellative signification of the word, a ת, the designation of the _status emphaticus_ of feminine nouns in א, was sometimes added. We have an analogous case in the name _Dalmanutha_, the same place which, with the Talmudist, is called צַלְמוֹן. Compare _Lightfoot decas chorog. Marc. praem., opp._ II., p. 411 sqq. So it is likewise probably that γαββαθὰ, גַבְתָא is formed from the masculine גַב, _dorsum_. Our view is that the original name was _Nezer_, that this form of the name was in use along with that which received a ת added, and that this ת served for the designation of the _status emphaticus_ only; or also, if we wish to take our stand upon the Hebrew form, was a mere hardening of the ה Femin. (either of which suppositions is equally suitable for our purpose); and this our view we prove by the following arguments: 1. The testimonies of the Jews. _David de Pomis_ (in _De Dieu_, _critic. sacr._ on M. II. 23) says: נצרי מי שנולד בעיר נֵצָר הגליל רחוק מירושלים דרך שלשת ימים "A Nazarene is he who is born in the town of _Nezer_, in Galilee, three days' journey from Jerusalem." In the Talmud, in _Breshith Rabba_, and in _Jalkut Shimeoni_ on Daniel, the contemptuous name of _Ben Nezer_, _i.e._, the Nazarene, is given to Christ; compare the passages in _Buxtorf_, _lex. c._ 1383; in _Lightfoot_, _disquis. chorog. Johan. praem. opp._ II., 578 sqq.; _Eisenmenger_, I., p. 3139. It is true, _Gieseler_ (on Matth. ii. 23, and in the _Studien u. Kritiken_, 1831, III. S. 591) has tried to give a different interpretation to this appellation. He is of opinion that this appellation has reference to Is. xi. 1; that it had come to the Jews from the Christians, who called [Pg 107] their Messiah