Albert Barnes Commentary John 9:7

"and said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam (which is by interpretation, Sent). He went away therefore, and washed, and came seeing." — John 9:7 (ASV)

Wash in the pool. In the fountain.

Of Siloam. See Barnes' notes on Luke 13:4.

By interpretation, Sent. From the Hebrew verb to send—perhaps because it was regarded as a blessing sent or given by God. Why Jesus sent him to wash there is not known. It is clear that the waters themselves had no efficacy to open the eyes of a blind man, but it is probable that he directed him to go there to test his obedience, and to see whether he was disposed to obey him in a case where he could not see the reason for it.

A somewhat similar instance occurs in the case of Naaman, the Syrian leper (2 Kings 5:10). The proud Syrian despised the direction; the humble blind man obeyed and was healed. This case shows us that we should obey the commands of God, however meaningless or mysterious they may appear. God always has a reason for all that he directs us to do, and our faith and willingness to obey him are often tested when we can see little of the reason for his requirements.

In the first edition of these Notes, it was remarked that the word "Siloam" is from the same verb as Shiloh in Genesis 49:10: The sceptre shall not depart from Judah—until Shiloh (that is, the Sent of God; the Messiah) come, and that John in this remark probably had reference to this prophecy.

This was incorrect; and there is no evidence that John in this passage had reference to that prophecy, or that this fountain was emblematic of the Messiah. The original words Siloam (^greek^) and Shiloh (^greek^) are from different roots and mean different things. The former, Siloam (^greek^), is derived from ^greek^ (to send); the latter, Shiloh (^greek^), means rest or quiet, and was given to the Messiah, probably because he would bring rest—that is, he would be the prince of peace .