God’s Word Translation
John 5:2
2Near Sheep Gate in Jerusalem was a pool called Bethesda in Hebrew. It had five porches.
John 5:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.
- New International Version (NIV)Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.
Context of John 5:2
1Later, Jesus went to Jerusalem for a Jewish festival. Near Sheep Gate in Jerusalem was a pool called Bethesda in Hebrew. It had five porches. 3Under these porches a large number of sick people—people who were blind, lame, or paralyzed—used to lie.
Read all of John 5John 5:2 word by word
ἔστιν δὲ ἐν τοῖς Ἱεροσολύμοις ἐπὶ τῇ προβατικῇ κολυμβήθρα, ἡ ἐπιλεγομένη Ἑβραϊστὶ Βηθζαθά, πέντε στοὰς ἔχουσα.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Nowδέde · thenG1161
- there isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- atἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- JerusalemἹεροσόλυμαHierosoluma · JerusalemG2414
- byἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
- the sheepπροβατικόςprobatikos · Sheep GateG4262
- a poolκολυμβήθραkolumbēthra · poolG2861
- which is calledἐπιλέγωepilegomai · to call/chooseG1951
- in the Hebrew tongueἙβραϊστίHebraisti · HebrewG1447
- BethesdaΒηθζαθάBēthesda · BethesdaG964
- havingἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
- fiveπέντεpente · fiveG4002
- porchesστοάstoa · PorticoG4745
Cross-references for John 5:2
- Nehemiah 3:1The chief priest Eliashib and his relatives, the priests, started by rebuilding Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set its doors in place. They rebuilt as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and then as far as the Tower of Hananel.
- Nehemiah 12:39then past Ephraim Gate, over Old Gate and Fish Gate, and by the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of the Hundred, as far as Sheep Gate. The choir stopped at Guard’s Gate.
- Isaiah 22:9You will see how many places in David’s wall are broken. You will store water in the Lower Pool.
Commentaries on John 5:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2There Is - This is thought by some to be a proof that John wrote his Gospel before the destruction of Jerusalem; and that the pool and its porticoes were still remaining. Though there can be little doubt that Jerusalem was destroyed many years before John wrote, yet this does not necessarily imply that the pool and its porticoes must have been destroyed too. It, or something in its place, is shown to travelers to the present day. See Maundrell's Jour. p…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2The sheep-market - This might have been rendered 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, Nehemiah 3:32; Nehemiah 12:39, being that by which sheep and oxen were brought into…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2Greek copyists who had never been to Jerusalem had difficulty interpreting and spelling the name Bethesda, so there are several variants of this name in the manuscripts. The best choice is Beth-esda, which means “house of flowing.”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 5:2
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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