Matthew 11:23

In the original Greek according to Westcott-Hort for this verse is:

Καὶ σύ, Καπερναούμ, ἡ ἕως τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ὑψωθεῖσα, ἕως ᾍδου καταβιβασθήσῃ· ὅτι εἰ ἐν Σοδόμοις ἐγένοντο αἱ δυνάμεις αἱ γενόμεναι ἐν σοί, ἔμειναν ἂν μέχρι τῆς σήμερον.

In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:

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.

The New International Version translates the passage as:

And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day.

Lapide points out that Capernaum has become exalted by Jesus' miracles and doctrine and preaching, not its wealth and prosperity. However for not receiving Jesus, they will be brought down to Hades, which the KJV renders as 'hell' while the NIV gives 'depths.' The particle ἂν in the Greek is sometimes rendered as "perhaps," (i.e. it would have perhaps remained.) in other passages, but here Lapide and others believe this would be an incorrect rendering, since the uncertainly referred to here is due to the free-will of the inhabitants of Sodom rather than an imperfect awareness of the outcome by Jesus.^[1]

See Woes to the unrepentant cities.