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Can anything good come out of Nazareth?: It is commonly understood that Nathanael’s comment reflected the fact that Nazareth was an insignificant village, looked down on even by people of Galilee. (Joh 21:2) Nazareth is not specifically mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures nor by Josephus, though the nearby Japhia (less than 3 km [2 mi] SW of Nazareth) is mentioned at Jos 19:12 and by Josephus. However, not all cities in Galilee were mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures or by Josephus. It is also noteworthy that the Gospels always call Nazareth “a city” (Greek, poʹlis), a term that generally denotes a population center larger than a village. (Mt 2:23; Lu 1:26; 2:4, 39; 4:29) Nazareth stood in a mountain basin, surrounded by hills overlooking the plain of Esdraelon (Jezreel). The area was well-populated, with a number of cities and towns nearby. It was located close to important trade routes, so its inhabitants would have had access to information about the social, religious, and political activities of the time. (Compare Lu 4:23.) Nazareth also had its own synagogue. (Lu 4:16) So it seems likely that it was not an insignificant village. Therefore, Nathanael may simply have been expressing surprise that Philip would think that a man from the neighboring city of Nazareth in Galilee could be the Promised One, since the Scriptures had foretold that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem in Judah.​—Mic 5:2; Joh 7:42, 52.