“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. You, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, you will go down to Hades. For if the mighty works had been done in Sodom which were done in you, it would have remained until today. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom, on the day of judgment, than for you.”
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Matthew 11:21-24 sits inside this longer paragraph.
Then he began to denounce the cities in which most of his mighty works had been done, because they didn’t repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. You, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, you will go down to Hades. For if the mighty works had been done in Sodom which were done in you, it would have remained until today. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom, on the day of judgment, than for you.”
Parallel Translations
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“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.
You, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, you will go down to Hades. For if the mighty works had been done in Sodom which were done in you, it would have remained until today.
But I tell you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom, on the day of judgment, than for you.”
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Wo be to the Chorasin. Wo be to the Betzaida: for if the miracles which were shewd in you had bene done in Tyre and Sidon they had repented longe agone in sackcloth and asshes.
Neverthelesse I say to you: it shall be esier for Tyre and Sidon at the day of iudgement then for you.
And thou Capernaum which art lift vp vnto heven shalt be brought doune to hell. For if the miracles which have bene done in the had bene shewed in zodom: they had remayned to this daye.
Neverthelesse I saye vnto you: it shalbe easiar for the londe of zodom in the daye of iudgement then for the.
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Woe be to thee, Chorazin: Woe be to thee, Bethsaida: for if ye great workes, which were done in you, had bene done in Tyrus and Sidon, they had repented long agone in sackecloth and ashes.
But I say to you, It shalbe easier for Tyrus and Sidon at the day of iudgement, then for you.
And thou, Capernaum, which art lifted vp vnto heauen, shalt be brought downe to hell: for if the great workes, which haue bin done in thee, had bene done among them of Sodom, they had remained to this day.
But I say vnto you, that it shall be easier for them of the land of Sodom in the day of iudgement, then for thee.
Cross-references (70)
- Matthew 10:15 (vv22, 24) Most certainly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.
- Isaiah 14:13-15 (v23) You said in your heart, “I will ascend into heaven! I will exalt my throne above the stars of God! I will sit on the mountain of assembly,…
- Ezekiel 3:6-7 (v21) not to many peoples of a strange speech and of a hard language, whose words you can’t understand. Surely, if I sent you to them, they would…
- Matthew 11:24 (v22) But I tell you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom, on the day of judgment, than for you.”
- John 4:46-54 (v23) Jesus came therefore again to Cana of Galilee, where he made the water into wine. There was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at…
Show all 68 cross-references
- Matthew 11:22 (vv21, 24) But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.
- Genesis 13:13 (v23) Now the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinners against Yahweh.
- Matthew 4:13 (v23) Leaving Nazareth, he came and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
- Hebrews 10:26-31 (v22) For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins, but a certain…
- Job 42:6 (v21) Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”
- Matthew 12:36 (v22) I tell you that every idle word that men speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.
- Matthew 15:21 (v21) Jesus went out from there, and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon.
- Mark 6:11 (v24) Whoever will not receive you nor hear you, as you depart from there, shake off the dust that is under your feet for a testimony against…
- Mark 6:45 (v21) Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat, and to go ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he himself sent the multitude…
- Luke 9:10 (v21) The apostles, when they had returned, told him what things they had done. He took them and withdrew apart to a desert region of a city…
- Luke 12:47-48 (v22) That servant, who knew his lord’s will, and didn’t prepare, nor do what he wanted, will be beaten with many stripes, but he who didn’t…
- John 12:21 (v21) These, therefore, came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.”
- Acts 12:20 (v21) Now Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. They came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus, the king’s personal…
- 1 John 4:17 (v22) In this love has been made perfect among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, even so we are in this…
- Revelation 11:8 (v23) Their dead bodies will be in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.
