Where was Jesus of Nazareth born? Some say that it was in Bethlehem, others that it was in Nazareth, but the Bible clearly reveals to us the site and exact place of the birth of the son of God and our Savior. Everything according to what was prophesied by God for the fulfillment of his word.
Where was Jesus of Nazareth born?
In this opportunity, the subject of where Jesus of Nazareth was born will be analyzed, and if you want to know the truth, the best thing is to do it in the light of the scriptures. Because the Bible draws us a straight line in the true history of events throughout time, which had a beginning and will have an end.
This story from the beginning has followed God's perfect plan and is heading towards an end where you can see the triumph of God's love and goodness over evil. When all the faithful who throughout history obeyed, believed, surrendered and followed Jesus, they will obtain the divine reward from him.
So when you are in the light of the scriptures, you are not looking at a book of stories or human narratives. Rather, it is a true description of how the events or events occurred within the framework of the history of humanity.
In this sense, the Bible faithfully describes the birth of Jesus in chapter 2 of the Gospel of Luke. And not only does it clarify the question, where was Jesus of Nazareth born?, but it also says the place and gives signs as to the probable month of his birth that contradicts pagan traditions.
The Bible says where Jesus of Nazareth was born
The Bible says where Jesus of Nazareth was born in Luke 2: 1-14 and in addition to this it offers a historical framework around this momentous event. The evangelist says that at that time the emperor of Rome, Augustus Caesar, published an edict for a census to be taken.
God then so arranged that his Son be born at a time of registration or census. The censuses of the Roman Empire were carried out every fourteen years. But the birth of Jesus Christ was coinciding with the first census, when Quirinius ruled over Syria.
The people on the map of Palestine in the times of Jesus began to be censused by the Roman Empire, for this everyone had to go to their city of origin. From what we see in verse 4, of this passage from the Gospel of Luke, that Joseph goes with his wife, Mary, to his city to be registered:
Luke 2:4-5 (NIV):4 Also Joseph, who was a descendant of King DavidHe went up from Nazareth, a city in Galilee, to Judea. He went to Bethlehem, the City of David, 5 to register together with Maria his wife. She she was pregnant.
This biblical text leads to the fulfillment of God's prophecy in the mouth of Jacob. When Jacob, before dying, gives a blessing to each of the tribes or house of Israel that were his twelve sons.
Genesis 49:10 (RVC): The scepter will not be taken from you, Judah; Nor the symbol of power from between your feet, until it comes Shiloh and around him the peoples congregate.
We invite you here to inquire about the importance of the Map of Palestine at the time of Jesus, in the understanding of the invaluable message and the greatness of the Lord.
Jesus, Shiloh, the Messiah, the one sent
The term Shiloh found in this verse of Genesis is the Hebrew word Shîlôh, which means peace, rest and is also one of the names found in the Bible to identify Jesus, the messiah, the one sent by God.
At that time and where Jesus of Nazareth was born, the towns congregated, the scepter of Judah had been removed. The towns were now under Roman rule with Emperor Augustus Caesar in power in Rome, and with Quirinius as ruler of Syria.
Judea at that time in the political organization of the government, was a province of Syria. He also had as king the son of Herod the great, also called Herod, who was an Edomite descendant of Esau, brother of Jacob.
This is reminiscent of what is written in Malachi 1: 2-3, where God rejects Esau, whom he also called Edom and did not choose him as the father of his chosen people. But he chooses Jacob, whom he loved and called Israel.
Therefore the promised land, where Jesus of Nazareth was born, was not in the hands of a ruler of Israel. The historical setting presents this land administered by a pagan government and the priests were no longer ministers of God, but servants maintained by idolatrous rulers.
But the Shiloh, the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth was about to be born and in Luke 2:1-14, it can be seen that such an event was surrounded by several notable and extraordinary events that should be analyzed.
A registration when Jesus was born
In verse four of the passage from the Gospel of Luke read above, it can be seen that Joseph and his wife Mary lived in Nazareth. From there they had to undertake a journey of about 120 kilometers to the city of Bethlehem in the Judea region, to register for the first time in the census ordered by Rome.
This indicates that God uses the registration to move Joseph and Mary to the city of Bethlehem, first of all to bring Shiloh, the messiah, into the world.
Micah 5:2 (KJV 1960): But you, Belén Efrata, small to be among the families of Judah, from you will come to me the one who will be Lord in Israel; and its outputs are from the beginning, from the days of eternity.
Six and a half centuries before the event, the prophet Micah already revealed in detail the name of the city where Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, would be born and from which family of Judah he would descend. Furthermore, it can be seen from this prophecy that God had it established in his perfect plan since the creation of the world.
The registration happened in time and in the exact way, God can be seen working behind the events of history. Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth of Galilee and the way God used for his Son to be born exactly where it had been prophesied was the census.
With the census all people had to return to the place of their birth to register and pay their taxes. God thus miraculously controlled history so that his word would be fulfilled.
Isaiah 14:24 (KJV 1960) Jehovah of the armies swore saying: Certainly it will be done the way i thought it would be, and it will be confirmed as I have determined.
Bethlehem, where Jesus of Nazareth was born
Everything prophesied in the written word, God says has to be fulfilled and prior to the birth of Jesus an event in history begins to unfold. So that the Son of God would be born exactly in the place, in the time and at the hour in which God had determined that he would be born.
The bible says that Joseph and Mary went up from Galilee to Judea to the city of David called Bethlehem, the name of this city comes from two Hebrew roots bet and lehem which means the house of bread. For its part, Nazareth, its name originates from the Hebrew Natzrat, which denotes stem or shoot, or from the Hebrew root natser with a similar meaning of shoot or branch.
So prophetically at the time of Jesus' birth, many were aware that the messiah would be born in Bethlehem. The chief priests and scribes of the people responded when summoned by King Herod:
Matthew 2:5-6 (KJV 1960): 5 They said to him: In Bethlehem of Judea; for thus it is written by the prophet: 6 And you, Bethlehem, of the land of Judah, are not the least among the princes of Judah; For out of you will come a guide, who will shepherd my people Israel.
John says in his gospel that in the times of Jesus, there was a division among the people about the Christ, but if they knew for sure where he came from:
Juan 7:40-42 (RVR 1960): 40 Then some of the crowd, hearing these words, said: Truly this is the prophet. 41 Others said: This is the Christ. But some said: Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42 Does not the Scripture say that from the lineage of David, and from the village of Bethlehem, where David was from, the Christ will come?
It was in a manger that Jesus of Nazareth was born
When the days of Mary's birth arrived, she and Joseph were in Bethlehem, Lucas says that they did not find a place to stay. The reason was because of the number of people who had returned to Bethlehem to register.
Luke 2:6-7 (NIV):6 and, while they were there, the time was up. 7 so gave birth to her son firstborn. She wrapped it in diapers and put him to bed in a mangerBecause there was no place for them at the inn.
God was directing the events of history, guiding their lives as well as the lives of those who are led by the Holy Spirit. So Jesus is born in an amazing place, in a manger and not surrounded by comfort as would be believed for the Son of God.
Manger is a Greek word that translates as stable, so Jesus, the one who gave his life for everyone, was being born in a fetid stable. No one gave lodging to the Savior of the world, so that he would be born in a foul-smelling and dirty environment of animal excrement; or it could be interpreted as that the pure was born in a selfish, corrupt and sinful world.
There were shepherds where Jesus of Nazareth was born
In the following verses, specifically from 8 to 11, Luke mentions that there were at that time and moment shepherds keeping vigils to take care of their flocks. And he also narrates that an angel of God appears to these shepherds and they feel fear.
Luke 2:8-11 (KJV 1960): 8 There were shepherds in the same region, who watched and guarded the night watches over his herd. 9 And behold, they were presented an angel of the Lord, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they had great fear. 10 But the angel said to them: Fear not; for behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which will be for all the people: 11 is born today, in the city of David, a Savior, who is CHRIST the Lord.
