Bible Location

Nain

New Testament
A Visit With Jesus

Nain was a Galilean village remembered in the Gospel of Luke as the place where Jesus raised a widow's only son from the dead.

As Jesus approached the town gate, He encountered a funeral procession carrying the young man outside for burial. Moved with compassion for the widowed mother, Jesus restored her son to life.

Nain is commonly identified with the modern village of Nein on the northwestern slope of the Hill of Moreh in lower Galilee.

Biblical Significance

Luke records Jesus traveling to a town called Nain accompanied by His disciples and a large crowd.

As He approached the town, a dead man was being carried out for burial. He was the only son of his mother, who was herself a widow.

Jesus had compassion on her, touched the bier, and commanded the young man to arise. The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

The crowd responded with fear and praise, declaring that a great prophet had arisen among them and that God had visited His people.

Historical Background

Nain is mentioned only in Luke among biblical texts, and little is known about the settlement from ancient literary sources.

Its location in lower Galilee placed it within the region of Jesus' Galilean ministry.

The nearby slopes contain ancient burial areas, fitting Luke's description of a funeral procession leaving the settlement for burial outside the inhabited area.

Modern Identification

Biblical Nain is commonly identified with the modern village of Nein in lower Galilee, near the Hill of Moreh and southeast of Nazareth.

The preservation of the ancient name and the appropriate geographical setting make this identification strong.

Later Christian traditions identify particular locations associated with the miracle, but those specific sites cannot be demonstrated from the first-century evidence.

Scripture References

Luke 7:11

Related Resources

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Sources

Bible: Luke 7:11-17; early Christian geographical traditions; historical geography and archaeological surveys of lower Galilee and modern Nein