The source of this quotation in
the Jewish scriptures is not at all clear, and thus the quotation has been the
occasion for extensive scholarly speculation. It is possible that the citation
intends no one scriptural passage, but rather refers to a group of related
passages. Three explanations for the term Ναζωραιος should be considered: (1) that the name derives from
Nazareth; (2) that the name recalls a Nazirite (נזיר), a person consecrated to
God by a vow (see Num 6:1-21; Judg 13:5-7 [Sampson]; 1 Sam 1:11 [Samuel]); and
(3) that the name recalls the messianic "branch" (נצר) (see Isa
11:1). The second proposal is less likely than the others, as these scriptural
passages seem to have been little used by early Christians. Given the messianic
interest of the citations formulas, the best conclusion is that the quotation
results from an effort to show that Jesus was the messiah by relating נצר to
Nazareth, the known hometown of Jesus.
Matthew’s citation, then, refers
primarily to a messianically understood Isa 11:1, but may also refer to related
passages.
Again it is unlikely that Matthew
is responsible for this citation. His clumsy application of the quotation—in
the context, the grammatical subject of “He shall be called a Nazarene” should
be Joseph!— suggests that he is taking over a source. If Matthew had chosen a
proof-text himself, one would expect that he would have clearly cited the
authoritative scripture from which it came. These considerations lead to the
conclusion that Matthew has drawn on a collection of messianic proof-texts that
had been applied to Jesus, a collection that he considered to be authoritative
scripture. (Martin C. Albl, “And Scripture Cannot be Broken”: The
Form and Function of Early Christian Testimonia Collections [Supplements to
Novum Testamentum 156; Leiden: Brill, 1999], 184-85)
