Bethsaida

also known as: Beth Saida

Meaning: house of fish; house of fishing; house of hunting

The name of one or two biblical cities…

Shore of the Sea of Galilee, showing the location of Bethsaida (1, below), near Capernaum. Photo provided by ChristianAnswers Associate, BiblePlaces.

1. Bethsaida, a town in Galilee, on the west side of the Sea of Galilee (aka Sea of Tiberias), in the “land of Gennesaret”

   It was the native place of Peter, Andrew, and Philip, and was frequently resorted to by Jesus (Mark 6:45; John 1:44; 12:21). It is supposed to have been at the modern 'Ain Tabighah, a bay to the north of Gennesaret.

2. Bethsaida, a city near which Christ fed 5,000 (Luke 9:10; compare John 6:17; Matthew 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.