נָצְרַת

Updated: 2013.09.23

Lower Gâ•lilꞋ and עֵמֶק יִזְרְעֶאל showing נָצְרַת and הַר מְגִדּוֹ ("Armageddon").

Nâ•tzᵊr•atꞋ; Hellenized (i.e. Christianized) in LXX to Ναζαρεθ.

נָצְרַת, deriving from the verb נָצַר, is the combinative form of an unused noun, נָצְרָה, which would mean "a protective sentry guard" – a cognate of נֵצֶר. Thus, …-נָצְרַת means "a protective sentry guard of…"

Much has been overlooked about נָצְרַת because the only ones with the necessary security perspective are Israeli Jews, the essentials never occurred to goy•imꞋ researchers, and Israeli Jews have been little interested in the mainly Christian discussion of נָצְרַת. The meaning of the name, probably a "frontier town" nickname that stuck in place of its original name, נָצְרַת, becomes obvious upon looking at a map (especially a topographical map), relative to הַר מְגִדּוֹ.

Topographical Bottleneck

דֶרֶך הַיָּם

Opposite נָצְרַת, to the south across עֵמֶק יִזְרְעֶאל, is the water-supplied spear-point of defense forces repelling invaders coming from the north via דֶרֶך הַיָּם, or via any major trade route or valley corridor in the area, controlling the corridor through which invaders from Lebanon or Syria would have to pass into Yi•sᵊrâ•eilꞋ: הַר מְגִדּוֹ – "Armageddon" – commanding the nexus, battlefield arena, of עֵמֶק יִזְרְעֶאל, an expansive internal valley that is more like a large inland strip or plain running southeast from Haifa to the Jordan Valley.

Being nestled in a hollow on the north side of עֵמֶק יִזְרְעֶאל, surrounded by observation peaks affording commanding views in all directions, נָצְרַת was a forward observation post "frontier town."

Forward Observation Panorama

4 Points of the Compass

נָצְרַת North View to the North: Beit Netofa Valley (imgur.com)

נָצְרַת West View to the West: Carmel Mountains, Mediterranean Sea נָצְרַת East View to the East: Har Tâ•vorꞋ

נָצְרַת South View to the South: עֵמֶק יִזְרְעֶאל (veredgo.com). Across the plain is Har MᵊgidꞋo – "Armageddon"

נָצְרַת is situated on the southeast slope of a basin, surrounded by protective limestone hills. A rocky gorge, between two craggy hills on the south, gradually descends from the elevated plateau, 460 m. (1500 ft.) above sea level, opening out into עֵמֶק יִזְרְעֶאל, ‭ ‬ 305 m. (1000 ft.) below.

Directly across עֵמֶק יִזְרְעֶאל from הַר מְגִדּוֹ, the forward sentry village of נָצְרַת served as a literal נָצְרַת הַדֶרֶך. When נָצְרַת sentries spotted invaders coming from the north, a signal fire (and resisting force) would provide several hours warning to הַר מְגִדּוֹ, immediately across the plain, to muster troops and prepare for battle before invaders could reach הַר מְגִדּוֹ; even longer before invading troops could populate an effective battle formation to attack הַר מְגִדּוֹ.

Summiting the hill 150 m. (500 ft.) above the town offers a commanding panorama – "You can see thirty miles in three directions" (Smith, Hist. Geog., p. 432). From these surrounding summits, sentries can monitor all of the invasion routes coming from the north. One could see the plateaus of Zᵊvul•unꞋ and Na•phᵊtâlꞋiy, and the mountains of Lᵊvân•onꞋ, with the snow-covered Khërᵊm•onꞋ towering above them all.

To the west, on a crisp-cool, clear (mid-spring or mid-autumn) day, one can see the coast of Tyre, the blue waters of ha-Yâm ha-Tikh•onꞋ and Har Ka•rᵊm•ël, the historic scene of the struggle of Eil•i•yâhꞋu with the prophets of BaꞋal.

To the east, across Yâm Ki•nërꞋët and NᵊharꞋ ha-Ya•rᵊd•einꞋ, Gi•lᵊâdꞋ and Har Tâ•vorꞋ. At the foot of the hill passed the ancient trade route (and more recent Roman road), דֶרֶך הַיָּם, which connected the ancient city of Damascus with the Mediterranean sea-ports.

To the south one could see הַר מְגִדּוֹ and the whole of עֵמֶק יִזְרְעֶאל, which was the scene of many of the most memorable battles of Yi•sᵊrâ•eilꞋ; to Har Tâ•vorꞋ and the hills of Gi•lᵊboꞋa where Shâ•ulꞋ and Yo•nâ•tânꞋ lost their lives. Har Ei•vâlꞋ and the land of ShᵊkhëmꞋ peer through the distant haze, with the uplands of Gi•lᵊâdꞋ and the Shom•ronꞋ "with its twenty battlefields – the victories of Bâ•râqꞋ and Gi•dᵊonꞋ, the defeats of Shâ•ulꞋ and Yo•shi•yâꞋhu and the skirmishes of the Ma•kab•imꞋ. There was the vineyard of Nâv•otꞋ and the site where YeiꞋhu took revenge upon Iy-ZëvꞋël; Shu•neimꞋ and the house of Ël•i•shâꞋ Bën-Shâ•phâtꞋ; Har Ka•rᵊm•ëlꞋ and the site where, after the failure of the false prophets, automatic fire engulfed the altar of Eil•i•yâhꞋu." (Smith) and דֶרֶך הַיָּם, which threaded all the way to Mi•tzᵊraꞋyim. Below, less than 2½ km (1½ mi.) to the east, the caravan trade-route to Yᵊru•shâ•laꞋyim stretched into the horizon. (sources: bible-history.com and Smith, Hist. Geog., p. 432).

1^st Century C.E. נָצְרַת House

1st Century C.E. נָצְרַת House

The town folk of נָצְרַת were widely disrespected as uncultured. All indications are that this small (population perhaps 200), forward-observation village was a typical frontier town; Aramaic-speaking like many of the Syrians, right next-door to the Roman goy•im′ city of Sepphoris, and far from the Israeli Hebrew cultural center of Y^әrushâ•la′yim – an enigmatic hometown for a world-class graduate of the then-leading university in the world (the Great Library Complex Alexandria, Egypt).

Archeologists have excavated one house from the early 1^st century C.E. village of נָצְרַת from the time when RibꞋi Yᵊho•shuꞋa was a child. The site is located in the middle of modern "Nazareth," beside a Christian Church ("of Annunciation"). Since there were no more than about 50 houses in the small village, it is certain that RibꞋi Yᵊho•shuꞋa knew this house.

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