BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

The Siloam Pool: Where Jesus Healed the Blind Man

A sacred Christian site identified by archaeologists

The Siloam Pool has long been considered a sacred Christian site, even if the correct identification of the site itself was uncertain. According to the Gospel of John, it was at the Siloam Pool where Jesus healed the blind man (John 9:1–11).

Traditionally, the Christian site of the Siloam Pool was the pool and church that were built by the Byzantine empress Eudocia (c. 400–460 A.D.) to commemorate the miracle recounted in the New Testament. However, the exact location of the original pool as it existed during the time of Jesus remained a mystery until June 2004.

siloam

In 2004, the stepped remains of the ancient Siloam Pool, long thought to be located elsewhere, were uncovered near the City of David. According to the Gospel of John, it was at this sacred Christian site that Jesus healed the blind man. Photo: Todd Bolen/BiblePlaces.com.

During construction work to repair a large water pipe south of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, at the southern end of the ridge known as the City of David, archaeologists Ronny Reich and Eli Shukron identified two ancient stone steps. Further excavation revealed that they were part of a monumental pool from the Second Temple period, the period in which Jesus lived. The structure Reich and Shukron discovered was 225 feet long, with corners that are slightly greater than 90 degrees, indicating a trapezoidal shape, with the widening end oriented toward Tyropoeon valley.


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The Siloam Pool is adjacent to the area in the ancient City of David known as the King’s Garden and is just southeast of the remains of the fifth-century church and pool traditionally believed to be the sacred Christian site.

Artist’s rendering of the Siloam Pool, the Biblical Christian site where Jesus healed the blind man. Image: Jason Clarke.

What was the function of the Siloam Pool during Jesus’ time? Because the pool is fed by waters from the Gihon Spring, located in the Kidron Valley,  the naturally flowing spring water would have qualified the pool for use as a mikveh for ritual bathing. However, it could also have been an important source of fresh water for the inhabitants on that part of the city. One scholar has even suggested that it was a Roman-style swimming pool.

Whatever its original purpose, the Siloam Pool where Jesus healed the blind man is an important Christian site, and its discovery represents a watershed moment in the field of Biblical archaeology.

As with many sites in the Holy Land, the origins of the Siloam Pool reach back even further in history—at least seven centuries before the time of Jesus. Judah’s King Hezekiah (late eighth century B.C.) correctly anticipated a siege against Jerusalem by the Assyrian monarch Sennacherib.


Learn more about Hezekiah’s Tunnel, including recent attempts to redate the water tunnel and assign its construction to King Hezekiah’s predecessor or successors, in “Hezekiah’s Tunnel Reexamined.”


To protect the city’s water supply during the siege, Hezekiah undertook a strategic engineering project that would be an impressive feat in any age: He ordered the digging of a 1,750-foot tunnel under the City of David to bring water from the Gihon Spring, which lay outside the city wall, inside the city to a pool on the opposite side of the ridge. In the years that followed, “Hezekiah’s Tunnel” continued to carry fresh water to this section of Jerusalem, and different pools were built here over the centuries, including the Second Temple pool that Jesus knew.

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Based on “Issue 200: Ten Top Discoveries,” Biblical Archaeology Review, July/August September/October 2009.


FREE ebook, Who Was Jesus? Exploring the History of Jesus’ Life. Examine fundamental questions about Jesus of Nazareth.

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Related reading in Bible History Daily:

Where Is the Original Siloam Pool from the Bible?

Did Jesus Exist? Searching for Evidence Beyond the Bible

How December 25 Became Christmas

Where Was Jesus Born?

Who Was Jesus’ Biological Father?

Has the Childhood Home of Jesus Been Found?

Mysterious Podium Uncovered Near Temple Mount


This Bible History Daily feature was originally published in May 2011.



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11 Responses

  1. […] To see a photo of the pool of Siloam today, go here. […]

  2. […] Judaism), by making clay, anointing the man’s eyes, and telling him to go wash in the pool of Siloam (one of many Biblical locations we know of — this one was found in 2004 — unlike any […]

  3. […] and Bethesda, each of which has recently been uncovered by modern archaeologists, linking us to an article from Bible History Daily […]

  4. […] The Siloam Pool: Where Jesus Healed the Blind Man — by Biblical Archaeology Society Staff, at biblicalarchaeology.org […]

  5. Fred Bahrenburg says:

    The statement “He ordered the digging of a 1,750-foot tunnel…” is incorrect. While the tunnel is of that length, Hezekiah did not know how long it would be and further, given it’s wandering “line”, it should be assumed his engineers estimated it would be much shorter. On a separate note, walking through the tunnel myself was a faith-building experience that testified to the accuracy of Scripture.

  6. […] the Christian site of the Siloam Pool was the pool and church that were built by the Byzantine empress Eudocia (c. 400-460 A.D.) to […]

  7. […] Pool of Siloam in the City of David Nationwide Park in Jerusalem is a recount of historic, national and world […]

  8. […] Pool of Siloam in the Metropolis of David Nationwide Park in Jerusalem is a plan of historical, national and world […]

  9. […] to BiblicalArchaelology.org, the “correct identification” of the Pool of Siloam site had been a long-running […]

  10. […] Pool of Siloam in the City of David National Park in Jerusalem is a site of historic, national and international […]

Write a Reply or Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


11 Responses

  1. […] To see a photo of the pool of Siloam today, go here. […]

  2. […] Judaism), by making clay, anointing the man’s eyes, and telling him to go wash in the pool of Siloam (one of many Biblical locations we know of — this one was found in 2004 — unlike any […]

  3. […] and Bethesda, each of which has recently been uncovered by modern archaeologists, linking us to an article from Bible History Daily […]

  4. […] The Siloam Pool: Where Jesus Healed the Blind Man — by Biblical Archaeology Society Staff, at biblicalarchaeology.org […]

  5. Fred Bahrenburg says:

    The statement “He ordered the digging of a 1,750-foot tunnel…” is incorrect. While the tunnel is of that length, Hezekiah did not know how long it would be and further, given it’s wandering “line”, it should be assumed his engineers estimated it would be much shorter. On a separate note, walking through the tunnel myself was a faith-building experience that testified to the accuracy of Scripture.

  6. […] the Christian site of the Siloam Pool was the pool and church that were built by the Byzantine empress Eudocia (c. 400-460 A.D.) to […]

  7. […] Pool of Siloam in the City of David Nationwide Park in Jerusalem is a recount of historic, national and world […]

  8. […] Pool of Siloam in the Metropolis of David Nationwide Park in Jerusalem is a plan of historical, national and world […]

  9. […] to BiblicalArchaelology.org, the “correct identification” of the Pool of Siloam site had been a long-running […]

  10. […] Pool of Siloam in the City of David National Park in Jerusalem is a site of historic, national and international […]

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