set apart to be holy (see Num. 6 for laws concerning such, and the story of Samson in Judg. 13, particularly vv. 5 and 7, and 16:17). Nazareth may also be a subtle allusion to the Hebrew word neṣer, meaning branch, used as a reference to the Messiah in Isaiah 11:1. A third option is the use of the Hebrew verb naṣar, meaning “kept,” as in Isaiah 42:6 and 49:6. Matthew’s intention may well be to emphasize God’s power to raise up the Anointed One from obscurity (cf. Nazareth’s reputation in John 1:46