Naz·a·reth /ˈnæzərəθ/
 拿撒勒


 Nazareth
      n : a historic town in northern Israel that is mentioned in the
          Gospels as the home of Joseph and Mary


 Nazareth
    separated, generally supposed to be the Greek form of the Hebrew
    _netser_, a "shoot" or "sprout." Some, however, think that the
    name of the city must be connected with the name of the hill
    behind it, from which one of the finest prospects in Palestine
    is obtained, and accordingly they derive it from the Hebrew
    _notserah_, i.e., one guarding or watching, thus designating the
    hill which overlooks and thus guards an extensive region.

      This city is not mentioned in the Old Testament. It was the
    home of Joseph and Mary (Luke 2:39), and here the angel
    announced to the Virgin the birth of the Messiah (1:26-28). Here
    Jesus grew up from his infancy to manhood (4:16); and here he
    began his public ministry in the synagogue (Matt. 13:54), at
    which the people were so offended that they sought to cast him
    down from the precipice whereon their city was built (Luke
    4:29). Twice they expelled him from their borders (4:16-29;
    Matt. 13:54-58); and he finally retired from the city, where he
    did not many mighty works because of their unbelief (Matt.
    13:58), and took up his residence in Capernaum.

      Nazareth is situated among the southern ridges of Lebanon, on
    the steep slope of a hill, about 14 miles from the Sea of
    Galilee and about 6 west from Mount Tabor. It is identified with
    the modern village en-Nazirah, of six or ten thousand
    inhabitants. It lies "as in a hollow cup" lower down upon the
    hill than the ancient city. The main road for traffic between
    Egypt and the interior of Asia passed by Nazareth near the foot
    of Tabor, and thence northward to Damascus.

      It is supposed from the words of Nathanael in John 1:46 that
    the city of Nazareth was held in great disrepute, either
    because, it is said, the people of Galilee were a rude and less
    cultivated class, and were largely influenced by the Gentiles
    who mingled with them, or because of their lower type of moral
    and religious character. But there seems to be no sufficient
    reason for these suppositions. The Jews believed that, according
    to Micah 5:2, the birth of the Messiah would take place at
    Bethlehem, and nowhere else. Nathanael held the same opinion as
    his countrymen, and believed that the great "good" which they
    were all expecting could not come from Nazareth. This is
    probably what Nathanael meant. Moreover, there does not seem to
    be any evidence that the inhabitants of Galilee were in any
    respect inferior, or that a Galilean was held in contempt, in
    the time of our Lord. (See Dr. Merrill's Galilee in the Time of
    Christ.)

      The population of this city (now about 10,000) in the time of
    Christ probably amounted to 15,000 or 20,000 souls.

      "The so-called 'Holy House' is a cave under the Latin church,
    which appears to have been originally a tank. The 'brow of the
    hill', site of the attempted precipitation, is probably the
    northern cliff: the traditional site has been shown since the
    middle ages at some distance to the south. None of the
    traditional sites are traceable very early, and they have no
    authority. The name Nazareth perhaps means 'a watch tower' (now
    en-Nasrah), but is connected in the New Testament with Netzer,
    'a branch' (Isa. 4:2; Jer. 23:5; Zech. 3:8; 6:12; Matt. 2:23),
    Nazarene being quite a different word from Nazarite."



 Nazareth, separated; crowned; sanctified