- Genesis 19:24-25 (v23) Then Yahweh rained on Sodom and on Gomorrah sulfur and fire from Yahweh out of the sky. He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the…
- Lamentations 2:1 (v23) How has the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger! He has cast the beauty of Israel down from heaven to the earth,…
- Lamentations 4:6 (v24) For the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the sin of Sodom, which was overthrown as in a moment. No hands were laid on…
- Ezekiel 16:48-50 (v23) As I live,” says the Lord Yahweh, “Sodom your sister has not done, she nor her daughters, as you have done, you and your daughters. “ ‘…
- Ezekiel 28:12-19 (v23) “Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and tell him, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “You were the seal of full measure, full of…
- Ezekiel 31:16-17 (v23) I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to Sheol with those who descend into the pit. All the trees of…
- Obadiah 1:4 (v23) Though you mount on high as the eagle, and though your nest is set among the stars, I will bring you down from there,” says Yahweh.
- Matthew 8:5 (v23) When he came into Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking him,
- Matthew 16:18 (v23) I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
- Matthew 18:7 (v21) “Woe to the world because of occasions of stumbling! For it must be that the occasions come, but woe to that person through whom the…
- Mark 3:8 (v21) from Jerusalem, from Idumaea, beyond the Jordan, and those from around Tyre and Sidon. A great multitude, hearing what great things he did,…
- Mark 7:31 (v21) Again he departed from the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and came to the sea of Galilee, through the middle of the region of Decapolis.
- Mark 8:22 (v21) He came to Bethsaida. They brought a blind man to him, and begged him to touch him.
- Luke 6:17 (v21) He came down with them, and stood on a level place, with a crowd of his disciples, and a great number of the people from all Judea and…
- Luke 14:11 (v23) For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
- John 1:44 (v21) Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter.
- Acts 2:27 (v23) because you will not leave my soul in Hades, neither will you allow your Holy One to see decay.
- 2 Peter 2:4-9 (v23) For if God didn’t spare angels when they sinned, but cast them down to Tartarus, and committed them to pits of darkness to be reserved for…
- Jude 1:7 (v23) Even as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, having in the same way as these given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone…
- Jude 1:11 (v21) Woe to them! For they went in the way of Cain, and ran riotously in the error of Balaam for hire, and perished in Korah’s rebellion.
- Isaiah 23:1-18 (v22) The burden of Tyre. Howl, you ships of Tarshish! For it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in. From the land of Kittim…
- Jeremiah 13:27 (v21) I have seen your abominations, even your adulteries, and your neighing, the lewdness of your prostitution, on the hills in the field. Woe…
- Jeremiah 25:22 (v22) and all the kings of Tyre, all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of the isle which is beyond the sea;
- Jeremiah 27:3 (v22) Then send them to the king of Edom, to the king of Moab, to the king of the children of Ammon, to the king of Tyre, and to the king of…
- Ezekiel 26:1-21 (v22) In the eleventh year, in the first of the month, Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, “Son of man, because Tyre has said against Jerusalem,…
- Ezekiel 29:18 (v22) “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyre. Every head was made bald, and every…
- Amos 1:9-10 (v22) Yahweh says: “For three transgressions of Tyre, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they delivered up the whole…
- Zechariah 9:2-3 (v22) and Hamath, also, which borders on it; Tyre and Sidon, because they are very wise. Tyre built herself a stronghold, and heaped up silver…
- Matthew 12:41-42 (v21) The men of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah;…
- Matthew 17:24 (v23) When they had come to Capernaum, those who collected the didrachma coins came to Peter, and said, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the didrachma?”
- Matthew 23:13-29 (v21) “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and as a pretense you make long prayers. Therefore you will…
- Matthew 26:24 (v21) The Son of Man goes, even as it is written of him, but woe to that man through whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for that…
- Mark 7:24 (v21) From there he arose, and went away into the borders of Tyre and Sidon. He entered into a house, and didn’t want anyone to know it, but he…
- Luke 4:23 (v23) He said to them, “Doubtless you will tell me this parable, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done at Capernaum, do also…
- Luke 4:26 (v21) Elijah was sent to none of them, except to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
- Luke 10:12 (v24) I tell you, it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city.
