Bible Questions and Answer

Several prophets use "the Branch" as a name for the coming king. Isaiah 11 says, "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit." Jeremiah says God will raise up for David "a righteous Branch" who will reign wisely. Zechariah twice calls the coming one "the Branch," who will build the temple of the LORD and sit as priest and king. The picture works because of what had happened to David's family. By the time of the exile, the royal line looked like a tree cut down to a stump. The Branch means new life growing from what looked dead, God keeping His promise to David even when things looked hopeless. Christians see Jesus as the Branch, born from David's family line in a humble way. Matthew may even play on this when he says Jesus was called a Nazarene, since the Hebrew word for branch is netzer.