Matthew 11:22 (DBY)

Passage

But I say to you, that it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in judgment-day than for you.

Nearby Context

Matthew 11:20 Then began he to reproach the cities in which most of his works of power had taken place, because they had not repented.

Matthew 11:21 Woe to thee, Chorazin! woe to thee Bethsaida! for if the works of power which have taken place in you, had taken place in Tyre and Sidon, they had long ago repented in sackcloth and ashes.

Matthew 11:22 But I say to you, that it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in judgment-day than for you.

Matthew 11:23 And *thou*, Capernaum, who hast been raised up to heaven, shalt be brought down even to hades. For if the works of power which have taken place in thee, had taken place in Sodom, it had remained until this day.

Matthew 11:24 But I say to you, that it shall be more tolerable for [the] land of Sodom in judgment-day than for thee.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "tolerable", "tyre", "sidon", "judgment-day", and "than". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "tolerable", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 21's "Woe to thee Chorazin woe to thee..." into verse 23's "And thou Capernaum who hast been raised...", so "shall" and "tolerable" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "shall" and "tolerable" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.