Places in the Bible Today:

Capernaum

Data

Translated NameCapernaum
Typesettlement
Geo Data KML (for Google Earth)
GeoJSON (for GIS applications)

2 Possible Identifications

  1. Tell Hum (modern): 85% confidence
    1. aerial panorama of ruins at Tell HumTell Hum

  2. Khirbet Minyeh (modern): less than 10% confidence
    1. ruins at Khirbet MinyehKhirbet Minyeh

Verses (18)

  1. Matt 4:13, 8:5, 11:23, 17:24
  2. Mark 1:21, 2:1, 9:33, 10:1
  3. Luke 4:23, 4:31, 7:1, 10:15
  4. John 2:12, 4:46, 4:47, 6:17, 6:24, 6:59

Linked Data Identifiers

SourceIdentifier
Biblemapper.com301
Logos FactbookCapernaum
OpenBible.info (2007)Capernaum
OpenBible.infoaf2161c (Capernaum)
Pleiades678231
TIPNRCapernaum@Mat.4.13
UBS Names Databasent ID_582
WikidataQ59174

Sources

  1. Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (1992): Capernaum (place)
  2. Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land (1990): Capernaum
  3. Baker Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2013): Capernaum
  4. Baly, Atlas of the Biblical World (1971): Capernaum
  5. Baly, The Geography of the Bible (1974): page 197
  6. Carta Bible Atlas, 5th Edition (2011)
  7. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000): Capernaum
  8. ESV Bible Atlas (2010)
  9. Grollenberg, Atlas of the Bible (1957): Capernaum
  10. Hammond Atlas of the Bible Lands (2007): Capernaum
  11. HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (2011): Capernaum
  12. HarperCollins Concise Atlas of the Bible (1991)
  13. Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2003)
  14. Holman Illustrated Guide to Bible Geography (2020): page 234
  15. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1979): Capernaum
  16. IVP New Testament Bible Background Commentary (1993): Mark 1:21
  17. Lexham Bible Dictionary (2016): Capernaum
  18. Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2014): Capernaum
  19. New Bible Atlas (1985): Capernaum
  20. New Bible Dictionary (1996)
  21. New Interpreter’s Bible Dictionary (2009)
  22. New Unger’s Bible Dictionary (1988)
  23. Oxford Bible Atlas, Fourth Edition (2007)
  24. Reader’s Digest Atlas of the Bible (1981): Capernaum
  25. Revised Expositor’s Bible Commentary (2012): Matt 4:13; John 2:12
  26. Tyndale Bible Dictionary (2001): Capernaum
  27. Tübingen Bible Atlas (2001): Kapharnaoum
  28. Westminster Historical Atlas to the Bible (1956): Capernaum
  29. Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia (1975): Capernaum
  30. Zondervan Atlas of the Bible (2010)
  31. Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible (2010)
  32. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (2009): Matt 4:13; Luke 4:31
  33. Zondervan Pictorial Bible Atlas (1972): page 367

Confidence Trends over Time

This chart indicates how confidence in the identifications is changing over time. Each dot (connected by a dotted line) reflects the confidence of an identification over the preceding ten years (e.g., the 2009 dot reflects scholarship from 2000 to 2009), and the corresponding solid line reflects a best-fit line for the identification. Confidences that cluster near or below 0% indicate low confidence. Because of the small dataset, it's best to use this chart for general trends; if one identification is trending much higher than the others (in this case, Tell Hum), then you can probably have higher confidence in the identification. This chart only reflects the sources I consulted (listed above), not an exhaustive review of the literature.

Thumbnail Image Credits

AVRAMGR, Bukvoed

About

This page attempts to identify all the possible locations where this biblical place could be. The confidence levels add up to less than 100%, indicating that the modern location is uncertain. It's best to think about the confidences in relative rather than absolute terms. Often they reflect different schools of thought, each confident in their identifications.