The Pool of Siloam

The Pool of Siloam (Hebrew: בריכת השילוח, “sent”) means “the pool whose waters were sent from outside the city.” The Pool of Siloam is a rock-cut pool on the southern slope of the City of David in Jerusalem, located outside the southeastern walls of the Old City. Its water came from the Gihon Spring and was transported via two aqueducts.

The Pool of Siloam is mentioned several times in the Bible. Isaiah 8:6 mentions the pool’s waters, while Isaiah 22:9 refers to the construction of the Siloam Tunnel. In the Gospel of John, the Pool of Siloam is the site where Jesus healed a man who was born blind by putting mud and saliva on his eyes. After Jesus’ time, the Jews continued to use this pool for ritual purification until it was covered up by the Romans when they destroyed the Jewish Temple in 70 AD.

Today, the remains of the Pool of Siloam can be seen on the southern side of Jerusalem. Archaeologists have discovered several terraced pools, a pathway leading to the pool, and a channel that connected the pool to its water source. They have also found many coins, as well as pottery and stone fragments, in the vicinity of the pool. These new discoveries are helping people understand what the Pool of Siloam looked like more than 2,000 years ago and deepen their understanding of the Bible.