Original Word: נֵצֶר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: netser
Pronunciation: NAY-tser
Phonetic Spelling: (nay'-tser)
KJV: branch
NASB: branch, descendants
Word Origin: [from H5341 (נָצַר - observe) in the sense of greenness as a striking color]

1. a shoot
2. (figuratively) a descendant

branch

From natsar in the sense of greenness as a striking color; a shoot; figuratively, a descendant -- branch.

see HEBREW natsar

Word Origin
from natsar
Definition
a sprout, shoot
NASB Translation
branch (3), descendants (1).

נֵ֫צְר noun masculine sprout, shoot, in figurative uses: — absolute ׳נ Isaiah 11:1; Isaiah 14:19 (simile); construct Isaiah 60:21 (מַטָּעַי ׳נ), Daniel 11:7 (שָׁרָשֶׁיהָ ׳מִנּ; but ᵐ5 Bev 'possibly' מִשֶּׁרָשֶׁיהָ ׳נ).

Imagery of the Living Shoot

נֵצֶר evokes the picture of a green shoot pushing through a seemingly dead stump. The word always points to fresh life that springs from an established root after devastation or dormancy. The shoot is genetically one with the parent stock, yet distinct and newly visible; the metaphor therefore joins continuity with surprise. Across its four occurrences the image of נֵצֶר alternately highlights hope, rebuke, restoration, and historical succession.

Messianic Hope: Isaiah 11:1

“Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit” (Isaiah 11:1).

Here נֵצֶר identifies the promised King who rises from the cut-down line of David. Assyrian invasion would reduce the dynasty to a stump, but God reserves a living core. The shoot’s emergence assures Judah that the Davidic covenant (2 Samuel 7) cannot fail. Because Jesus stands alone in history as a legitimate descendant of Jesse whose reign embodies the righteousness of verses 2–5, the early church recognized in נֵצֶר a concentrated prophecy of the Messiah. The consonantal link between נֵצֶר and “Nazareth” (Matthew 2:23) further fixes the identification, reminding readers that humble origins in Galilee do not contradict royal destiny.

Royal Rebuke: Isaiah 14:19

“But you are cast out of your grave like a rejected branch” (Isaiah 14:19).

The fall of the tyrant king of Babylon reverses the promise of Isaiah 11. Instead of a fruitful shoot, he becomes a cut-off sprig hurled from his tomb. נֵצֶר is here an ironic emblem of worthlessness: what should have borne life is discarded as refuse. The verse warns every ruler who exalts himself above God that divine judgment strips away human glory.

Restored Community: Isaiah 60:21

“Then all your people will be righteous … the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified” (Isaiah 60:21).

After exile the Lord envisions Zion itself as a collective נֵצֶר. The community takes on the Messiah’s character; the righteous Branch (11:1) produces many shoots. The image unites personal and corporate salvation—first the King, then His people. In ministry the verse sustains the confidence that regenerated believers, though once uprooted, are now God’s own cultivation and will inherit the earth.

Dynastic Continuity: Daniel 11:7

“But one from her family line will rise in his place…” (Daniel 11:7).

During the struggle between the Ptolemies and Seleucids a descendant (נֵצֶר) of the murdered queen Berenice mounts a decisive counterattack. The historical reference is concrete, yet the choice of נֵצֶר reinforces the general biblical principle: God preserves an offspring to accomplish His purposes amid political convulsion. Even in geopolitical narrative the shoot motif declares providential control over dynasties.

Intertestamental and New Testament Resonance

First-century Jews, steeped in Isaiah, expected the Davidic נֵצֶר to appear. Matthew cites “He will be called a Nazarene” as fulfillment, playing on the shared root letters. The Gospel writers trace Jesus’ genealogy to Jesse and depict His ministry as the dawning branch bringing justice to the nations (cf. Luke 4:18–21, Romans 15:12). In Revelation 22:16 He identifies Himself as “the Root and the Offspring of David,” completing the cycle begun in Isaiah.

Theological Synthesis and Ministry Implications

1. Covenant Fidelity: נֵצֶר anchors the certainty that God’s promises survive the axe of judgment.
2. Humble Origins, Exalted Reign: The shoot grows quietly before bursting into fruitful authority, shaping expectations for servant-leadership.
3. Corporate Fruitfulness: Believers grafted into Christ (Romans 11) share the life of the Branch, becoming shoots of His planting.
4. Warning to the Proud: The rejected branch of Isaiah 14 underscores that only those rooted in God’s purpose endure.

In proclamation and discipleship, נֵצֶר urges confidence that the Lord brings life from stumps, whether ruined dynasties, broken nations, or contrite hearts.

וְנֵ֖צֶר ונצר כְּנֵ֣צֶר כנצר מִנֵּ֥צֶר מנצר נֵ֧צֶר נצר kə·nê·ṣer kənêṣer keNetzer min·nê·ṣer minnêṣer minNetzer nê·ṣer nêṣer Netzer veNetzer wə·nê·ṣer wənêṣerInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts