the First Week of Lent
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King James Version
Matthew 11:21
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“Woe to you, Chorazin!
Woe vnto thee Chorazin, woe vnto thee Bethsaida: for if the mightie workes which were done in you, had bene done in Tyre and Sidon, they would haue repented long agoe in sackcloth and ashes.
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that occurred in you had occurred in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
He said, "How terrible for you, Korazin! How terrible for you, Bethsaida! If the same miracles I did in you had happened in Tyre and Sidon, those people would have changed their lives a long time ago. They would have worn rough cloth and put ashes on themselves to show they had changed.
"Woe (judgment is coming) to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon [cities of the Gentiles], they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes [their hearts would have been changed and they would have expressed sorrow for their sin and rebellion against God].
Woe be to thee, Chorazin: Woe be to thee, Bethsaida: for if ye great workes, which were done in you, had bene done in Tyrus and Sidon, they had repented long agone in sackecloth and ashes.
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
You people of Chorazin are in for trouble! You people of Bethsaida are in for trouble too! If the miracles that took place in your towns had happened in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have turned to God long ago. They would have dressed in sackcloth and put ashes on their heads.
"Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Beit-Tzaidah! Why, if the miracles done in you had been done in Tzor and Tzidon, they would long ago have put on sackcloth and ashes as evidence that they had changed their ways.
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.
Jesus said, "It will be bad for you Chorazin! It will be bad for you Bethsaida! I did many miracles in you. If these same miracles had happened in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have changed their lives a long time ago. They would have worn sackcloth and put ashes on themselves to show that they were sorry for their sins.
Woe to you, Chorazin! woe to you, Bethsaida! for if in Tyre and Sidon had been done the works which were done in you, they might have repented in sackcloth and ashes.
"How terrible it will be for you, Chorazin! How terrible for you too, Bethsaida! If the miracles which were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have long ago put on sackcloth and sprinkled ashes on themselves, to show that they had turned from their sins!
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the powerful acts which have taken place in you had happened in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
Unhappy are you, Chorazin! Unhappy are you, Beth-saida! For if the works of power which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have been turned from their sins in days gone by, clothing themselves in haircloth and putting dust on their heads.
"Woe to you, Kora'zin! Woe to you, Beit-Tzaidah! For if the mighty works had been done in Tzor and Tzidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
"How terrible it will be for you, Chorazin! How terrible it will be for you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that happened in you had taken place in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.Jonah 3:7-8;">[xr]
saying, Woe to thee, Korazin ! woe to thee, Bethtsaida! for if in Tsur and in Tsaidon those miracles had been done which have been performed in you, they would a while ago in sackcloth and ashes have repented.
And he said: Woe to thee, Chorazin ! Woe to thee, Bethsaida ! For if the deeds of power done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, doubtless, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes.
Wo vnto thee Chorazin, wo vnto thee Bethsaida: for if the mightie workes which were shewed in you had ben done in Tyre or Sidon, they had repented long ago in sackcloth and asshes.
Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
Wo to thee, Chorazin, wo to thee, Bethsaida: for if the mighty works which have been done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
"Alas for thee, Chorazin!" He cried. "Alas for thee, Bethsaida! For had the mighty works been done in Tyre and Sidon which have been done in both of you, they would long ere now have repented, covered with sackcloth and ashes.
Wo to thee! Corosaym, woo to thee! Bethsaida; for if the vertues that ben doon in you hadden be doon in Tyre and Sidon, sumtyme thei hadden don penaunce in heyre and aische.
Woe to you, Chorazin! woe to you, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
Woe to thee, Chorazin; woe to thee, Bethsaida: for if the mighty works which have been done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, 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.
"What sorrow awaits you, Korazin and Bethsaida! For if the miracles I did in you had been done in wicked Tyre and Sidon, their people would have repented of their sins long ago, clothing themselves in burlap and throwing ashes on their heads to show their remorse.
"It is bad for you, city of Chorazin! It is bad for you, town of Bethsaida! For if the powerful works which were done in you had been done in the cities of Tyre and Sidon, they would have turned from their sins long ago. They would have shown their sorrow by putting on clothes made from hair and would have sat in ashes.
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
Alas for thee, Chorazin! Alas for thee, Bethsaida! Because, if, in Tyre and Zidon, had been done the works of power, which were done in you, of old, in sackcloth and ashes, had they repented.
Woe thee, Corozain, woe to thee, Bethsaida: for if in Tyre and Sidon had been wrought the miracles that have been wrought in you, they had long ago done penance in sackcloth and ashes.
"Woe to you, Chora'zin! woe to you, Beth-sa'ida! for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
Wo be to ye Chorasin. Wo be to ye Betzaida: for if the miracles which were shewd in you had bene done in Tyre and Sidon they had repented longe agone in sackcloth and asshes.
