Nazareth (/ˈnæzərəθ/; Hebrew: נָצְרַת, Naṣrat; Aramaic: ܢܨܪܬ, Naṣrath; Arabic: النَّاصِرَة, an-Nāṣira) is the capital and the largest city in the Northern District of Israel. Nazareth is known as “the Arab capital of Israel”. In 2014 its population was 74,619. The inhabitants are predominantly Arabs, of whom 69% are Muslim and 30.9% Christian. Nazareth Illit (lit. “Upper Nazareth”) is built alongside old Nazareth, and had a Jewish population of 40,312 in 2014. The Jewish sector was declared a separate city in June 1974.
In the New Testament, the city is described as the childhood home of Jesus, and as such is a center of Christian pilgrimage, with many shrines commemorating biblical events.
One conjecture holds that “Nazareth” is derived from one of the Hebrew words for ‘branch’, namely ne·ṣer, נֵ֫צֶר, and alludes to the prophetic, messianic words in Book of Isaiah 11:1, ‘from (Jesse’s) roots a Branch (netzer) will bear fruit’. One view suggests this toponym might be an example of a tribal name used by resettling groups on their return from exile. Alternatively, the name may derive from the verb na·ṣar, נָצַר, “watch, guard, keep,” and understood either in the sense of “watchtower” or “guard place,” implying the early town was perched on or near the brow of the hill, or, in the passive sense as ‘preserved, protected’ in reference to its secluded position. The negative references to Nazareth in the Gospel of John suggest that ancient Jews did not connect the town’s name to prophecy.
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Author: Wikipedia
Keywords: Nazareth, Nazarene
Bible reference(s): Mat 2:23, Mat 4:13, Mat 21:11, Mat 26:71, Mar 1:9, Mar 1:24, Mar 10:47, Mar 14:67, Mar 16:6, Luk 1:26, Luk 2:4, Luk 2:39, Luk 2:51, Luk 4:16, Luk 4:34, Luk 18:37, Luk 24:19, Joh 1:45, Joh 1:46, Joh 18:5, Joh 18:7, Joh 19:19, Act 2:22, Act 3:6, Act 4:10, Act 6:14, Act 10:38, Act 22:8, Act 26:9
Source: This article uses material from the Wikipedia article “Nazareth,” which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.
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