Pools of Bethesda (Jerusalem, Israel)

City:

Jerusalem

State, Province, Region, or District:

Jerusalem District

Country:

Israel

Overview

The ruins of the twin pools of Bethesda are located in the north side of the old city, close to the Lions' Gate (St. Stephen's Gate) located on the property of the Church of St. Anne. (The Church of St. Anne is reviewed separately.) These pools supplied water to the temple during the times of the first and second temple (until Herod). There are references in the Old Testament to the “upper pool,” which may have been the name of the northern pool (2 Kings 18:17; Isaiah 7:3).

Adjacent to the pools were baths and a healing center. These baths are the site of the healing miracle of Jesus in the pools of the sheep market (John 5:1-18). This was the healing of the paralyzed man who had waited for 38 years for someone to help him into the pool “when the water is stirred” — an event believed to have curative powers.

Bethesda means “House of Mercy” and has been associated with a place of healing for many years. According to the Gospel of John, Bethesda was a bathing pool with five porticoes or porches. The ruins of some of these porticoes can still be seen today. Later, a Byzantine basilica was built over parts of the pools only to be be destroyed about 150 years later. The Crusaders built a small chapel over its ruins, and later a larger Basilica nearby, the Church of St. Anne.

It should be noted that the pool that can be seen today is the corner of the southern pool. You will also note that it is significantly below the city level today because Jerusalem is really a large tel. A tel is something that develops and grows in height as one civilization builds upon another. Therefore, since the time of Christ, the city has been destroyed and rebuilt many times which explains why the pool is below the surface of the city today.

Alternate Names

Alternative renderings to the name Bethesda, appearing in manuscripts of the Gospel of John, include Beth-zatha), a derivative of Bezetha, and Bethsaida (not to be confused with Bethsaida, a town in Galilee), although the latter is considered to be a metathetical corruption by Biblical scholars.

Geography & Location

The Pools of Bethesda are located on the property of the Church of St. Anne.

Biblical, Historical, & Archaeological Background Information

Timeline Highlights

Biblical & Historical References

The Pools of Bethesda is the site where Jesus healed a man who had been sick for 38 years (John 5:1-18). This was the healing of the paralyzed man who had waited for 38 years for someone to help him into the pool “when the water is stirred” — an event believed to have curative powers.

Spiritual Lessons and Application

The “stirring of the water” (John 5:7) was attributed to “an angel of the Lord,” and was a sign to the people that it was their opportunity to be healed. But the fact of the matter is that everyone already had something better than an unseen angel troubling the water. They already had the promise of God who had made provision to heal them all. This promise was found in the Pentateuch (Exodus 15:26), the Prophets (Hosea 6:1; Jeremiah 17:14), and the Psalms (Psalm 103:2-3). According to the Scriptures, they were waiting for the wrong thing (Psalm 130:5,6; 62:1,2,5,6) - they should have been looking for the healing of Jesus!

Etymology

Bethesda – From Hebrew: Beth (house) and Hesda (kindness, charity, excellent, excel). The name may have been based on the quality of the waters in these pools, which their top-class quality granted favors to those who bathed in it. Perhaps, the quality attributed to these waters came from their use in the temple.