`Wo to thee, Chorazin! wo 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;
Wo vnto the Chorasin, Wo vnto the Bethsaida: for yf the miracles which haue bene shewed amoge you, had bene done in Tyre and Sidon, they had repented longe agoo in sack cloth and asshes.
wo unto thee, Chorazin, wo unto thee, Bethsaida: for if the miracles which were done among you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
"Doom to you, Chorazin! Doom, Bethsaida! If Tyre and Sidon had seen half of the powerful miracles you have seen, they would have been on their knees in a minute. At Judgment Day they'll get off easy compared to you. And Capernaum! With all your peacock strutting, you are going to end up in the abyss. If the people of Sodom had had your chances, the city would still be around. At Judgment Day they'll get off easy compared to you."
"Oh what a heavy price that Chorazin and Bethsaida are gonna have to pay. If the miracles that had been done there had been done in Tyre or Sidon, they would have stopped all their sinning and given glory to God.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Woe: Matthew 18:7, Matthew 23:13-29, Matthew 26:24, Jeremiah 13:27, Luke 11:42-52, Jude 1:11
Bethsaida: Mark 6:45, Mark 8:22, Luke 9:10, John 1:44, John 12:21
for: Matthew 12:41, Matthew 12:42, Ezekiel 3:6, Ezekiel 3:7, Acts 13:44-48, Acts 28:25-28
repented: Job 42:6, John 3:5-10
Reciprocal: Genesis 37:34 - General 2 Kings 19:1 - covered Esther 4:1 - with ashes Job 2:8 - he sat Isaiah 10:1 - Woe Isaiah 15:3 - their streets Isaiah 37:1 - he rent Ezekiel 16:23 - woe Jonah 3:6 - and covered Matthew 9:13 - but Matthew 15:21 - Tyre Luke 6:17 - the sea Acts 12:20 - Tyre Acts 13:42 - the Gentiles Acts 21:3 - Tyre
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Woe unto thee, Chorazin!.... Though many of Christ's mighty works were done in this place, yet mention is made of it no where else, but here; whether it was a single city, or a country, is not easy to determine: the word ××רש××, "Chorasin", signifying "woody places", Dr. Lightfoot l conjectures it might include Cana, in which Christ wrought his first miracle, and a small adjacent country, situated in a wood, and be so called from thence; and Origen m reads it, ÏοÏα ζιν, "the region of Zin":
woe unto thee, Bethsaida! This was the city of Andrew and Peter,
see Gill "Joh 1:44"; so that as bad as it was, some persons were called out of it by the grace of God, and to the high office of apostleship; and which makes that grace in such the more distinguishing:
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. These words are to be understood in a popular sense, as Grotius observes, and express what was probable, according to an human judgment of things; and the meaning is, that if the inhabitants of Tyre and Sidon had had the advantages of Christ's ministry, and of seeing his miracles, as the inhabitants of Chorazin and Bethsaida had, it looks very likely, or one would be ready to conclude, especially from many coming out of these parts, to attend on Christ's ministry, Mark 3:8 and from the conversion of some of them in after times, Acts 21:3 they would have repented of their sins; at least, in an external way, signified by sackcloth and ashes, which were outward signs of repentance; see Isaiah 58:5. And which, if it had been only performed in such a manner by the inhabitants of Chorazin and Bethsaida, would have saved them from temporal judgments, which their sins now called for. The words are an hyperbolical exaggeration of the wickedness of those cities, like to Ezekiel 3:5 showing, that they were worse than the Tyrians and Sidonians; an Heathenish and idolatrous people, who lived very profligate and dissolute lives, in all intemperance, luxury, and impiety; and therefore would be punished in a severer way: neither this passage, nor what follows, can be any proof of God's giving sufficient grace to all men alike, which in some is effectual to conversion, and in others not, but of the contrary; since the men of Tyre and Sidon had not the same means, or the same grace, as the inhabitants of the other cities, if the mighty works done among them are to be called so; or that man has a power to repent of himself, in a spiritual and evangelical way; or that outward means, as doctrines and miracles, are sufficient to produce such a repentance, without efficacious and unfrustrable grace; since only an outward repentance is here supposed, such as that of Ahab, and of the Ninevites.
l Chorogr. Cent. in Matth. p. 84. Vol. 2. m Philocalia, p. 109.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Chorazin and Bethsaida - These were towns not far from Capernaum, but the precise situation is unknown. See âThe Land and the Bookâ (Thomson), vol. ii. pp. 8, 9. Bethsaida means literally a âhouse of huntingâ or âa house of game,â and it was probably situated on the banks of the Sea of Galilee, and supported itself by hunting or fishing. It was the residence of Philip, Andrew, and Peter, John 1:44. It was enlarged by Philip the Tetrarch, and called âJulia,â after the emperorâs daughter.
