Bethsaida

Bethsaida was a fishing village on the Sea of Galilee, notable as the hometown of several of Jesus' disciples and a place where He performed miracles.

Bethsaida was a fishing town located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It was the hometown of the disciples Philip, Andrew, and Peter (Jhn.1.44, 12:21). Jesus visited Bethsaida during His ministry and performed several miracles there, including healing a blind man (Mrk.8.22-26). Bethsaida was one of the cities, along with Chorazin and Capernaum, that Jesus rebuked for their unbelief despite the mighty works He had done in their midst (Matthew 11:21, Luke 10:13). After the miraculous feeding of the five thousand, Jesus instructed His disciples to cross over to Bethsaida while He dismissed the crowd (Mrk.6.45). The exact location of Bethsaida is debated, but it was likely situated near where the Jordan River enters the Sea of Galilee. Bethsaida's name derives from the Hebrew for "house of fishing" or "house of hunting," reflecting its primary industry. The Bible portrays Bethsaida as a place of great spiritual opportunity that largely failed to respond to Jesus' message and miracles.

A city near which Christ fed 5,000 (Luke 9:10; comp. John 6:17; Matt. 14:15-21), and where the blind man had his sight restored (Mark 8:22), on the east side of the lake, two miles up the Jordan. It stood within the region of Gaulonitis, and was enlarged by Philip the tetrarch, who called it “Julias,” after the emperor’s daughter. Or, as some have supposed, there may have been but one Bethsaida built on both sides of the lake, near where the Jordan enters it. Now the ruins et-Tel.