Charles Ellicott Commentary John 2:12

"After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and [his] brethren, and his disciples; and there they abode not many days." — John 2:12 (ASV)

After this he went down to Capernaum.—For the position of Capernaum, compare Note on Matthew 4:13. It was on the shore of the Lake of Tiberias, and He must have gone “down” to it from any locality among the hills of Galilee. The words do not imply that they went to Capernaum directly from Cana.

“After this” permits a return to Nazareth, and the mention of the “brethren” makes such a return probable. The place of this sojourn in the order of events belongs to the narrative of the earlier Gospels. Here, as elsewhere, questions that recur are treated when they are first mentioned.

To deal with them on each occurrence would save the trouble of reference, but at the cost of much space; and this would be a false economy, for the spiritual profit arising from constant reference is one that no earnest student of the Gospels would desire to lose. He will wish to study every event in that life in every word that records it. (Compare Matthew 4:13 and following, and Matthew 9:1; Mark 3:21–31; Mark 6:3; Luke 4:16–30). For the “brethren of the Lord,” see Note on Matthew 13:55.