Cities & towns · Galilee
Bethsaida
What was Bethsaida?
Bethsaida was a fishing village on the Sea of Galilee, hometown of Peter, Andrew, and Philip.
TodayEt-Tell or el-Araj, near the north shore of the Sea of Galilee
Name meansHouse of fishing
Apostles from herePeter, Andrew, Philip
Bethsaida — “house of fishing” — sat near where the Jordan enters the Sea of Galilee. Three of the twelve apostles came from it.
Near Bethsaida Jesus fed the five thousand, and in the village he healed a blind man in two stages — first seeing people “like trees walking,” then clearly.
Like Capernaum, the town saw mighty works yet did not repent, and Jesus pronounced a woe over it.
Key verses BSB · Public Domain (CC0)
John 1:44 “Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the same town as Andrew and Peter.” Mark 8:22 “When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.” Luke 9:10 “Then the apostles returned and reported to Jesus all that they had done. Taking them away privately, He withdrew to a town called Bethsaida.”
Related places
Original BibleDawn profile. Drafted with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy. Scripture quoted from the public-domain Berean Standard Bible.