In the village of Nahum, on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, about 2 miles west of the entrance of the Jordan is located the New Testament town of Capernaum. The origin of the name, Kefar Nahum, indicates a relationship to someone named Nahum. Archaeological evidence indicates a life of the town from Roman times until abandonment in the late Arab period.

Currently being excavated is the site known to the Arabs as Tell Hum, and archaeologists are generally agreed that it is the location of ancient Capernaum.

Capernaum appears in the Biblical record only in the gospels where it is mentioned 16 times. As an economic center in Galilee it was more significant than tradition has often allowed. The designation "city" distinguishes it from the "fishing village" category. Perhaps the proximity to a major east-west trade route explains the need for a customs station there. The importance of the city is further demonstrated by the location of a military installation there under the command of a centurion. Fishing and farming were important to the economy and archaeological evidence suggests that there were other light industries contributing to the local prosperity.

In the New Testament Capernaum was chosen as the base of operations by Jesus when He began His ministry. Teaching in the synagogue (Mark 1:21 "And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.") and private homes (Mark 2:1 "And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.") was basic to His work there, but the miracles performed there appear to have precipitated the controversy and opposition. The religious leadership challenged the direction of Jesus' ministry (Mark 2:24, 7:5) and the popular following attempted to take over and force Him into a political position (John 6:15). Mark (2:1) referred to Capernaum as Jesus' home and Matthew (9:1) described it as "his own city." It appears that several of the disciples also lived in that town including Peter, Andrew, Matthew, and perhaps John and James. The populace apparently did not accept His messianic role because they fell under the same condemnation as Chorazin and Bethsaida for failing to repent in Matthew 11:20-24. Verse 23 says, "And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day." Luke 10:15 records the same prophecy with the word thrust instead of brought. "And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell."

After being tempted by Satan and hearing that John the Baptist was in prison, Jesus went to Capernaum. Matthew 4:13 states, "And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim."

Luke 7:1-10 records the story of the faithful Centurion. This takes place in Capernaum. Luke 7:1 reads, "Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum."

Talmudic sources of the second century refer to Capernaum as the home of some Jewish heretics ("Minim") who are usually assumed to have been Jewish Christians. An early Christian traveler, Egeria, in 381-384 reported a church on the site of the home of the apostle Peter, and the pilgrim of Piacenza, 573, declared that the site was then a basilica. However, it should be noted that Jewish presence remained intact at least through the sixth century.

The city was abandoned finally some time in the 10th century before the arrival of the Crusaders. Early archaeological excavating was begun on the synagogue by Wilson and Anderson in 1856. The area near the synagogue was purchased by the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land in 1894 and a plot of equal size comprising the eastern portion of the town was acquired by the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem. The synagogue area was excavated in 1905 by Kohl and Watzinger and 1921 by Orfali. Orfali had also worked the area of an octagonal Christian church built over the traditional site of Peter's house.

Since 1968, archaeologists Corbo and Loffreda have continued the work, revealing an important settlement dating to the first century. The Greek section has been excavated since 1978 under the direction of Vassilios Tzaferis. These excavations have demonstrated that the city did not die in the seventh century A.D. but shifted eastward and survived until approximately the Crusader period. Notable finds in recent years have included a major gold hoard (1982) and an early Roman bath house.