Mark 1:9

The Hebrew root נָצַר (nāṣar) primarily means “to watch, guard, preserve, keep” (cf. Deut. 32:10; Ps. 25:21; Prov. 2:8; Isa. 42:6; 49:8). Its Nifal participle נְצוּרה denotes “that which is guarded or enclosed” and, in a military or urban context, conveys the idea of a city under siege or blockaded. In Isaiah 1:8, the phrase עִיר נְצוּרָה — “a city besieged” — evokes the image of a city entirely surrounded, guarded, or confined, emphasizing vulnerability while under watch (cf. LXX: ὡς πόλις πολιορκουμένη).

The same root appears in place-names, most notably Ναζαρέτ (Nazaret) in the Greek NT, derived from נָצְרַת in Hebrew/Aramaic. While the etymology of נָצְרַת is debated, a plausible interpretation is “watchtower” or “guarded place”, linking the sense of נָצַר as “to guard or watch” with the topographical or strategic function of the settlement. Thus, both Isa. 1:8 and the toponym Νάζαρέτ share the semantic field of “guarded, watched, or enclosed”, whether metaphorically (besieged city) or literally (settlement on a hill or lookout).