- Luke 10:13-15 (v21) “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would…
- Luke 10:14 (v22) But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you.
- Luke 11:42-52 (v21) But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, but you bypass justice and God’s love. You ought to have done these,…
- Luke 16:23 (v23) In Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his bosom.
- John 3:5-10 (v21) Jesus answered, “Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born of water and spirit, he can’t enter into God’s Kingdom. That which is born…
- Acts 13:44-48 (v21) The next Sabbath, almost the whole city was gathered together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were…
- Acts 27:3 (v21) The next day, we touched at Sidon. Julius treated Paul kindly, and gave him permission to go to his friends and refresh himself.
- Acts 28:25-28 (v21) When they didn’t agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had spoken one word, “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the…
- Hebrews 6:4-8 (v22) For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and tasted the…
- Hebrews 2:3 (v22) how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation—which at the first having been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed to us by those…
- 2 Peter 2:9 (v22) the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,
- 2 Peter 3:7 (v22) But the heavens that exist now and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire, being reserved against the day of judgment and…
68 distinct cross-references across this passage (70 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv21–24 21 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida!…
21 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
Ver. 21. Woe unto thee, Chorazin] These littorals, or those that dwell by the sea coast, are noted to be duri, horridi, immanes, omnium denique pessimi, rough, harsh, thievish, peevish people, and as bad as those that are worst. But that which aggravated these men’s sin, and made it out of measure sinful, was the contempt of the gospel: which, as it is post naufragium tabula, so "how shall they escape that neglect so great salvation?" See that ye shift not off him that speaketh from heaven, &c., μη παραιτησησθε, Heb 12:25. Jerome tells us that Chorazin was in his time turned into a desert, being two miles distant from Capernaum. As for Bethsaida, our Saviour had there hence taken three of his apostles at least, to be lights of the world, but the inhabitants of this town loved darkness rather than light; the apostles, their countrymen, could do no good upon them. Our Saviour therefore would not allow so much as the blind man whom he had cured to be their preacher, but led him to the town’s end, and there restoring him to sight, sent him away.
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They would have repented long ago] Blind heathens, when any misery was upon them, would to their sackcloth and sorrows, thinking thereby to pacify God, and so they rested. In like sort there are among us, that when they are afflicted, especially in conscience, set upon some duty, so to lick themselves whole again, Isa 58:5. They do as crows, that when they are sick give themselves a vomit, by swallowing down some stone, and then they are well. They rest in their repentance: hence Austin saith, "Repentance damns more than sin."
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv21, 23 Luke hath the same, Luk 10:13,14. Chorazin (and) Bethsaida…
Luke hath the same, Luk 10:13,14. Chorazin (and) Bethsaida were two cities of Galilee not far from one another, only the lake of Gennesaret was between them. Capernaum (by and by spoken of) was between them both, on the same side of the lake as Bethsaida, which was the city of Philip, Andrew, and Peter, Joh 1:44. In these towns Christ had often preached, so probably had the apostles, and Christ had done many great works in them.
Tyre and Sidon were habitations of heathens, their country joined to Galilee. They were places of great traffic, inhabited with Canaanitish idolaters, and exceedingly wicked; threatened by the prophet Isaiah, Isa 23:1-18, and by the prophet Ezekiel, Eze 26:1-28:26, and by Amos, Amo 1:9,10; a people odious to the Jews upon many accounts. To these our Lord here compares the Galileans, telling them that they were worse than that pagan people, who were so contemptible in their eyes, and that their plagues in the day of judgment would be greater.
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For (saith he)
if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. Some think this a strong proof, that where the gospel is preached God gives a sufficiency of grace; so as if men will but use that power which they have in their own wills, they may, with the assistance only of that grace, truly repent and be saved. I shall not meddle with that dispute, but cannot see how that notion can derive any proof from this text;
1. Because the text only mentions Christ’s miracles, not his preaching.
2. The text doth not say, they would long ago have repented unto life, but they would have repented in sackcloth and ashes, they would have been more affected than these Galileans were, who showed no sense at all of their sins. The king of Nineveh and his people repented, Jon 3:7,8; so did Ahab, 1Ki 21:27; yet none will say they repented unto life. None ever denied a power in man’s will (his understanding being by the gospel enlightened to his duty) to perform acts of moral discipline.
3. Our Saviour might here speak after the manner of men, according to rational conjectures and probabilities. The scope of our Saviour in these words is to be attended, which was only to show, that the men of Chorazin and Bethsaida, showing no signs of remorse for sin, or conviction of the Messias upon the sight of his miracles, confirming his doctrine to be from heaven, had showed a greater stubbornness and hardness of heart than these heathens, who, though they were bad enough, yet had not had such means to reform and to convince them. Therefore he tells them their place in hell would be more dreadful than the place of the men of Tyre and Sidon. And so we are by this text taught, that as the sins of men who have the light of the gospel are much greater than the sins of the worst of men who have it not, so their condemnation in the day of judgment will be much heavier, Joh 3:19.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
William Burkitt 1703 · Public Domain On vv23–24 This city lying under greater guilt than the rest,…
This city lying under greater guilt than the rest, Christ names it by itself, without the rest; nay he doth not only name it, but notify it, as being lifted up to heaven by signal favours and privileges, namely, Christ’s presence, Christ’s preaching and miracles.
Observe, 1. Capernaum’s privileges enjoyed, though a poor obscure place in itself, yet she was by the person, ministry, and miracles of Christ, lifted up to heaven.
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Learn thence, That gospel ordinances and church privileges enjoyed are a mighty honour and advancement to the poorest persons and obscurest places.
Observe, 2. An heavy doom denounced, Thou shalt be brought down to hell: that is, thy condition shall be as sad as that of the worst of men, for thy non-proficiency under the means enjoyed.
Learn thence, That gospel-ordinances and church-privileges enjoyed but not improved, provoke Almighty God to inflict the sorest of judgment upon a people. Thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shall be brought down to hell.
William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv21–24 But I say unto you,.... What may be depended…
But I say unto you,.... What may be depended upon as true, and which shall certainly come to pass, however the inhabitants of these cities might flatter themselves; or in whatsoever light they might look upon their neighbours, the Tyrians and Sidonians; and fancy themselves to be the favourites of heaven, and these as the most execrable of creatures;
it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day off judgment, than for you. Their punishment in another world will be more mild and moderate; they will not have such severe stings of conscience, nor have reason to make such bitter reflections on themselves, as those will who have had the advantages of a Gospel revelation: all sins are not alike, nor will the punishment of them be the same; there will be degrees of torments in hell, and which the justice of God requires. These words suppose, that the men of Tyre and Sidon will be punished for their many abominable sins, committed against the law and light of nature; but that the inhabitants of Chorazin and Bethsaida, having rejected the Messiah, and the doctrines of the Gospel, against all the evidence of miracles, and convictions of their own minds, and probably sinned the sin against the Holy Ghost; as their sins are aggravated, their condemnation will be the greater, and their punishment the more intolerable.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv21–23 Woe to thee, Chorazin - That is, miserable art…
Woe to thee, Chorazin - That is, miserable art thou. For these are not curses or imprecations, as has been commonly supposed; but a solemn, compassionate declaration of the misery they were bringing on themselves. Chorazin and Bethsaida were cities of Galilee, standing by the lake Gennesareth. Tyre and Sidon were cities of Phenicia, lying on the sea shore. The inhabitants of them were heathens. Luke x, 13.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv21–24 Verse 21. Wo unto thee, Chorazin - Bethsaida!] It…
Verse 21. Wo unto thee, Chorazin - Bethsaida!] It would be better to translate the word ουαι σοι, alas for thee, than wo to thee. The former is an exclamation of pity; the latter a denunciation of wrath. It is evident that our Lord used it in the former sense. It is not known precisely where Chorazin was situated; but as Christ joins it in the same censure with Bethsaida, which was in Upper Galilee, beyond the sea, Mr 6:45, it is likely that Chorazin was in the same quarter. Though the people in these cities were (generally) impenitent, yet there is little doubt that several received the word of life. Indeed, Bethsaida itself furnished not less than three of the twelve apostles, Philip, Andrew, and Peter. See Joh 1:44.
