Bible Strands
Luke 4:23
Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to Me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! Do here in Your hometown what we have heard that You did in Capernaum.’”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses the Nazareth synagogue crowd immediately after they marvel at His teaching and question His identity as Joseph’s son. He anticipates their demand that He replicate His Capernaum miracles locally to validate His ministry.
The words — The supplied Greek πάντως (pantōs) means "Surely," and ἐρεῖτέ (ereite) means "you will say." Jesus uses these terms to forecast the crowd’s expectation that He perform a local proof of His power.
The thread — This expectation of regional validation intersects with Jesus’ warning about Capernaum’s pride (Matthew 11:23) and His recorded miracles in Cana and Capernaum (John 4:46; Mark 2:1). The pattern shows His ministry consistently meeting local skepticism before expanding outward.
Why it lands — The text demands a reader confront the reality that proximity to a messenger often breeds skepticism rather than faith. It requires acknowledging that spiritual authority is not earned by local proof but by divine mandate.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.
Cross-references
- Matthew 11:23 And 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 have remained to this day.
- John 4:46 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.
- Mark 2:1 A few days later Jesus went back to Capernaum. And when the people heard that He was home,
- John 2:3 When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to Him, “They have no more wine.”
- Romans 2:21 you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?
- Matthew 4:13 Leaving Nazareth, He went and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
- Mark 6:1 Jesus went on from there and came to His hometown, accompanied by His disciples.
- Matthew 4:23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
- Matthew 13:54 Coming to His hometown, He taught the people in their synagogue, and they were astonished. “Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers?” they asked.
- Mark 1:21 Then Jesus and His companions went to Capernaum, and right away Jesus entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and began to teach.