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Ναζαρέθ

Nazaréth

G3478 noun

SILEX Entry

Root uncertain to designate a place, to denote a geographic location

Definition

Nazareth; a village or small settlement in the lower Galilee region. The word functions primarily as a place-name and does not carry inherent lexical or symbolic meaning beyond its referent. In the New Testament, most commonly denotes the hometown of Jesus.

Semantic Range

Nazareth (village in Galilee), hometown of Jesus, geographic toponym

Root / Etymology

Uncertain. The Greek Ναζαρέθ is a transliteration of a Semitic (likely Hebrew or Aramaic) place name, presumed to correspond to Hebrew נָצְרַת (Natzrat). There is no agreed-upon consensus regarding the ultimate etymology; proposals link it to terms for 'branch' (נֵצֶר) or 'watchtower' (נָצַר) but these are speculative.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In Hellenistic and Roman-period sources, Ναζαρέθ refers strictly to the Galilean village—a peripheral settlement in Lower Galilee, not attested in earlier classical or biblical Hebrew sources or the Septuagint outside the New Testament corpus. It appears in all four canonical Gospels and Acts, nearly always as the locale associated with Jesus' upbringing (e.g., 'Jesus of Nazareth'). The toponym carries no intrinsic religious or symbolic significance in Greek usage of the time, but it became important in Christian tradition. English renderings almost always use 'Nazareth,' following the Greek, but the original audience would have viewed it simply as a humble, somewhat obscure village. Distinct from similar-sounding terms such as Ναζωραῖος (Nazoraios), which itself became a label for people identified with Nazareth, and carries some ambiguity in usage and later reception. There is no evidence that the Greek name Ναζαρέθ was used more broadly for any persons, groups, or symbolic concepts in the Koine period.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of uncertain derivation; Nazareth or Nazaret, a place in Palestine:--Nazareth.

Root Family

Ναζαρέθ (Nazaréth) — Nazareth, geographic place-name, village in Galilee

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
G3478-02 Ναζαρέτ nazaret N ACC F SG Nazareth Nazareth 7
G3478-03 Ναζαρὲθ nazareth N GEN F SG Nazareth of Nazareth 3
G3478-01 Ναζαρὰ nazara N ACC F SG Nazareth Nazareth 2

Occurrences in Scripture

12 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
G3478-02 Matthew 2:23 Ναζαρέτ nazaret N ACC F SG Nazareth Nazareth
G3478-01 Matthew 4:13 Ναζαρὰ nazara N ACC F SG Nazareth
G3478-03 Matthew 21:11 Ναζαρὲθ nazareth N GEN F SG of Nazareth
G3478-02 Mark 1:9 Ναζαρὲτ nazaret N GEN F SG Nazareth Nazareth
G3478-02 Luke 1:26 Ναζαρὲτ nazaret N NOM F SG Nazareth Nazareth
G3478-03 Luke 2:4 Ναζαρὲθ nazareth N GEN F SG of Nazareth of Nazareth
G3478-02 Luke 2:39 Ναζαρέτ nazaret N ACC F SG Nazareth Nazareth
G3478-02 Luke 2:51 Ναζαρὲτ nazaret N ACC F SG Nazareth Nazareth
G3478-01 Luke 4:16 Ναζαρά nazara N ACC F SG Nazareth Nazareth
G3478-02 John 1:45 Ναζαρέτ nazaret N GEN F SG Nazareth Nazareth
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