Tyre and Sidon - These were cities of Phoenicia, formerly very opulent, and distinguished for merchandise. They were situated on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, and were in the western part of Judea. They were therefore well known to the Jews. Tyre is frequently mentioned in the Old Testament as being the place through which Solomon derived many of the materials for building the temple, 2 Chronicles 2:11-16. It was also a place against which one of the most important and pointed prophecies of Isaiah was directed. See the notes at Isaiah 23:0. Compare Ezekiel 26:4-14. Both these cities were very ancient. Sidon was situated within the bounds of the tribe of Asher Joshua 19:28, but this tribe could never get possession of it, Judges 1:31. It was famous for its great trade and navigation. Its inhabitants were the first remarkable merchants in the world, and were much celebrated for their luxury. In the time of our Saviour it was probably a city of much splendor and extensive commerce. It is now called Seide, or Saide, and is far less populous and splendid than it was in the time of Christ. It was subdued successively by the Babylonians, Egyptians, and Romans, the latter of whom deprived it of its freedom.
Messrs. Fisk and King, American missionaries, passed through Sidon in the summer of 1823, and estimated the population, as others have estimated it, at 8,000 or 10,000; but Mr. Goodell, another American missionary, took up his residence there in June, 1824, for the purpose of studying the Armenian language with a bishop of the Armenian Church who lives there, and of course had far better opportunities to know the statistics of the place. He tells us there are six Muslim mosques, a Jewish synagogue, a Maronite, Latin, and Greek church. Dr. Thomson (âThe Land and the Book,â vol. i. p. 164) supposes that the population may now be about 10,000 - about 6,800 Moslems, 850 Greek Catholics, 750 Maronites, 150 Greeks, and 300 Jews. It exports tobacco, oil, fruit, and silk, but the amount of exports is small.
Tyre was situated about 20 miles south of Sidon. It was built partly on a small island about 70 paces from the shore, and partly on the mainland. It was a city of great extent and splendor, and extensive commerce. It abounded in luxury and wickedness. It was often besieged. It held out against Shalmaneser five years, and was taken by Nebuchadnezzar after a siege of âthirteenâ years. It was afterward rebuilt, and was at length taken by Alexander the Great, after a most obstinate siege of five months. There are no signs now of the ancient city. It is the residence only of a few miserable fishermen, and contains, amid the ruins of its former magnificence, only a few huts. Thus was fulfilled the prophecy of Ezekiel: âThou shalt be built no more; though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found againâ Ezekiel 26:21. For a description of Tyre as it was formerly and as it is now, see the notes at Isaiah 23:0.
In sackcloth and ashes - Sackcloth was a coarse cloth, like canvas, used for the dress of the poor, and for the more common articles of domestic economy. It was worn also as a sign of mourning. The Jews also frequently threw ashes on their heads as expressive of grief, Job 1:21; Job 2:12; Jeremiah 6:26. The meaning is, that they would have repented with âexpressions of deep sorrow.â Like Nineveh, they would have seen their guilt and danger, and would have turned from their iniquities. âHeathenâ cities would have received him better than the cities of the Jews, his native land,
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Matthew 11:21. Wo unto thee, Chorazin - Bethsaida! — It would be better to translate the word Î¿Ï Î±Î¹ Ïοι, alas for thee, than wo to thee. The former is an exclamation of pity; the latter a denunciation of wrath. It is evident that our Lord used it in the former sense. It is not known precisely where Chorazin was situated; but as Christ joins it in the same censure with Bethsaida, which was in Upper Galilee, beyond the sea, Mark 6:45, it is likely that Chorazin was in the same quarter. Though the people in these cities were (generally) impenitent, yet there is little doubt that several received the word of life. Indeed, Bethsaida itself furnished not less than three of the twelve apostles, Philip, Andrew, and Peter. See John 1:44.
Tyre and Sidon — Were two heathen cities, situated on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, into which it does not appear that Christ ever went, though he was often very nigh to them; see Matthew 15:21.
They would have repented long ago — Ïαλαι, formerly, seems here to refer to the time of Ezekiel, who denounced destruction against Tyre and Sidon, Ezekiel 26:0, Ezekiel 27:0, and Ezekiel 28:0. Our Lord, then, intimates that, if Ezekiel had done as many miracles in those cities as himself had in Chorazin and Bethsaida, the inhabitants would have repented in sackcloth and ashes, with the deepest and most genuine sorrow.
A Hindoo who renounces the secular life, and becomes a religious mendicant, often covers himself with a coarse cloth sprinkled over with ashes. This is the sackcloth and ashes which our Lord refers to; and this covering was the outward sign of deep repentance, and forsaking of sin.
