"He Will Be Called a Nazarene"

You might have noticed that when Matthew 1:23 says, "So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: 'He will be called a Nazarene,'" that there isn't an Old Testament verse footnoted like is done for other prophecies. That is because no verse like this can be found in the Old Testament. Commentators say that the fact that it says "through the prophets" offers a clue. Here are some of the suggestions:

• Perhaps this is a reference to prophecies not written down but that were common knowledge among the Jews.
• Nazarene might be a synonym for despised (see John 1:45-46) and there are Old Testament passages prophesying that Jesus would be despised (Psalm 22:6 and Isaiah 53:3).
• "Nazareth" is derived from a Hebrew word (neser) meaning a branch or tender offshoot. There are many passages in the Old Testament referring to Jesus in this way (Isaiah 4:2, 53:2; Jeremiah 23:5, 33:15; Zechariah 3:8, 6:12).

To me the first two possibilities seem a little far-fetched. The third one seems to make the most sense.