Capernaum was located near the northwest corner of the Sea of Galilee (also known as Sea of Tiberias or Lake of Gennesaret), near the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali (land given by God to these Israelite tribes as inheritance after Egyptian slavery). The city layed on the great highway from Damascus to Acco and Tyre. Although not mentioned in the Old Testament, Capernaum in New Testament times was the metropolis of Galilee and one of the most prosperous and crowded districts in all Palestine.

      At the beginning of his ministry Jesus left his boyhood home in Nazareth and took up residence in Capernaum. This move was a fulfillment of prophecy ( Matt. 4:13-16). Four or five of the twelve apostles Jesus chose lived in the city.

     The city was also the scene of several miraculous healings performed by Jesus, such as the healing of the nobleman’s son (John 4:46-54), the centurion’s servant (Matt. 8:5-13), Peter’s mother-in-law (Matt. 8:14-15), and the ruler’s daughter (Matt. 9:23-25).

Scriptural References:  John 4 ; Matthew 4, 8 , 9 (KJV Bible)

Sources Used: Easton's Bible Dictionary; Adam Clark's Commentary on the Entire Bible; Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary