Chorazin
Chorazin is an ancient city mentioned in the New Testament, located in the region of Galilee in modern-day Israel. Known today as Khirbet Karraza. It appears across 2 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
Chorazin was a Jewish town on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, located just a few kilometers north of Capernaum, and it holds the somber distinction of being one of three cities explicitly condemned by Jesus for refusing to repent despite witnessing his mighty works. In Matthew 11:21 and Luke 10:13, Jesus pronounces a woe upon Chorazin alongside Bethsaida and Capernaum, declaring: "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes." This denunciation implies that Jesus performed significant miracles in Chorazin, though none are individually recorded in the Gospels. The passage is a sobering reminder that proximity to divine revelation and miraculous power brings not privilege alone but heightened accountability. Chorazin eventually fell into ruins, fulfilling the spirit of Jesus' pronouncement.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Chorazin is identified with Khirbet Karraza, an archaeological site approximately 3 kilometers north of Capernaum on the basalt plateau overlooking the Sea of Galilee, now within the Korazim National Park in Israel. Excavations led by Israeli archaeologists in the 1960s through 1980s uncovered a well-preserved Jewish village dating primarily to the second through fifth centuries AD, featuring a magnificent basalt synagogue with ornate carvings including a depiction of the Seat of Moses. The town was apparently abandoned and rebuilt after an earthquake. First-century remains beneath the later synagogue confirm occupation during the New Testament period. The site is open to visitors today and provides vivid material context for understanding the Galilean towns of Jesus's ministry.
Verse Appearances (2)
Matt
Luke
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- OpenBible.info (n.d.) Bible Geocoding. Available at: https://www.openbible.info/geo/. [CC BY 4.0]
- Bagnall, R. et al. (eds.) (n.d.) Pleiades: A Gazetteer of Past Places. Available at: https://pleiades.stoa.org. [CC BY 3.0]
- Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
- Lawrence, D. et al. (2025) Villages to Empires: a settlement dataset for the Southern Levant. doi:10.5281/zenodo.15111732. [CC BY 4.0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]