Get to Know Bible Places: Nazareth (Part One)

Location

Nazareth is located in the state of Israel in its northern district. After the conquest of Canaan, it was part of the allotment of the tribe of Zebulon. During the time of the divided kingdom, it was in the territory of the northern kingdom. In New Testament times, the location was part of the Roman designation of Galilee. The Nazareth Decree, which dates to within the period of AD 45-50, indicates that the central Roman government did not assume administrative control of Galilee until the death of Agrippa in AD 44. (Tenney (PBD), 574).  This inscription makes grave disruption a capital offense. The location of this decree is interesting to say the least. 

Nazareth was not a prominent city in the Old Testament nor in the histories of Josephus (Tenney, 147). However, Nazareth was located near many significant Old Testament locations. Pfeiffer adds, 

To the east the mountains of Gilead can be seen across the Jordan Valley, southward lies the Plain of Esdraelon with Mount Tabor and Mount Gilboa and the mounds of Bethshan and Megiddo in the distance. To the west, the Carmel ridge may be seen as it approaches the Mediterranean. (Pfeiffer, 201). 

The city is also noted as being four miles south of Sephoris, which was the predominant city of the region in the first century. Now Sephoris is a mere archaeological park whereas Nazareth is a town of roughly 78,000 and predominantly Arab, the largest city in the northern region of Israel. 

Geographical Significance

Nazareth is approximately 1200 feet above sea level and is located along the Nazareth ridge. The land was not particularly great for yielding much produce. McGarvey suggested that the soil does yield a good return for the labor put into it (McGarvey, 30). The location seems a bit remote compared to other locations, such as Tiberius on the Sea of Galilee or Sephoris. We must wonder why it is significant. Wright explains,

There is the first century AD, the houses of the unpretentious village of Nazareth clustered around a small spring. With fertile though chalky rendzina soils, relatively soft natural building material, a water supply that was adequate but not particularly plentiful. The inhabitants of ancient Nazareth were never going to get rich on the resources at hand. The economic bases in the better-connected Jezreel and Beth-Netophah Valleys down slope were far superior. By comparison, residents of towns and cities in these advantaged valleys, such as Nathanael of Cana understandably fostered the backwater stigma (cf. John 1:46). (Wright, 208-209)

Nazareth was not some primitive location in isolation. The location was near “the caravan routes to the south, and the main road to the cities of the Decapolis from Caesarea and from Ptolemais, one of the chief ports on the Phoenician coast” (Tenney, 147). 

Works Cited:

McGarvey, J. W. Lands of the Bible.  Gospel Advocate, 1966.

Pfeiffer, Charles F., et al. Baker’s Bible Atlas. Baker Book House, 2003.

Tenney, Merrill C. New Testament Times. Eerdmans, 1965.

Tenney, Merrill C. The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary. Zondervan Publishing House 1977.

Wright, Paul H. Holman Illustrated Guide to Biblical Geography: Reading the Land. B&H Publishing Group, 2020.