The following article is part of the "Biblical Obscurities" blog series by Mike Velthouse, author of Journey Through the Psalms. For years, Mike has been writing articles for his church's monthly newsletter on a number of "obscurities" within the Bible. We will be reprinting many of those articles here on the RFPA blog. Join our email list here to receive a notification in your inbox for new additions to this blog series! PCs: Adobe Stock.

“Woe unto thee!” (Luke 10:13)

It is called The Evangelical Triangle—the three towns on the north side of the Sea of Galilee: Capernaum, Bethsaida, and Chorazin (KOR-a-zeen). Jesus spent over 70 percent of his ministry in this region. The people here witnessed more than half of Jesus’ recorded miracles. The area should have countless loyal followers of Christ, demonstrate the most significant number of conversions, and be the center of the Christian world, right? Wrong.

"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.” (Matthew 11:21)

Tyre and Sidon? Those were Gentile cities! 

“And thou, Capernaum….it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in that day of judgment than for thee.” (vs. 22-23)

Really? THAT Sodom?

You are probably quite familiar with Capernaum and Bethsaida, as these cities appear in the Bible numerous times. Bethsaida existed on the northeast shore of the Sea of Galilee on the east side of the Jordan River. Several disciples came from this town: Peter, Andrew, Phillip, James, and John. Jesus performed several miracles here: giving sight to a blind man (Mark 8), feeding 5,000 men (Luke 9), and walking on water (Mark 6).

Capernaum is even more well-known. It was located on the north side of the Sea of Galilee and west of the Jordan River. Capernaum served as Jesus’ "hometown" when he visited the area, and he probably stayed at the home of Peter's mother-in-law, whom he healed in Matthew 8. In Capernaum, Jesus cured a centurion's servant (Luke 7). He also “healed many that were sick of diverse diseases and cast out many devils” here (Mark 1). 

But what of the third town, Chorazin? Chorazin seems to get mentioned out of nowhere in the "woe" passages above, only to disappear from Scripture by the very next verse. 

Chorazin stood two miles north of the Sea of Galilee, almost directly above Capernaum. Beneath the town, the land contained basalt ruins and volcanic rock. (*1) This made Chorazin a thriving agricultural center in New Testament times; the volcanic soil caused the ground to heat up more quickly than in other places, thus producing the highest quality grain. Chorazin flourished as a town.

But Jesus pronounced a woe on it!

The curse on Chorazin has been fulfilled in the town's failure to maintain its existence throughout history. (*2) Its inhabitants abandoned it in 135 A.D. when the Jews were expelled from Israel and Palestine by the Romans. Though the town was rebuilt in the third century, an earthquake destroyed Chorazin again around the year 330. Other repeated attempts to revive Chorazin as a sustainable town have failed for the past 1700 years. 

What man attempts to establish, God can destroy at any time.

Nevertheless, Chorazin is alive in historical records today due to excellent archaeological work over the past several decades. Let’s visit Chorazin and learn about some of the fascinating things that have been unearthed.

The remains visible in Chorazin are estimated to have come from the third century, before the devastating earthquake we mentioned above. (*3) Historians estimate that Chorazin’s population consisted of 1000-1500 people. Tourists today can see a cobblestone public courtyard and a ritual bath that would have been used for cleansing and purification before entering the synagogue for special feast days. You can also find a wine press and an olive press with the pressing wheel still in place, seemingly ready to move in its circle. The ruins of tiny stone homes remind us that people lived here once.

However, the masterpiece of Chorazin and the highlight of our tour is its synagogue, unearthed and ready for us to enter.

The basalt-stone synagogue is an elevated building located in the center of town. The layout is very similar to how it would have been during Jesus’ visits. The entrance faces south because the doors of all synagogues must face Jerusalem. As we approach, we ascend a twelve-step stone staircase. Upon reaching the patio at the synagogue's level, don't forget to turn around and enjoy the spectacular view. You'll see a beautiful two-mile vista of rolling, green hills meandering down to the coast of the Sea of Galilee.

Inside the 50-by-70-foot synagogue is one large open hall, and visitors may notice stone benches that go around the entire perimeter of the room. (*4) No upper gallery exists, meaning that men and women were not segregated in this synagogue. The middle of the room is an open space where the people can sit as they listen to their teachers. If you walk to the back of the hall, you'll find a cabinet shell that once contained the Torah and other scrolls. If you look more closely at the walls, you'll see beautiful carvings in the stone: plants, local animals, stone lions, and even the head of Medusa. These artifacts indicate the influence of Roman and Greek paganism that even made its way into a Jewish synagogue! This paganism greatly influenced the people in their unbelief of Jesus. 

The "crown jewel" of this synagogue is called The Seat of Moses. (*5) Discovered in 1920, it is a decorated stone seat on which only those teachers with the most authority could sit and read the Torah to the people. Jesus references this seat in Matthew 23: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not….but all their works they do for to be seen of men” (vv. 2-8).

After exiting the synagogue, we head south on a path that will take us to Capernaum in about an hour. This memorable route is the same 2.5-mile walk Jesus and his disciples would have taken many times as they traveled between the two towns. Can you imagine Jesus teaching his disciples the mysteries of the kingdom as they roamed this trail? Plus, such a breathtaking view would never get old!

Although the woes of Matthew 11 were applied to all three towns, the application to Chorazin stands out because this denunciation is all the Bible tells us of this city.

We can summarize the cause of these curses in one word: unbelief. Think of all the time Jesus spent in this area. Think of all the miracles he performed in the sight of the people there. Yet, they did not believe in Jesus! Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom did not have the extraordinary revelation that Chorazin did: God in the flesh. The Gentiles had only the general revelation of creation (though Romans 1:20 says that creation alone leaves them without excuse for unbelief). However, Chorazin and the other towns had the actual gospel. As such, although Chorazin has experienced the pronouncement of Jesus' curse throughout history, all three cities will undergo a final judgment more terrifying than the judgment on Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom.

Let us heed this warning also. We have the word of God. We have the faithful preaching of the word. We have many means by which we can grow spiritually every day: books, devotionals, podcasts, Bible studies, etc. The book of John, and all of Scripture, was "written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing he might have life through his name" (John 20:31). By the grace of God, let us obey our calling to believe.

Romans 10:9, "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God has raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."

1 – www.israeladvantagetours.com/chorazin

2 – www.seetheholyland.net/tag/evangelical/triangle

3 - www.holylandsite.com/chorazin

4 – www.land-of-the-bible.com/chorazin

5 – www.waynestiles.com/chorazin

Like what you've read? Click the image below to read more from author Mike Velthouse in the thirty-day devotional Journey Through the Psalms, available now on rfpa.org and in Christian bookstores near you!