Tyre and Sidon] Were two heathen cities, situated on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, into which it does not appear that Christ ever went, though he was often very nigh to them; see Mt 15:21.
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They would have repented long ago] παλαι, formerly, seems here to refer to the time of Ezekiel, who denounced destruction against Tyre and Sidon, Eze 26, 27, and 28. Our Lord, then, intimates that, if Ezekiel had done as many miracles in those cities as himself had in Chorazin and Bethsaida, the inhabitants would have repented in sackcloth and ashes, with the deepest and most genuine sorrow.
A Hindoo who renounces the secular life, and becomes a religious mendicant, often covers himself with a coarse cloth sprinkled over with ashes. This is the sackcloth and ashes which our Lord refers to; and this covering was the outward sign of deep repentance, and forsaking of sin.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv21, 23 Chorazin and Bethsaida - These were towns not far…
Chorazin and Bethsaida - These were towns not far from Capernaum, but the precise situation is unknown. See “The Land and the Book” (Thomson), vol. ii. pp. 8, 9. Bethsaida means literally a “house of hunting” or “a house of game,” and it was probably situated on the banks of the Sea of Galilee, and supported itself by hunting or fishing. It was the residence of Philip, Andrew, and Peter, Joh 1:44. It was enlarged by Philip the Tetrarch, and called “Julia,” after the emperor’s daughter.
Tyre and Sidon - These were cities of Phoenicia, formerly very opulent, and distinguished for merchandise. They were situated on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, and were in the western part of Judea. They were therefore well known to the Jews. Tyre is frequently mentioned in the Old Testament as being the place through which Solomon derived many of the materials for building the temple, 2Ch 2:11-16. It was also a place against which one of the most important and pointed prophecies of Isaiah was directed. See the notes at Isa. 23. Compare Eze 26:4-14. Both these cities were very ancient. Sidon was situated within the bounds of the tribe of Asher Jos 19:28, but this tribe could never get possession of it, Jdg 1:31. It was famous for its great trade and navigation. Its inhabitants were the first remarkable merchants in the world, and were much celebrated for their luxury. In the time of our Saviour it was probably a city of much splendor and extensive commerce. It is now called Seide, or Saide, and is far less populous and splendid than it was in the time of Christ. It was subdued successively by the Babylonians, Egyptians, and Romans, the latter of whom deprived it of its freedom.
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Messrs. Fisk and King, American missionaries, passed through Sidon in the summer of 1823, and estimated the population, as others have estimated it, at 8,000 or 10,000; but Mr. Goodell, another American missionary, took up his residence there in June, 1824, for the purpose of studying the Armenian language with a bishop of the Armenian Church who lives there, and of course had far better opportunities to know the statistics of the place. He tells us there are six Muslim mosques, a Jewish synagogue, a Maronite, Latin, and Greek church. Dr. Thomson (“The Land and the Book,” vol. i. p. 164) supposes that the population may now be about 10,000 - about 6,800 Moslems, 850 Greek Catholics, 750 Maronites, 150 Greeks, and 300 Jews. It exports tobacco, oil, fruit, and silk, but the amount of exports is small.
Tyre was situated about 20 miles south of Sidon. It was built partly on a small island about 70 paces from the shore, and partly on the mainland. It was a city of great extent and splendor, and extensive commerce. It abounded in luxury and wickedness. It was often besieged. It held out against Shalmaneser five years, and was taken by Nebuchadnezzar after a siege of “thirteen” years. It was afterward rebuilt, and was at length taken by Alexander the Great, after a most obstinate siege of five months. There are no signs now of the ancient city. It is the residence only of a few miserable fishermen, and contains, amid the ruins of its former magnificence, only a few huts. Thus was fulfilled the prophecy of Ezekiel: “Thou shalt be built no more; though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found again” Eze 26:21. For a description of Tyre as it was formerly and as it is now, see the notes at Isa. 23.
