Matthew 11:23 (YLT)

Passage

`And thou, Capernaum, which unto the heaven wast exalted, unto hades shalt be brought down, because if in Sodom had been done the mighty works that were done in thee, it had remained unto this day;

Nearby Context

Matthew 11:21 `Woe to thee, Chorazin! woe to thee, Bethsaida! because, if in Tyre and Sidon had been done the mighty works that were done in you, long ago in sackcloth and ashes they had reformed;

Matthew 11:22 but I say to you, to Tyre and Sidon it shall be more tolerable in a day of judgment than for you.

Matthew 11:23 `And thou, Capernaum, which unto the heaven wast exalted, unto hades shalt be brought down, because if in Sodom had been done the mighty works that were done in thee, it had remained unto this day;

Matthew 11:24 but I say to you, to the land of Sodom it shall be more tolerable in a day of judgment than to thee.'

Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus answering said, `I do confess to Thee, Father, Lord of the heavens and of the earth, that thou didst hide these things from wise and understanding ones, and didst reveal them to babes.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thou", "capernaum", "heaven", "wast", "exalted", "hades", "shalt", and "brought". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thou" and "capernaum", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "but I say to you to Tyre..." into verse 24's "but I say to you to the...", so "thou" and "capernaum" 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 "thou" and "capernaum" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.