Matthew 11:21 (KJV)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

Matthew 11:19 The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.

Matthew 11:20 Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:

Matthew 11:21 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.

Matthew 11:22 But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.

Matthew 11:23 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thee", "chorazin", "bethsaida", "mighty", "works", "done", and "been". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thee" and "chorazin", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "Then began he to upbraid the cities..." into verse 22's "But I say unto you It shall...", so "thee" and "chorazin" 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 "thee" and "chorazin" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.