Pool of Siloam

Pool of Siloam, Jerusalem

Pool of Siloam
JOHN 9 BIBLE STUDY
John 9:6 Jesus Heals the Blind Man

John 9:7-12 Pool of Siloam

John 9:13-16 Healed on the Sabbath
JOHN 9:7  7 And He said to him, “Go wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated “Sent”). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.

Where is “the pool of Siloam” (John 9:7)?
Siloam is a rock pool located about 700 yards (640 meters) south of and down the hill from the Wailing Wall (photo), which is the western facade of the foundation on which King Herod built the second temple of Jerusalem.

Why was this pool named “Siloam,” which means “Sent” (John 9:7)?
Pool of Siloam was built in the 8th century BC by King Hezekiah of Judah to both secure Jerusalem's water supply and to deny water to the Assyrian king Sennacherib's approaching army that was about to lay siege to Jerusalem. Fresh water was “sent” to the pool of Siloam from its source Gihon Spring (photo) via an underground aqueduct, now called Hezekiah's Tunnel (photo), that King Hezekiah also ordered dug.

How did the blind man get from near the temple to the pool of Siloam?
It is possible that he made his way to Gihon Spring and then trudged through Hezekiah's Tunnel until reaching the pool of Siloam. But while the tunnel can fit a man, it is very narrow, meanders for 530 meters (580 yards), has many sections that require stooping (photos), and would be physically very challenging for and cause at least head injuries to a blind person. Since there is no mention of anyone carrying the blind man to the pool of Siloam, it is more likely that he simply inched slowly overland down the hill until reaching the pool.

JOHN 9:8-10  8 Then the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, “Isn't this he who sat and begged?” 9 Some were saying, “This is he.” Others were saying, “He is like him.” He kept saying, “I am he.” 10 So they were saying to him, “How were your eyes opened?”

Why did the people doubt the identity of the healed blind man?
He had become more mobile but also didn't look the same as before. Since they asked him, “How were your eyes opened?” (John 9:10), they may have seen his eyelids opened literally for the first time.

JOHN 9:11-12  11 He answered and said, “A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and I received sight.” 12 Then they said to him, “Where is He?” He said, “I do not know.”

What is disappointing about the blind man's “neighbors” (John 9:8)?
There is no mention of any of them expressing gladness, let alone jubilation, that their neighbor, a man who was born blind, can now see.

When did the healed blind man learn the name of “Jesus” (John 9:11)?
At some point before he left for the pool of Siloam.

Did He believe in Jesus' power to heal him?
Street beggars typically just want money. If he didn't believe, a blind street beggar wouldn't have inched 700 yards (640 meters) down a steep hill to go where Jesus had told him to go.

What example does the blind man set for us?
When God tells us to do something that doesn't make sense to our small brains, and we are sure God told us to do it, just do it. And obedience without comprehension demonstrates more faith than obedience with comprehension.

How can we be absolutely sure that an instruction is from God?
It is in the Bible.