Capernaum
“Village of Nahum (or consolation)”
Summary
A city on the Sea of Galilee that became Jesus' headquarters during His Galilean ministry, called 'His own city.'
☩Jesus' Own City
After being rejected at Nazareth, Jesus made Capernaum His home and the center of His Galilean ministry. It became emphatically 'His own city,' the place where He was said to be 'at home.' Here He chose Matthew from the tax collector's booth, and the brothers Peter and Andrew had their house there. The synagogue where Jesus frequently taught was built by a Roman centurion who loved the Jewish nation.
☩Mighty Works
Capernaum witnessed more of Jesus' miracles than perhaps any other city. Here He healed Peter's mother-in-law, the paralytic let down through the roof, the centurion's servant, and cast out unclean spirits. From nearby Cana, He healed the nobleman's son who lay sick in Capernaum. In the synagogue there, Jesus delivered His profound discourse on the bread of life after the feeding of the five thousand.
☩Divine Judgment
Despite witnessing such mighty works, Capernaum remained impenitent. Jesus pronounced solemn judgment: 'And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.' The woe spoken by the Master has been fulfilled—the city has so completely perished that the very site remains disputed today.
☩Location and Identification
Capernaum was on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, in or near the plain of Gennesaret. It was lower in elevation than Nazareth and Cana, from which Jesus 'went down' to it. Two sites contend for identification: Tell Hum, where extensive ruins including a synagogue remain, and Khan Minyeh at the northeast corner of the plain of Gennesaret. The balance of scholarly evidence favors Tell Hum, where a synagogue foundation from a later period may mark the site of the one Jesus knew.
Related Verses18 mentions
References
- 1.James Orr (ed.), "Capernaum," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. I (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 2.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Capernaum," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).
- 3.James Hastings (ed.), "Capernaum," in Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, vol. I (T. & T. Clark, 1906–1908).
- 4.George Morrish, "Capernaum," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).