Expository Times Isaiah 11:1-16 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:… The word translated "Branch" is in the Hebrew Netser. The word is said to be derived from a root which means "bright" or "verdant." And this agrees with the character of the valley in which the town of Netzer or Natsoreth (Nazareth) stands. "The bushes and aromatic shrubs, and especially the brilliant wild flowers, take away from the bleakness of the landscape." It is from this title, then, Netser or the Branch, that St. Matthew quotes when he says, "He shall be called a Nazarene" (Matthew 2:23). (Expository Times.) Parallel Verses KJV: And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:WEB: A shoot will come out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots will bear fruit. |