Albert Barnes Commentary John 5:2

"Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep [gate] a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porches." — John 5:2 (ASV)

The sheep-market. This might have been translated as the sheep-gate, or the gate through which the sheep were taken into the city for sacrifice. The marginal rendering is gate, and the word "market" is not in the original, nor is a "sheep-market" mentioned in the Scriptures or in any of the Jewish writings. A sheep-gate is repeatedly mentioned by Nehemiah (Nehemiah 3:1, 32; Nehemiah 12:39) as the gate through which sheep and oxen were brought into the city. Since these were brought mainly for sacrifice, the gate was undoubtedly near the temple, and near the present place that is shown as the pool of Bethesda.

A pool. This word may mean either a small lake or pond in which one can swim, a place for fish, or any waters collected for bathing or washing.

Hebrew tongue. Hebrew language. This refers to the language spoken at that time, which did not differ essentially from the ancient Hebrew.

Bethesda. The house of mercy. It was called this because of its strong healing properties—the ability to restore health to the sick and infirm.

Five porches. The word porch commonly means a covered place surrounding a building, where people can walk or sit in hot or wet weather. Here it probably means that there were five covered places, or apartments, where the sick could remain, from each of which they could access the water. This "pool" is described as follows by Professor Hackett (Illustrations of Scripture, pages 291 and 292):

"Just to the east of the Turkish garrison, and under the northern wall of the mosque, is a deep excavation, supposed by many to be the ancient pool of Bethesda, into which the sick descended 'after the troubling of the water,' and were healed (John 5:1 and following). It is 360 feet long, 130 feet wide, and 75 deep. The evangelist says that this pool was near the sheep-gate, as the Greek probably signifies, rather than sheep-market, as translated in the English version. That gate, according to Nehemiah 3:1 and following, was on the north side of the temple, and therefore the location of this reservoir would agree with that of Bethesda. The present name, Birket Israil, Pool of Israil, indicates the opinion of the native inhabitants regarding the purpose of the excavation. The general opinion of the most accurate travelers is that the so-called pool was originally part of a trench or moat that protected the temple on the north. Although it currently contains no water except for a little that trickles through the stones at the west end, it has evidently been used at some time as a reservoir. It is lined with cement, and suited in other respects to hold water."

Dr. Robinson established by personal inspection the fact of the subterranean connection of the pool of Siloam with the Fountain of the Virgin, and made it likely that the fountain under the mosque of Omar is connected with them. This spring is, as he himself witnessed, an intermittent one. There may have been some artificially constructed basin connected with this spring, which was named Bethesda.

He supposes, however, that there is not the slightest evidence that the place or reservoir now pointed out as Bethesda was the Bethesda of the New Testament (Biblical Researches, Volume 1, pages 501, 506, 509).

In the time of Sandys (1611), the spring was found running, but in small quantities. In the time of Maundrell (1697), the stream did not run. Probably in Maundrell's time, as now, the water that had formerly filtered through the rocks was dammed up by the rubbish.