Now there is in JerusalemJerusalem is the central city of Jewish worship and the location of the Temple, the heart of Jewish religious life. It is significant in biblical history as the city of David and the site of many key events in the life of Jesus. The mention of Jerusalem sets the stage for the importance of the event, as it is a place where Jesus often taught and performed miracles.
near the Sheep Gate
The Sheep Gate is one of the gates of Jerusalem mentioned inNehemiah 3:1. It was likely used for bringing sheep into the city for sacrifices at the Temple. This gate's proximity to the Temple highlights the sacrificial system central to Jewish worship and foreshadows Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).
a pool with five covered colonnades
The pool is identified as having five covered colonnades, which suggests a place of shelter and gathering. Archaeological discoveries have identified this pool as the Pool of Bethesda, located near the Temple Mount. The five colonnades may symbolize the five books of the Torah, indicating a place of healing and teaching. The structure provided shade and a place for the sick to gather, awaiting healing.
which in Hebrew is called Bethesda
The name "Bethesda" means "house of mercy" or "house of grace." This name is fitting for a place where healing occurs, reflecting God's mercy and grace. The pool's name and its function as a place of healing connect to the broader biblical theme of God's compassion and the restoration of His people. The use of Hebrew indicates the Jewish context and audience of the narrative, emphasizing the continuity of Jesus' ministry with the Old Testament.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
JerusalemThe central city of Jewish worship and the location of the Temple. It is significant as the setting for many of Jesus' teachings and miracles.
2.
Sheep GateA gate in the walls of Jerusalem, traditionally used for bringing sheep into the city, particularly for sacrifices. It symbolizes access to the place of worship and sacrifice.
3.
Pool of BethesdaA pool in Jerusalem known for its healing properties. The name "Bethesda" can be translated from Hebrew as "house of mercy" or "house of grace."
4.
Five Covered ColonnadesArchitectural features providing shelter around the pool, indicating a place where many people gathered, especially those seeking healing.
5.
Hebrew LanguageThe use of Hebrew in naming the pool emphasizes the Jewish cultural and religious context of the event.
Teaching Points
Significance of LocationThe Pool of Bethesda's proximity to the Sheep Gate underscores the connection between physical healing and spiritual access to God. Reflect on how Jesus provides both physical and spiritual healing.
Symbolism of BethesdaThe name "house of mercy" invites believers to consider how God's grace is available to all who seek it. Contemplate how you can be a vessel of God's mercy in your community.
Gathering of the NeedyThe five colonnades sheltered many who were sick, illustrating the human condition of need and suffering. Consider how the church can be a place of refuge and healing for those in need.
Faith and HealingThe setting prepares for the miracle that follows, emphasizing the role of faith in receiving God's blessings. Reflect on areas in your life where you need to exercise faith for healing or provision.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of John 5:2?
2.How does John 5:2's setting enhance our understanding of Jesus' healing ministry?
3.What significance does the "Sheep Gate" have in the context of biblical prophecy?
4.How can we apply the lesson of Bethesda's pool to modern faith practices?
5.In what ways does John 5:2 connect to Old Testament healing narratives?
6.How does understanding John 5:2 deepen our appreciation for Jesus' compassion and power?
7.What is the significance of the pool of Bethesda in John 5:2?
8.How does John 5:2 relate to the concept of healing in Christianity?
9.What archaeological evidence supports the existence of the pool of Bethesda?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from John 5?
11.How can the healing at the pool of Bethesda (John 5:2–9) be historically validated when some scholars question the pool’s existence?
12.Is the Bible's text still original?
13.Is Zeitgeist the Movie a reliable source?
14.What are the contents of the Jesus Papers?What Does John 5:2 Mean
Now there is in JerusalemJohn records the scene in the present tense, underscoring that this site truly existed when he wrote. Jerusalem—the city where God chose to place His name (2 Chronicles 6:6)—is repeatedly the backdrop for decisive works of the Lord. From Jesus’ dedication as an infant in the temple (Luke 2:22-38) to His triumphal entry (Matthew 21:10-11), Jerusalem is where prophecy meets fulfillment. By locating the event here, John reminds us that the God of Scripture works in real places and real history.
near the Sheep Gate•Nehemiah 3:1 identifies the Sheep Gate as the portal priests rebuilt for bringing sacrificial animals into the temple precincts.
• This detail is no throwaway line; it places the pool at a gate associated with sacrifice, foreshadowing the ultimate sacrifice of “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
•Hebrews 10:11-12 contrasts daily temple sacrifices with Christ’s once-for-all offering, reinforcing the symbolism of Jesus performing a healing ministry right beside the very gate that ushered in animals destined for the altar.
a poolWater in Scripture frequently pictures cleansing and life. Think of Naaman washing and being healed in the Jordan (2 Kings 5:14) or the blind man sent to wash in Siloam (John 9:7). This pool, then, is more than a geographical marker; it becomes a stage for illustrating the living water Jesus later offers inJohn 7:37-38. The setting prepares our hearts for both physical and spiritual renewal.
with five covered colonnadesEye-level architectural precision lends eyewitness credibility (cf.John 19:35). The sheltered porticoes:
• Provided shade where the sick could gather, hinting at ministry aimed at society’s needy (Luke 4:18-19).
• Number five often evokes thoughts of God’s grace (e.g., the five Levitical offerings inLeviticus 1-7). While we avoid forced numerology, the grace motif certainly aligns with the miracle that follows.
• Similar colonnades appear elsewhere in John’s Gospel—“Jesus was walking in the temple courts in Solomon’s Colonnade” (John 10:23)—again rooting the narrative in verifiable structures.
which in Hebrew is called BethesdaCommonly understood as “house of mercy,” the name fits the purpose: a place where God’s mercy meets human misery. Mercy threads through Scripture: “He has shown mercy to our fathers” (Luke 1:72); “His mercy endures forever” (Psalm 136). When Jesus heals here (John 5:8-9), the name Bethesda is not coincidence but confirmation—our Lord embodies the mercy the pool’s name proclaims.
summaryJohn 5:2 is far more than travel directions. Each phrase layers meaning: a real Jerusalem locale, a gate tied to sacrifice, a cleansing pool, graceful porticoes, and a mercy-filled name. Together they frame the stage where Jesus—God’s Lamb—will tangibly display grace and power, validating both the historicity and the redemptive purpose of His earthly ministry.
(2)
Now there is at Jerusalem.--We have no certain knowledge of the time referred to in the last, nor of the place referred to in this, verse. For "sheep-market," we should read with the margin,
sheep-gate (
Nehemiah 3:1;
Nehemiah 3:32;
Nehemiah 12:39). This gate was known well enough to fix the locality of the pool, but is itself now unknown. St. Stephen's Gate, which has been the traditional identification, did not exist until the time of Agrippa. There is something tempting in the interpretation of the Vulgate adopted by some modern travellers and commentators, which supplies the substantive from the immediate context, and reads "sheep-pool." But the fact that the Greek adjective for "sheep," is used here only in the New Testament, and in the Old Testament only in the passages of Nehemiah referred to above, seems to fix the meaning beyond doubt.
Bethesda means "house of mercy." The "Hebrew tongue" is the then current Hebrew, what we ordinarily call Aramaic, or Syro-Chaldaic. The spot is pointed out traditionally asBirket Israil, near the fort of Antonia, but since Dr. Robinson's rejection of this, it has been generally abandoned. He himself adopted the "Fountain of the Virgin," which is intermittent. He saw the water rise to the height of a foot in five minutes, and was told that this occurs sometimes two or three times a day. The fountain is connected with the pool of Siloam, and probably with the fountain under the Grand Mosque. The seventh edition of Alford'sCommentary contains, an interesting letter, pointing out that Siloam itself was probably the pool of Bethesda, and that the remains of four columns in the east wall of the pool, with four others in the centre, show that there was a structure half covering it, which resting upon four columns would give five spaces or porches. The fact that this pool is called Siloam inJohn 9:7 does not oppose this view. The word "called" here, is more exactlysurnamed, and "House of Mercy" may well have been given to the structure, and thus extended to the pool in addition to its own name. But to pass from the uncertain, it is established beyond doubt, (1) that there are, and then were, on the east of Jerusalem mineral springs; (2) that these are, and then were, intermittent; and (3) that such springs are resorted to in the East just as they are in Europe.
Verse 2. -
Now there is in Jerusalem. A phrase denoting intimate acquaintance with the topography of the city, and the present tense suggests either a hint of a ruin yet existing after the fall of Jerusalem, or it may betray the fact that the evangelist wrote down at the very time some details of the incident which formed the occasion of the following discourse, and never, in his later editing of the document, omitted or altered the form of his sentence.
At the sheep (
market) or (
gate)
a pool, surnamed in Hebrew Bethesda, having fiveporticoes or
porches. The adjectiveπροβατικῇ requires some substantive to be introduced, and since there is no reference to any sheep market in the Old Testament, little justification can be found for the gloss contained in the Authorized Version. There was a "sheep gate" mentioned in
Nehemiah 3:1, 32 and Nehemiah 12:39. There is no reason against this method of supplying the sense, except this, that there is no other instance of the word
πύλη, or "gate," being omitted after this fashion. The "sheep gate" stood next. in Nehemiah's recital, to the "fish gate," and it was built by the priests. The old "sheep gate" is now known by the name of St. Stephen's Gate, to the north of the Haram es-Sherif, or temple area from which the path leads down into the valley of the Kedron, and if "gate" be the proper term to add to
προβατικη and we have its site fixed by the modern St. Stephen's Gate, then we must look for the pool surnamed Bethesda in that vicinity. Eusebius and Jerome speak of a
piscina probatica as visible in their day, but do not determine its site. Robinson ('Bib. Researches,' 1, p. 489) did not accept the identification of the sheep gate with St. Stephen's Gate, and places the former more to the south, and nearer to what is now called the Fountain of the Virgin. This fountain, on Robinson's visit, displayed some curious phenomena of periodical and intermittent ebullition, receiving a supply of water from another source. It was found by Robinson to be connected by a tunnel with the fountain of Siloam, and the relations of these wells have been quite recently submitted to fresh examination ('Palestine Expl. Soc. Rep.,' Oct. 1883). Robinson identified this pool with "Solomon's Pool" of Josephus and "King's Pool" of Nehemiah, and thought it might be the original pool of Bethesda. Neander and Tholuck incline to agree with him. The observations of Robinson have been confirmed by Tobler, and at least show that what certainly happens now in some of these fountains may have been phenomena constantly expected at some other fountain bearing the name now before us, on the northeastern side of the Haram area. Within the (sheep gate) St. Stephen's Gate the traditional site of Bethesda is pointed out. The modern name is
Birket lsrael, and this tank, from the accumulation of rubbish, does not now show its original extent; neither does it now hold water, but receives the drainage of neighbouring houses (Colonel Wilson in 'Plot. Palestine,' vol. 1, pp. 66, 106-109). A church, near that of St. Anne, was built by the Crusaders over a well, in this immediate vicinity - a spot which was supposed to be the site of the angelic disturbance. Colonel Wilson prefers this traditional site to that fixed upon by Robinson. So also Sir G. Grove, in Smith's 'Bible Dict.'
The five porches, or porticoes, may have been a columnar structure of pentagonal form, which sheltered the sick and the impotent folk. At present no indubitable relic of this building has been discovered. Alford (7th edit.) quotes a letter which makes it probable that Siloam was Bethesda, and the remains of four columns in the east wall of that pool, with four others in the centre, show that a structure with five openings or porches might easily have been erected there.
Bethesda, which is said to be the Hebrew (that is, Aramaic) surname of the pool, is very doubtful. Probably this is the correct form of the text, though there are many variants, such as
Bethzatha, in
א, 33, Tischendorf (8th edit.);
Bethsaida, in some versions and Tertullian. It seems generally allowed that its significance (
בֵּית חֶסְדָּא) is "house of grace or mercy," and that it derived its reference from the dispensation there of God's providential gifts. The healing virtue of waters charged with iron and carbonic acid and other gas is too well known to need reference, and the remarkable cures derived from their use may account forevery part of the statement which was here written by John. Eusebius speaks of these waters as "reddened," so he thought, with the blood of sacrifices, but tar more probably by chatybeate earth.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Greek
Nowδὲ(de)Conjunction
Strong's 1161:A primary particle; but, and, etc.there isἜστιν(Estin)Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510:I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.inἐν(en)Preposition
Strong's 1722:In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.JerusalemἹεροσολύμοις(Hierosolymois)Noun - Dative Neuter Plural
Strong's 2414:The Greek form of the Hebrew name: Jerusalem. Of Hebrew origin; Hierosolymanearἐπὶ(epi)Preposition
Strong's 1909:On, to, against, on the basis of, at.theτῇ(tē)Article - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.Sheep Gateπροβατικῇ(probatikē)Adjective - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4262:Pertaining to sheep. From probaton; relating to sheep, i.e. through which they were led into Jerusalem.a poolκολυμβήθρα(kolymbēthra)Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2861:(lit: a diving or swimming place), a pool. A diving-place, i.e. Pond for bathing.withἔχουσα(echousa)Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2192:To have, hold, possess. Including an alternate form scheo skheh'-o; a primary verb; to hold.fiveπέντε(pente)Adjective - Accusative Feminine Plural
Strong's 4002:Five. A primary number; 'five'.covered colonnades,στοὰς(stoas)Noun - Accusative Feminine Plural
Strong's 4745:A colonnade, portico. Probably from histemi; a colonnade or interior piazza.whichἡ(hē)Article - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.in AramaicἙβραϊστὶ(Hebraisti)Adverb
Strong's 1447:In the Hebrew, or rather, in the Aramaic dialect. Adverb from Hebrais; Hebraistically or in the Jewish language.is calledἐπιλεγομένη(epilegomenē)Verb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 1951:To call; mid: I choose for myself; pass: To be named. Middle voice from epi and lego; to surname, select.Bethesda.Βηθζαθά(Bēthzatha)Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 964:Bethesda, name of a pool in Jerusalem. Of Chaldee origin; house of kindness; Beth-esda, a pool in Jerusalem.
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NT Gospels: John 5:2 Now in Jerusalem by the sheep gate (Jhn Jo Jn) 