The work of shepherd in those times was considered of very low esteem by Pharisees, scribes and priests. But the angel of God does not appear to any of them, but chooses to give warning to humble shepherds who watched over their flocks.
This event is very important because for a long time it has been speculated when Jesus was born, historians, theologians and scholars have analyzed, investigated and investigated this topic. But in chapter 23 of Leviticus there is talk of the solemn festivals in which a holy convocation was made.
Analyzing these parties together with the events surrounding the birth of Jesus, it can be inferred that Jesus Christ was born between September and October, due to the presence of shepherds in the region.
Exact time where Jesus of Nazareth was born
This period between September and October corresponds to the month of Tishrei of the Jewish calendar, in it Jesus is born, approximately in the celebration of the feast of the tabernacles. The passage of the angels and the shepherds in chapter 2 of Luke gives signs that Jesus has an exact time to be born.
Because Jesus Christ also fulfilled Easter, he fulfilled Pentecost, he fulfilled unleavened bread, but now the feast of trumpets is missing. Regarding this, the Bible says that:
1 Corinthians 15:52 (RVR 1960): In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the final trumpet; because the trumpet will be playedand the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be transformed.
This indicates that the trumpet will be blown, the dead in Christ will rise first and then the Feast of Tabernacles will be celebrated and there will be atonement for the nation of Israel.
Other events to highlight
In the passage that is being analyzed about the birth of Jesus in Luke 2: 1-14, other important events or signs of God in this event can be extracted, such as:
Wrapped in swaddling clothes, this will be a sign for them, the angels say to the shepherds, verse 12: the word swaddling in the original Hebrew means linen, therefore, this sign indicates that Jesus was born clothed in the justice of God. Since his birth, the Son of God shows the world that he is born without sin, born with divine justice.
Verse 13 says that heaven opens and an army of God's angels appears. At that moment, in that place where Jesus of Nazareth was born, a retinue from the spiritual world gathers to accompany the birth of this child, because it was a Holy seed that he had been born.
Verse 14 a choir of angels praise the Son of God and announce three important things: That the Son would glorify the Father on high, second that the Son would unite two things that were separated, Christ unites us with the Father because there is no enmity no lack of forgiveness. Thirdly, they announce good will, and that is that there can be no peace in our hearts until we make peace with God.
Life, work, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth
After his birth, the life of Jesus is described in the New Testament of the Bible in a fairly extensive story within the four gospels. These four gospels are the main source for the knowledge of the life of Jesus and are the foundation of the message of salvation, grace and Christian faith.
The gospels contain accounts of historical events of the public life of Jesus of Nazareth accompanied by his disciples; in his public life Jesus dedicated himself to coming and going to preach the gospel from Galilee to Judea, while performing numerous prodigies and miracles. The chronological order of events varies according to the different accounts of the evangelists.
The main basis of Jesus' message is love for God and neighbor, in addition to expressing his close and intimate relationship with God, whom he called Abba Father. The prodigies and miracles performed by Jesus were multiple, some of them can be read in the following biblical quotes from the gospels:
- Mark: 1:29 – 31, 3:1 – 6, 7:31 – 37, 8:22 – 26
- Matthew: 8:1 – 4, 9:18 – 26, 14:22 – 33, 20:29 – 34
- Luke 5:17-26, 8:40-56, 13:10-17, 14:1-6, 17:11-19, 22:51
- John: 4:43 – 54, 5:1 – 9, 9:1-12, 11:1 – 44.
Death and resurrection
On Easter night Jesus dined in Jerusalem with his disciples and after dinner he is arrested. Jesus is then tried before the Sanhedrin with false witnesses, whose testimonies were not accepted. He is then brought before Pontius Pilate, the Roman procurator, and is sentenced to death on a cross at the request of the crowd, persuaded by the priests.
To learn more about the death and resurrection of Jesus we invite you to enter here Passion death and resurrection of Jesus. As well as in Resurrection of Jesus according to the Bible and its details.
