Proof that the Masoretic Text changed Zechariah 3:8 from Nazarene to Branch

[anastasis888]

Now, you will probably find yourself asking, But what Hebrew feminine ending is with yod and a tav?

The answer is none. But in Aramaic there is that verbal ending. And it stands to reason that the old spelling we find in Shem-Tob's Matthew would be the first century spelling of this Aramaic speaking north Galilean settlement. Nazareth didn't even exist until the 1st century BC. And its language was wholly the Aramaic of the Galilee region.

What this demonstrates is that Shem-Tob's copy of Matthew comes from the 1st century original manuscript of Matthew. For if it was a late translation into Hebrew from the Greek, Nazareth would have been spelled with the common 'eth' ending instead of the Syriac ending 'ith'.

Matthew made no mistake. He writes the correct Aramaic name of the town 'Nazarith'.

Edited November 16, 2022 by anastasis888

[anastasis888]

The great objection to Jesus being of Nazareth is that there is no town called Nazareth mentioned in the Old Testament.

That is true. There is no town called Nazareth mentioned in the Old Testament because it did not exist in the Old Testament.

So, what are we saying? Are we saying that Zechariah 3:8 originally prophesied of a name of one to come called Nazareth some four centuries before the Galilean settlement of Nazareth even existed?

Yes.

His name is Jesus of Nazareth.

Edited November 15, 2022 by anastasis888

[Jedi4Yahweh]

Yeah I struggled with that scripture as well (Mat 2:23).  I spent much time trying to figure out where in the OT scriptures this was stated that he would be called a Nazarene and searched both the Masoretic and Septuagint text.  The closest I found was Is 9:1-9 which referenced Messiah would come from a Galilean city near the sea of Galilee. He grew up living in Nazareth after they returned from Egypt.  Nazareth was considered a gentile (Samaritan) village and why many of the Jews rejected him.  Jews would have nothing to do with Samaritans and rejected the idea that Messiah could come from such a place. 

Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali-- to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: "Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles-- the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." - Mat 4:13-16 

But there will be no [more] gloom for her who was in anguish. In earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He will make [it] glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them. You will multiply the nation, You will increase their joy; They will rejoice in Your presence As with the joy of harvest, As [people] rejoice when they divide the spoils. For You will break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian. For every boot of the marching warrior in the roar [of battle,] And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire. For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of [His] government or of peace On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of armies will accomplish this. - Isa 9:1-7 

Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good be from Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." - Jhn 1:46 

In fact early Jewish believers were labeled the "Nazarene sect" in a derogatory way.

"We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect - Act 24:5 

I am not a huge fan of the Masoretic text I found many places where OT scriptures quoted in the NT do not line up with OT Masoretic text but in most cases line up directly with the Septuagint. 

Edited November 15, 2022 by Jedi4Yahweh

[anastasis888]

1 hour ago, Jedi4Yahweh said:

Yeah I struggled with that scripture as well (Mat 2:23).  I spent much time trying to figure out where in the OT scriptures this was stated that he would be called a Nazarene and searched both the Masoretic and Septuagint text.  The closest I found was Is 9:1-9 which referenced Messiah would come from a Galilean city near the sea of Galilee. He grew up living in Nazareth after they returned from Egypt.  Nazareth was considered a gentile (Samaritan) village and why many of the Jews rejected him.  Jews would have nothing to do with Samaritans and rejected the idea that Messiah could come from such a place. 

Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali-- to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: "Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles-- the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." - Mat 4:13-16 

But there will be no [more] gloom for her who was in anguish. In earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He will make [it] glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them. You will multiply the nation, You will increase their joy; They will rejoice in Your presence As with the joy of harvest, As [people] rejoice when they divide the spoils. For You will break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian. For every boot of the marching warrior in the roar [of battle,] And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire. For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of [His] government or of peace On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of armies will accomplish this. - Isa 9:1-7 

Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good be from Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." - Jhn 1:46 

In fact early Jewish believers were labeled the "Nazarene sect" in a derogatory way.

"We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect - Act 24:5 

I am not a huge fan of the Masoretic text I found many places where OT scriptures quoted in the NT do not line up with OT Masoretic text but in most cases line up directly with the Septuagint. 

Caution is definitely in order when studying prophecy from the Masoretic. They are known to have been quite liberal about changing text in the 4th century to obfuscate against Christianity.

The Septuagint is a good copy to have on hand, because I'm telling you the Masoretic text is corrupt in many instances.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are closer to the original than the MT.

Edited November 15, 2022 by anastasis888

[Jedi4Yahweh]

1 hour ago, anastasis888 said:

Caution is definitely in order when studying prophecy from the Masoretic. They are known to have been quite liberal about changing text in the 4th century to obfuscate against Christianity.

The Septuagint is a good copy to have on hand, because I'm telling you the Masoretic text is corrupt in many instances.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are closer to the original than the MT.

There definitely seems to be some altercation going on in the Mesorecitc text which makes you believe it was intentional to cover up and obscure any Messianic prophecies that point to Y'shua of Nazareth as the Messiah.  One example is where the writer of Hebrews states that "sacrifices and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared", but when you read that scripture out of Psalms it reads "sacrifice and offerings you did not desire, you have given me an ear", but if look that same scripture up in Septuagint it reads exactly as the book Hebrews quoted.

 

[Marathoner]

2 hours ago, anastasis888 said:

Caution is definitely in order when studying prophecy from the Masoretic. They are known to have been quite liberal about changing text in the 4th century to obfuscate against Christianity.

The Septuagint is a good copy to have on hand, because I'm telling you the Masoretic text is corrupt in many instances.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are closer to the original than the MT.

I ordered an interlinear Septuagint for just this reason. It is good to have nearby. 

[Marathoner]

21 minutes ago, Jedi4Yahweh said:

There definitely seems to be some altercation going on in the Mesorecitc text which makes you believe it was intentional to cover up and obscure any Messianic prophecies that point to Y'shua of Nazareth as the Messiah.  One example is where the writer of Hebrews states that "sacrifices and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared", but when you read that scripture out of Psalms it reads "sacrifice and offerings you did not desire, you have given me an ear", but if look that same scripture up in Septuagint it reads exactly as the book Hebrews quoted.

 

The Septuagint appears to be the source of most quotations of the Law and Prophets in NT scripture. Over 300 instances if my memory serves.

[Marathoner]

I'm not sure why this subject matter has been so controversial on the forums, @anastasis888. This has been discussed in other similar topics:

Evidence indicates that the Septuagint was the prevalent translation of the Hebrew scriptures in use during the Second Temple period, with fragments of said translation dated to 250 BC. Right away, this establishes the antiquity of the Greek translation as opposed to the more recent work of the Masoretic sect centuries after the Second Temple was destroyed. We know why a Greek translation was prevalent and why it was commissioned:

Most Hebrews during the Second Temple era could neither read, write, nor speak Hebrew. However, the lingua franca of the ancient world at that time was Greek --- thanks to the hegemony enforced by Alexander's conquests --- and so that was a language most could understand. This was still in place by the time our Lord walked this earth in the flesh, and so it makes sense that the Gospels and the letters of the apostles would also be recorded in Koine Greek. This would also apply to Matthew's Gospel, which was originally written in Hebrew. A Greek translation was also rendered.  

[anastasis888]

6 minutes ago, Marathoner said:

I'm not sure why this subject matter has been so controversial on the forums, @anastasis888. This has been discussed in other similar topics:

Evidence indicates that the Septuagint was the prevalent translation of the Hebrew scriptures in use during the Second Temple period, with fragments of said translation dated to 250 BC. Right away, this establishes the antiquity of the Greek translation as opposed to the more recent work of the Masoretic sect centuries after the Second Temple was destroyed. We know why a Greek translation was prevalent and why it was commissioned:

Most Hebrews during the Second Temple era could neither read, write, nor speak Hebrew. However, the lingua franca of the ancient world at that time was Greek --- thanks to the hegemony enforced by Alexander's conquests --- and so that was a language most could understand. This was still in place by the time our Lord walked this earth in the flesh, and so it makes sense that the Gospels and the letters of the apostles would also be recorded in Koine Greek. This would also apply to Matthew's Gospel, which was originally written in Hebrew. A Greek translation was also rendered.  

Well, it's very politically incorrect, you see.

You can't just go and start critiquing people's King James Bibles and not catch some heat. You have centuries of tradition to sift through. People do not easily part with tradition.

However, Matthew here in his Gospel witnesses to the true textual tradition. The Septuagint also indicates that the word was the hour of Prayer Rise, Na-Zareth, and Anatola.

When all is said and done, I see how God has preserved his Word through the Apostle. If Matthew were not so explicit, the word might have been lost forever.

Edited November 15, 2022 by anastasis888

[Marathoner]

4 minutes ago, anastasis888 said:

Well, it's very politically incorrect, you see.

You can't just go and start critiquing people's King James Bibles and not catch some heat. You have centuries of tradition to sift through. People do not easily part with tradition.

However, Matthew here in his Gospel witnesses to the true textual tradition. The Septuagint also indicates that the word was the hour of Prayer Rise, Na-Zareth, and Anatola.

When all is said and done, I see how God has preserved his Word through the Apostle. If Matthew were not so explicit, the word might have been lost forever.

It hasn't been an issue for me on account of my exposure to the Septuagint from the beginning, my friend. The fellow who taught me about our Lord (and introduced me to scripture) had an interlinear Septuagint in his library and encouraged me to read to my heart's content. So of course, that's what I did!

I'd either sit in his library cross-legged until my legs went numb, or I'd borrow something and read by candlelight in my room. He has an impressive collection in his library, so I was exposed to all manner of writings. I read the Ante-Nicene collection along with the Septuagint.