Matthew 11:21

Matthew 11:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)“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.
• English Standard Version (ESV)"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, 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.

Context of Matthew 11:21

19The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and people say, ‘Look at him! He’s a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ “Yet, wisdom is proved right by its actions.” 20Then Jesus denounced the cities where he had worked most of his miracles because they had not changed the way they thought and acted. “How horrible it will be for you, Chorazin! How horrible it will be for you, Bethsaida! If the miracles worked in you had been worked in Tyre and Sidon, they would have changed the way they thought and acted long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22I can guarantee that judgment day will be better for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to heaven? No, you will go down to hell! If the miracles that had been worked in you had been worked in Sodom, it would still be there today.

Matthew 11:21 word by word

Οὐαί σοι Χοραζίν, οὐαί σοι Βηθσαϊδά, ὅτι εἰ ἐν Τύρῳ καὶ Σιδῶνι ἐγένοντο αἱ δυνάμεις αἱ γενόμεναι ἐν ὑμῖν, πάλαι ἂν ἐν σάκκῳ καὶ σποδῷ μετενόησαν.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Woeοὐαίouai · woe!G3759
• unto theeσύsu · youG4771
• ChorazinΧοραζίνChorazin · ChorazinG5523
• BethsaidaΒηθσαϊδάBēthsaida · BethsaidaG966
• forὅτιhoti · that/since: sinceG3754
• ifεἰei · ifG1487
• the mighty worksὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the mighty worksδύναμιςdunamis · powerG1411
• which were doneγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• TyreΤύροςTuros · TyreG5184
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• SidonΣιδώνSidōn · SidonG4605
• theyμετανοέωmetanoeō · to repentG3340
• would haveἄνan · ifG302
• long agoπάλαιpalai · of oldG3819
• sackclothσάκκοςsakkos · sackclothG4526
• ashesσποδόςspodos · ashesG4700

Cross-references for Matthew 11:21

• Matthew 18:7How horrible it will be for the world because it causes people to lose their faith. Situations that cause people to lose their faith will arise. How horrible it will be for the person who causes someone to lose his faith!
• Matthew 23:13“How horrible it will be for you, experts in Moses’ Teachings and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. You don’t enter it yourselves, and you don’t permit others to enter when they try.
• Matthew 26:24The Son of Man is going to die as the Scriptures say he will. But how horrible it will be for that person who betrays the Son of Man. It would have been better for that person if he had never been born.”
• Jeremiah 13:27I have seen you commit adultery and squeal with delight. I have seen you act like a shameless prostitute on the hills and in the fields. How horrible it will be for you, Jerusalem! Will you ever be clean?”
• Luke 11:42“How horrible it will be for you Pharisees! You give ⌞God⌟ one-tenth of your mint, spices, and every garden herb. But you have ignored justice and the love of God. You should have done these things without ignoring the others.
• Jude 1:11How horrible it will be for them! They have followed the path of Cain. They have rushed into Balaam’s error to make a profit. They have rebelled like Korah and destroyed themselves.
• Mark 6:45Jesus quickly made his disciples get into a boat and cross to Bethsaida ahead of him while he sent the people away.
• Mark 8:22As they came to Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to Jesus. They begged Jesus to touch him.
• Luke 9:10The apostles came back and told Jesus everything they had done. He took them with him to a city called Bethsaida so that they could be alone.
• John 1:44(Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter.)
• John 12:21They went to Philip (who was from Bethsaida in Galilee) and told him, “Sir, we would like to meet Jesus.”
• Matthew 12:41The men of Nineveh will stand up with you at the time of judgment and will condemn you, because they turned to God and changed the way they thought and acted when Jonah spoke his message. But look, someone greater than Jonah is here!
• Ezekiel 3:6I am not sending you to nations whose language is hard to understand, difficult to speak, or whose words you cannot understand. If I send you to those nations, they will certainly listen to you.
• Acts 13:44On the next day of rest—a holy day, almost the whole city gathered to hear the Lord’s word.
• Acts 28:25The Jews, unable to agree among themselves, left after Paul had quoted this particular passage to them: “How well the Holy Spirit spoke to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah!
• Job 42:6That is why I take back what I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show that I am sorry.”

Commentaries on Matthew 11:21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21Wo unto thee, Chorazin - Bethsaida! - It would be better to translate the word , 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, Mark 6:45, it is likely that Chorazin was in the same…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21Chorazin 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, John 1:44. It was enlarged by Philip the Tetrarch, and called…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-24Verses 16-24 Christ reflects on the scribes and Pharisees, who had a proud conceit of themselves. He likens their behaviour to children's play, who being out of temper without reason, quarrel with all the attempts of their fellows to please them, or to get them to join in the plays for which they used to assemble. The cavils of worldly men are often very trifling and show great malice. Something they have to urge against every one, however excellent and…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21-24As Jesus traveled through the villages of Galilee (Korazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum) he revealed more of himself to the people. Because of this greater revelation, their refusal to listen brought a more severe judgment. Jesus compared their judgment to that of the pagan cities Tyre (Isaiah 23; Ezekiel 26:1–28:19), Sidon (Ezekiel 28:20–23), and Sodom (Genesis 18:22–19:29).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2121. 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…Read the comment

Topics related to Matthew 11:21

• Ashes
• Bethsaida
• Chorazin
• Impenitence
• Jesus, the Christ
• Opportunity
• Responsibility
• Tyre

In the dictionaries

• Sidon
• Tyre
• Chorazin
• Easy
• Foreknowledge of God
• Judgment, The final
• Justify
• Learn
• Lowly
• Meek

Commentaries on Matthew 11

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings