Branch
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(Ps. 104:12)—a shoot or limb growing from a tree or vine. Biblical writers often employ the word figuratively. Isaiah promises that “a shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots” (Isa. 11:1), an image of the Davidic Messiah arising when the royal house appears cut down. Other prophetic passages use “Branch” as a messianic title (Jer. 23:5; Zech. 3:8; 6:12). Jesus calls himself the vine and his disciples the branches, teaching that their life and fruitfulness depend on abiding in him (John 15:1-6). Ezekiel 8:17 refers to people putting “the branch to their nose,” probably an idolatrous rite whose precise character is uncertain.