Luke 10:15
in Luke 10And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades!
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And thou, Capernaum, shalt thou be exalted unto heaven? thou shalt be brought down unto Hades.
KJV
And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell.
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This verse in Luke 10
Commentary
10 notes on this verseAnd thou Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven,.... Referring either to the situation of it, which was on a very high hill; or to its privileges, through the ministry and miracles of Christ; or the phrase may be expressive of the pride and loftiness of the inhabitants of it, who were elated with the mercies they enjoyed, it being a most delightful, pleasant, and comfortable place to live in, as its name signifies.
This site's exposition
Woe unto thee, Chorazin
on Luke 10:13-15
Woe unto thee, Chorazin, woe unto thee, Bethsaida, for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they had repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes, the towns that saw the most of his miracles named as bearing the heaviest guilt for refusing him. It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you presses the same principle already given for any rejecting town, privilege raising the standard by which a place is judged. Thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell, the bench reading his own adopted home city singled out last and hardest, the town most favored with his presence now most exposed by its unbelief.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
And in another place: Now when our Lord had done many mighty works in Capernaum, and had Himself dwelt there, it seemed to be exalted above the other cities, but through unbelief fell to destruction. Hence it follows, And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shall be thrust down to hell; that, in fact, the judgment might be in proportion to the honour.
The Medieval Church4 voices
But secondly, rebuking with regard to the loftiness of mind, he adds: And you, Capernaum, exalted even unto heaven, namely through arrogance, you shall be thrust down even unto hell, by divine sentence. Whence Obadiah 1: "If you shall be exalted as the eagle and …
This sentence admits of two meanings: Either for this reason shalt thou be thrust down into hell, because thou proudly resisted My preaching; that in truth she might be understood to have raised herself up to heaven by her pride. Or, because thou art exalted to heaven by My dwelling in thee, and by My miracles, shalt thou be beaten with more stripes, since even these thou refusedst to believe. And that no one should suppose that this interpretation applied only either to the cities or the persons who, seeing our Lord in the flesh despised Him, and not to all also who now despise the words of the Gospel, He proceeds to add these words, He that heareth you, heareth me.
And you, Capernaum, exalted to the heavens, as one glorified by the many miracles performed in you, shall be brought down to Hades; you will be condemned for the very reason that even after so many miracles you do not believe.
And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to hell. There is a double meaning in this sentence. Either you will be brought down to hell because you have most arrogantly resisted my preaching; or because, having been exalted …
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1858)
proposed
These verses comprise the second part of our Lord Jesus Christ's charge to the seventy disciples. Its lessons, like those of the first part — have a special reference to ministers and teachers of the Gospel. But they contain truths which deserve the serious attention of all members of the Church of Christ. The first point we should notice in these verses — is the simplicity of the tidings which our Lord commanded some of His first messengers to proclaim. We read that they were commissioned to say, "The kingdom of God is near you."
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1858)
proposed
These verses comprise the second part of our Lord Jesus Christ's charge to the seventy disciples. Its lessons, like those of the first part — have a special reference to ministers and teachers of the Gospel. But they contain truths which deserve the serious attention of all members of the Church of Christ. The first point we should notice in these verses — is the simplicity of the tidings which our Lord commanded some of His first messengers to proclaim. We read that they were commissioned to say, "The kingdom of God is near you." These words we should probably regard as the key-note to all that the seventy disciples said. We can hardly suppose that they said nothing else but this single sentence. The words no doubt implied far more to a Jewish hearer at the time when they were spoken — than they convey to our minds at the present day. To a well instructed Israelite, they would sound like an announcement that the times of Messiah had come — that the long promised Savior was about to be revealed — that the "desire of all nations" was about to appear. (Haggai 2:7.) All this is unquestionably true. Such an announcement suddenly made by seventy men, evidently convinced of the truth of what they said, traveling over a thickly peopled country, could hardly fail to draw attention and excite inquiry. But still the message is particularly and strikingly simple . It may be doubted whether the modern way of teaching Christianity, as a general rule — is sufficiently simple. It is a certain fact that deep reasoning and elaborate arguments are not the weapons by which God is generally pleased to convert souls. Simple plain statements, boldly and solemnly made, and made in such a manner that they are evidently felt and believed by him who makes them — seem to have the most effect on hearts and consciences.
To hell - To hades. See this explained, Mat 11:23 (note).
The words behind it
11 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| καὶ | kai | And | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| σὺ | su | you yourself | G4771 → | 2973 times |
| Καφαρναοὺμ | kapharnaoum | Capernaum | G2584 → | 16 times |
| μὴ | me | not | G3361 → | 1066 times |
| ἕως | he'os | to | G2193 → | 146 times |
| οὐρανοῦ | ouranou | heaven | G3772 → | 272 times |
| ὑψωθήσῃ; | hupsothese | will you be lifted up? | G5312 → | 20 times |
| ἕως | he'os | to | G2193 → | 146 times |
| τοῦ | tou | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ᾅδου | hadou | Hades | G86 → | |
| καταβήσῃ.¶ | katabese | you will be brought down. | G2597 → | 81 times |
καὶAnd
kaiG2532 →9120 times
σὺyou yourself
suG4771 →2973 times
ΚαφαρναοὺμCapernaum
kapharnaoumG2584 →16 times
μὴnot
meG3361 →1066 times
ἕωςto
he'osG2193 →146 times
οὐρανοῦheaven
ouranouG3772 →272 times
ὑψωθήσῃ;will you be lifted up?
hupsotheseG5312 →20 times
ἕωςto
he'osG2193 →146 times
τοῦ<the>
touG3588 →19766 times
ᾅδουHades
hadouG86 →
καταβήσῃ.¶you will be brought down.
katabeseG2597 →81 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
2 Peter 2:4For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them deep into hell, placing them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment;
it leads to
- Jude 1:6
And the angels who did not stay within their own domain but abandoned their proper dwelling—these He has kept in eternal chains under darkness, bound for judgment on that great day.
- Matthew 25:41
Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
- Romans 8:32
He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?
- Revelation 20:1–3
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the Abyss, holding in his hand a great chain.
- Revelation 12:7–9
Then a war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.
- Jude 1:6
Through
Matthew 11:23And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would…
it leads to
- John 4:46–54
So once again He came to Cana in Galilee, where He had turned the water into wine. And there was a royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum.
- Isaiah 14:13–15
You said in your heart: “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of assembly, in the far reaches of…
- John 4:46–54
Through
Luke 13:28There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves are thrown out.
it leads to
- Matthew 8:11–12
I say to you that many will come from the east and the west to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
- Matthew 8:11–12
Where this verse is studied
About Luke
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bede, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Bede, On the Gospel of Luke; Bonaventure, Commentary on Luke, Chapter 10; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition); John Chrysostom, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Luke.