Capernaum
A place in the Bible
A town on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, where people lived by fishing and farming. Jesus went to live there. Peter and Andrew had a house in the town, and Jesus taught in its synagogue.
What happened here
- What happened there: Jesus taught in the synagogue on the sabbath. There he healed Peter’s mother-in-law.
- More visits: he came back to Capernaum many times. There he healed a centurion’s servant.
Today
Its ruins remain in northern Israel, and people can visit them. The synagogue seen today was built centuries later; the one from the time of Jesus would be underneath.
Where it appears in the Bible
Mark 1:21; Mark 1:29; Matthew 4:13; Mark 2:1; Luke 7:1; Luke 7:2
What the Bible says
Mark 1:21
And they entered into Capharnaum, and forthwith upon the sabbath days going into the synagogue, he taught them.
Mark 1:29
And immediately going out of the synagogue they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.
Matthew 4:13
And leaving the city Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capharnaum on the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim;
Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.
Source: Mark 1:21-29; Matthew 4:13; Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), “Capharnaum”; Britannica, “Capernaum”; Custody of the Holy Land