John 5:3

John 5:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.
• New International Version (NIV)Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.
• English Standard Version (ESV)In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed.
• New King James Version (NKJV)In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.

Context of John 5:3

1Later on there was a Jewish feast (festival), and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2Now in Jerusalem, near the Sheep Gate, there is a pool, which is called in Hebrew (Jewish Aramaic) Bethesda, having five porticoes (alcoves, colonnades). In these porticoes lay a great number of people who were sick, blind, lame, withered, [waiting for the stirring of the water; 4for an angel of the Lord went down into the pool at appointed seasons and stirred up the water; the first one to go in after the water was stirred was healed of his disease.] 5There was a certain man there who had been ill for thirty-eight years.

John 5:3 word by word

ἐν ταύταις κατέκειτο πλῆθος τῶν ἀσθενούντων, τυφλῶν, χωλῶν, ξηρῶνRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• theseοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• layκατάκειμαιkatakeimai · to reclineG2621
• aπλῆθοςplēthos · multitudeG4128
• greatπολύςpolus polos · muchG4183
• of impotent folkἀσθενέωastheneō · be weak: illG770
• of blindτυφλόςtuphlos · blindG5185
• haltχωλόςchōlos · lameG5560
• witheredξηρόςxēros · dried up/witheredG3584
• waiting forἐκδέχομαιekdechomai · to wait forG1551
• the movingκίνησιςkinēsis · motionG2796
• of the waterὕδωρhudōr hudatos · waterG5204

Cross-references for John 5:3

• Matthew 15:30And great crowds came to Him, bringing with them the lame, crippled, blind, mute, and many others, and they put them down at His feet; and He healed them.
• Luke 7:22So He replied to them, “Go and tell John about everything you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the good news (gospel) preached to them.
• 1 Kings 13:4When the king heard the words which the man of God cried out against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam put out his hand from the altar, saying, “Seize him!” And his hand which he had put out against him withered, so that he was unable to pull it back to himself.
• Zechariah 11:17Woe (judgment is coming) to the worthless and foolish shepherd Who deserts the flock! The sword will strike his arm And his right eye! His arm shall be totally withered And his right eye completely blinded.”
• Mark 3:1Again Jesus went into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered.
• Proverbs 8:34Blessed [happy, prosperous, to be admired] is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at my doorposts.
• Lamentations 3:26It is good that one waits quietly For the salvation of the Lord.
• Romans 8:25But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait eagerly for it with patience and composure.
• James 5:7So wait patiently, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits [expectantly] for the precious harvest from the land, being patient about it, until it receives the early and late rains.

Commentaries on John 5:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Blind, halt, withered - To these the Codex Bezae, three copies of the Itala, and both the Persic, add , paralytic; but they are probably included among the withered. Waiting for the moving of the water - This clause, with the whole of the fourth verse, is wanting in some MSS. and versions; but I think there is no sufficient evidence against their authenticity. Griesbach seems to be of the same opinion; for though he has marked the whole passage with the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Impotent folk - Sick people; or people who were weak and feeble by long disease. The word means those who were “feeble” rather than those who were afflicted with “acute” disease. Halt - Lame. Withered - Those who were afflicted with one form of the palsy that withered or dried up the part affected. See the notes at Matthew 4:24. Moving of the water - It appears that this pool had medicinal properties only when it was “agitated” or “stirred.” It is…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3The pool of Bethesda was a place for healing where many sick people gathered. They hoped God would cure them with a miracle. Some later manuscripts include an additional verse, John 5:4, which explains that an angel stirred the water. This verse is not included in the Berean Standard Bible because it does not appear in the earliest manuscripts of the Gospel of John. The added verse reflects an early tradition that helps explain why people gathered at the…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2-32-3. sheep market--The supplement should be (as in Margin) "sheep [gate]," mentioned in Ne 3:1, 32. Bethesda--that is, "house (place) of mercy," from the cures wrought there. five porches--for shelter to the patients.Read the comment

Topics related to John 5:3

• Jesus, the Christ
• Miracles

In the dictionaries

• Blind
• Folk
• Judgment
• Lest
• Light
• Step
• Trouble
• Troubling
• Witness
• Bath; Bathing

Commentaries on John 5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings