What is…
Bethesda
also known as: Béthesda, Bethsaida, Beth-zatha
Greek: Βηθεσδά —transliteration: Béthesda
Meaning: house of mercy; house of grace; place for receiving and caring for the sick
This is a spring fed reservoir or pool of ancient Jerusalem with 5 porches (Greek: kolumbethra—“a swimming bath”). It was located near the sheep-gate or sheep market (John 5:2; Neh. 3:1).
Jesus Christ miraculously healed a paralytic man at this place.
Model of the Pool of Bethesda of ancient Jerusalem. Displayed in the Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
Photo by Deror Avi.
Eusebius the historian (330 AD) calls it “the sheep-pool.”
Under these “porches” or colonnades were usually a large number of sick people waiting for the “troubling of the water.”
In modern times, many communities have been named after this site of a Biblical miracle.
More information
- Pools of the Bible
- Gates of the Bible
- Miracles of the Bible
- Spring of the Bible
- Fountains of the Bible
- water
- Gihon
- sheep
Article Version: June 27, 2019