In sackcloth and ashes - Sackcloth was a coarse cloth, like canvas, used for the dress of the poor, and for the more common articles of domestic economy. It was worn also as a sign of mourning. The Jews also frequently threw ashes on their heads as expressive of grief, Job 1:21; Job 2:12; Jer 6:26. The meaning is, that they would have repented with “expressions of deep sorrow.” Like Nineveh, they would have seen their guilt and danger, and would have turned from their iniquities. “Heathen” cities would have received him better than the cities of the Jews, his native land,
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv21–23 Woe to thee, Corozain, &c. These four verses shew…
Woe to thee, Corozain, &c. These four verses shew us how dangerous it is to resist the divine graces, and not to make good use of those favourable opportunities which the divine Providence hat placed us in, of working our salvation and of improving ourselves in virtue and sanctity. (Witham) --- Sack-cloth and ashes, &c. It was the custom for those who were in mourning, to be clothed with sack-cloth, and sit in ashes. (Menochius)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv21–24 Woe unto thee, Chorazin!--not elsewhere mentioned, but it must…
Woe unto thee, Chorazin!--not elsewhere mentioned, but it must have lain near Capernaum.
woe unto thee, Bethsaida--"fishing-house," a fishing station--on the western side of the Sea of Galilee, and to the north of Capernaum; the birthplace of three of the apostles--the brothers Andrew and Peter, and Philip. These two cities appear to be singled out to denote the whole region in which they lay--a region favored with the Redeemer's presence, teaching, and works above every other.
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for if the mighty works--the miracles
which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon--ancient and celebrated commercial cities, on the northeastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea, lying north of Palestine, and the latter the northernmost. As their wealth and prosperity engendered luxury and its concomitant evils--irreligion and moral degeneracy--their overthrow was repeatedly foretold in ancient prophecy, and once and again fulfilled by victorious enemies. Yet they were rebuilt, and at this time were in a flourishing condition.
they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes--remarkable language, showing that they had done less violence to conscience, and so, in God's sight, were less criminal than the region here spoken of.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv21–23 21. Chorazin — The three cities here named were…
21. Chorazin — The three cities here named were all on the northwest side of the Lake of Gennesaret; but of their precise position no infallible account can be given, as no certain traces of them now exist. But the latest researches, those of Dr. Thomson, will probably establish the opinion that Chorazin is identical with the modern Khorazy. See note on Mat_4:13, and the map. Tyre — This celebrated city, the commercial emporium of ancient Phenicia, was founded two hundred years before the time of Solomon. It stood on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, about midway between Egypt and Asia Minor. It was one of the wealthiest and most celebrated cities of antiquity. Sidon, or Zidon, was a still more ancient Phenician city, standing on the same shore, about forty miles north of Tyre. It was situated within the limits of the tribe of Asher, but was never conquered by Israel. It was celebrated for commerce and manufactures. It is now a town of some fifteen thousand inhabitants.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv21, 23 21. Chorazin] is identified with Kerazeh, two and a…
21. Chorazin] is identified with Kerazeh, two and a half miles N. of Tell Hum. The ruins here are extensive and interesting; among them a synagogue built of hard black basalt and houses with walls still six feet high. Recovery of Jerusalem, p. 347.
Bethsaida] (House of Fish) called Julias in honour of Julia daughter of Augustus, was rebuilt and beautified by Herod Philip, in whose dominions the town was situated.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv21, 23 (21) Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida!—It…
(21) Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida!—It is singular enough that no miracles are recorded in the Gospels as wrought at either of these cities. The latter was indeed nigh unto the scene of the feeding of the five thousand, but that comes later on in the Gospel narrative. The former is only known to us through this passage and the parallel words of Luk_10:12-16. We may at least infer from the absence of any such record the genuineness of the words reported and the truthful aim of the Evangelists. The words were not an after-thought dove-tailed into the narrative. The narrative was not expanded or modified in order to explain the words. In St. Luke the “woes” are connected with the mission of the Seventy. They may well have been uttered, as has been said above, more than once.
