Capernaum
Capernaum is an ancient city mentioned in the New Testament, located in the region of Galilee in modern-day Israel. Known today as Tell Hum. It appears across 18 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
Capernaum stands as the operational headquarters of Jesus' Galilean ministry, described in Matthew 4:13 as the city where Jesus "went and lived" after leaving Nazareth — fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy of light coming to the land of Zebulun and Naphtali. It was here that Jesus called the fishermen Simon, Andrew, James, and John (Mark 1:16–20), and here that he taught in the synagogue with an authority that astonished the people (Mark 1:21–22). Capernaum witnessed an extraordinary concentration of miracles: the healing of the demoniac in the synagogue, the healing of Peter's mother-in-law, the healing of the paralytic lowered through the roof (Mark 2:1–12), the restoration of the centurion's servant (Matthew 8:5–13), and the raising of Jairus' daughter. It was in or near Capernaum that Jesus delivered the Bread of Life discourse (John 6:35–59). Yet despite its privileges, Jesus pronounced a solemn judgment upon the city for its unbelief: "And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades" (Matthew 11:23). This paradox — the most favored city becoming the most condemned — gives Capernaum a uniquely tragic role in the Gospel narrative.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Identified with Tell Hum on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum has been excavated since the late 19th century, initially by Franciscan friars and later in more systematic campaigns. The most significant discoveries include a white limestone synagogue dating to the 4th–5th century CE, which likely stands over the first-century basalt synagogue where Jesus taught. Beneath and adjacent to the synagogue, excavations uncovered a first-century domestic structure that early Christian pilgrims venerated as Peter's house, later enclosed in an octagonal Byzantine church. The site today is an open-air archaeological park managed by the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land.
Verse Appearances (18)
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →