New Testament · Gospel

Matthew 11:23

Come to Me

And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. Matthew 11:23 · Berean Standard Bible
What It Means

Matthew 11:23, in plain English

Jesus speaks directly to Capernaum: you think you will be lifted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to the depths. Even Sodom would have survived if it had seen your miracles.

Why it's here

Capernaum was Jesus' home base. It saw more of Him than anywhere else. That makes its rejection all the more tragic and consequential.

Who's speaking

Jesus addresses Capernaum directly.

Where it sits in the story

The city closest to Jesus receives the sternest warning. Familiarity without faith is the most dangerous spiritual position of all.

A Closer Look

The scholarly reading

Jesus directs His most severe woe at Capernaum, His ministry headquarters, declaring it will descend to Hades (heos hadou katabasese) rather than being exalted to heaven, comparing it unfavorably to Sodom.

Language and setting

The language echoes Isaiah 14:13-15, originally directed at the king of Babylon. Capernaum, as Jesus' home base (Matthew 4:13), had received the greatest concentration of His ministry yet remained unrepentant.

Voice

Jesus addresses Capernaum directly in His prophetic denunciation.

Significance

Jesus saves His sharpest words for His own adopted city: Capernaum, which enjoyed the most intimate access to His ministry, faces the most severe judgment for its failure to respond.

In context

Matthew 11:21–25

21“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.

22But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.

23And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day.

24But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

25At that time Jesus declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.

Read all of Matthew 11 — John the Baptist doubts from prison. Cities refuse to repent. And in the middle of it all, Jesus offers rest to the weary.

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