The position of Chorazin is described by Jerome as being on the shore of the lake, about two miles from Capernaum.
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The Bethsaida here spoken of was probably that on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. The name in Aramaic signifies “House of Fish;” and it was therefore, we may believe, on the shore, and not far from the two cities with which it is here grouped.
Tyre and Sidon.—The two cities are chosen as being, next to Sodom and Gomorrah (Mat_10:15, and Mat_11:24), the great representative instances of the evil of the heathen world, and of the utter overthrow to which that evil was destined (Ezekiel 27, 28). Over and above their immediate import the words are full of meaning as throwing light on the ultimate law of God’s dealings with the heathen world. Men are judged not only according to what they have done, but according to what they might or would have done under other circumstances and conditions of life. In other words, they are judged according to their opportunities. The whole teaching of St. Paul in Romans 2, all the wider hopes of later times as to the future of mankind, are but the development of the truth partly declared and partly suggested here.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv21–24 Woe unto thee, Chorazin. The modern Kerazeh, two miles…
Woe unto thee, Chorazin. The modern Kerazeh, two miles from the northwest bank of the sea of Galilee. Among its ruins are the remains of a synagogue. The corn of both it and Kephar Ahim (probably Capernaum)was so excellent as to make R. Jose say that, had they been nearer Jerusalem, it would have been used for the temple offerings (Talm. Bab.," Menachoth," 85 a; see Neubauer, "Geogr.," p. 220. There appears, however, to be a slight doubt about the reading of both names, see Rabbinoviez, "Var. Lect.," in loc. ). Woe unto thee, Bethsaida. Schurer (I 2:14; compare, however, II 1:136) thinks that this is probably not identical with the large town Bethsaida Julias on the east bank of the Jordan as it enters the sea of Galilee. It is, perhaps, Khan Minyeh (Nosgen), and if so was a little south-west of Capernaum. For if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon. The transposition of parts of these clauses in the Revised Version approaches more closely the order of the Greek, and better Dreserves the double emphasis there given. Tyro and Sidon. (Eze 28) They would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. (Jon_3:6 Dan_9:3 Est_4:1; comp. also Job_2:8 2Sa_3:31; and Ezekiel"s description of the effect of Tyre"s punishment upon her princes, Eze_26:16)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain On vv21–24 21. Woe unto thee, Chorazin. Chorazin has long been…
21. Woe unto thee, Chorazin. Chorazin has long been extinct, and its site is not certainly known. It is named only here and in Luke 10:13. Situated about two miles from the ruins of Tell-Hum, thought to be Capernaum, there are ruins now called Kerazeh, including a synagogue, columns and walls of buildings, supposed to mark the site of Chorazin. Woe unto thee, Bethsaida. The word means “House of fish,” and the name would imply that it was a fishing town, and it was the home of the fishermen, Peter, Andrew and Philip (John 1:44). Its locality is in dispute. It was probably situated on both sides of the Jordan, where it emptied into the Sea of Galilee. The ruins of a city lie there, mostly on the east side of the river. For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon. These were rich Phoenician trading cities on the east shore of the Mediterranean. Tyre was long the chief commercial city of the world; it still exists as a wretched town. In sackcloth and ashes. The symbols of mourning and repentance. See Jonah 3:5, on the repentance of Nineveh. Sackcloth was a kind of coarse cloth, woven of camel's hair.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v23 (See Scofield "Luk 16:23").
hell
(See Scofield "Luk 16:23").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On vv21, 23 The curse upon Chorazin and Bethsaida:
The curse upon Chorazin and Bethsaida:
v. 21. Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe unto thee, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
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v. 22. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the Day of Judgment than for you.
It is not a mere personal opinion which Christ here utters, but a judgment which is fully equivalent to a curse. They had rejected Him and His Gospel, and so He is compelled to pronounce sentence upon them: Woe, judgment, condemnation! Chorazin was a town on the western side, on the road from Capernaum to Tyre, not far from the seashore. Bethsaida was on the other side of Capernaum, on the lake. Mar 6:45; Mar 8:22. Tyre and Sidon were heathen cities, and had often been the subject of prophetic curses, Isa 23:1; Eze 26:2-3; Eze 27:2; Zec 9:2; Jer 25:22; Jer 27:3; Joe 3:9. They are taken as representatives of the entire heathen world in their opposition to the true God, in their moral corruptness and idolatry. The contrast is purposely glaring: The Galilean cities signally blessed both temporally and spiritually from olden times, their inhabitants members of the chosen people of God, now distinguished more than ever by the sojourn of Christ in their midst with the revelation of His glory, with opportunities such as no other cities ever had; and the heathen cities that were visited only occasionally by a prophet of the Lord. The greater the grace, the greater the responsibility. On the Day of Judgment all these things will be taken into account and sentence rendered accordingly, Luk 12:47-48; Luk 13:34-35. Only the deepest and most sincere repentance, in black sackcloth, with ashes on the head, in token of penitence, is acceptable to Christ.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v23 Connecting Statement:
Connecting Statement:
Jesus continues to rebuke the people of the cities where he previously did miracles.
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You, Capernaum
Jesus now speaks to the people in the city of Capernaum as if they were listening to him, but they were not. The pronoun "you" is singular and refers to Capernaum throughout these two verses. (See: Apostrophe)
You
All occurrences of "you" are singular. If it is more natural to refer to the people of the city, you could translate with a plural "you." (See: Forms of You)
Capernaum ... Sodom
The names of these cities refer to the people living in Capernaum and in Sodom. (See: Metonymy)
do you think you will be exalted to heaven?
"do you think you will be raised up to heaven?" Jesus uses a rhetorical question to rebuke the people of Capernaum for their pride. It can be stated in active form: AT: "you cannot raise yourself up to heaven!" or "the praise of other people will not raise you up to heaven!" or "God will not bring you up to heaven like you think he will!" (See: Rhetorical Question and Active or Passive)
you will be brought down to Hades
This can be stated in active form. AT: "God will send you down to Hades" (See: Active or Passive)
For if in Sodom ... it would still have remained until today
Jesus is describing a hypothetical situation that could have happened in the past, but it did not. (See: Hypothetical Situations)
if in Sodom there had been done the mighty deeds that were done in you
This can be stated in active form. AT: "if I had done the mighty deeds among the people of Sodom that I have done among you" (See: Active or Passive)
mighty deeds
"mighty works" or "works of power" or "miracles"
it would still have remained
The pronoun "it" refers to the city of Sodom.
I say to you
This phrase adds emphasis to what Jesus says next.
it shall be easier for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you
Here "land of Sodom" refer to the people who lived there. AT: "God will show more mercy to the people of Sodom in the day of judgment than to you" or "God will punish you more severely in the day of judgment than the people of Sodom" (See: Metonymy)
than for you
The implicit information can be made explicit. AT: "than for you, because you did not repent and believe in me, even though you saw me do miracles" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
translationWords
Capernaum
exalt
heaven
Hades
Sodom
might
works
judgment day
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv21, 23 11:21-24 As Jesus moved through the villages of Galilee—from…
11:21-24 As Jesus moved through the villages of Galilee—from Korazin to Bethsaida to Capernaum—he gave the people a greater revelation of himself, with a correspondingly more severe judgment when they refused to listen. The severity is indicated by comparison with the pagan cities of Tyre (Isa 23; Ezek 26:1–28:19), Sidon (Ezek 28:20-23), and Sodom (Gen 18:22–19:29).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.