The Healing at the Pool
Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool with five covered colonnades, which in Hebrew is called Bethesda. John 5:2 · Berean Standard Bible
In Jerusalem, near the Sheep Gate, there was a pool called Bethesda with five covered walkways. It was a well-known gathering place for the sick.
Bethesda means 'house of mercy,' which is fitting because this is where Jesus is about to show extraordinary mercy to a man who has been waiting for decades.
The Gospel writer carefully describes the location, painting a picture of the place where one of Jesus' most compassionate miracles will happen.
Picture a pool surrounded by covered porches, filled with people who had nowhere else to turn. It was a place of last resort, and that is exactly where Jesus chose to go.
The pool near the Sheep Gate (probatikē) is identified as Bethesda (or Bethzatha), featuring five colonnades (stoas). Archaeological excavations at the site near St. Anne's Church have confirmed a double pool with surrounding porticoes, validating John's topographic precision.
John's use of the present tense 'there is' (estin) for the pool suggests either pre-70 AD composition or a literary present. The Hebrew name Bethesda means 'house of mercy' or 'house of outpouring,' creating ironic resonance with the healing that follows.
The narrator provides detailed geographic description, grounding the following miracle in a specific, verifiable Jerusalem location.
The setting is a pool surrounded by five covered walkways, a place known for healing. The archaeological confirmation of this site underscores the historical reliability of John's account and sets the physical stage for a miraculous encounter.
1Some time later there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
2Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool with five covered colonnades, which in Hebrew is called Bethesda.
3On these walkways lay a great number of the sick, the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed.
Read all of John 5 — A man who has been an invalid for thirty-eight years is told to pick up his mat and walk. The Pharisees are more concerned about the day of the week.
This page covers one. BibleKey does all 31,102 — tap any verse for its meaning, any word for its Hebrew or Greek root, and keep reading without leaving the chapter.
Not just the famous ones. BibleKey is free on iPhone and iPad.
Download on the App StoreFree on iPhone & iPad