{"id":288,"date":"2026-03-27T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T05:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hbionline.org\/blog\/?p=288"},"modified":"2026-02-27T11:59:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T06:29:18","slug":"rediscovering-the-pool-of-siloam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hbionline.org\/blog\/2026\/03\/27\/rediscovering-the-pool-of-siloam\/","title":{"rendered":"REDISCOVERING THE POOL OF SILOAM"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Historical Facts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

YEAR:<\/strong> 2004 | LOCATION:<\/strong> City of David, Jerusalem<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SIGNIFICANCE: <\/strong>Confirmed the historical setting of John 9 and linked New Testament events to real, verifiable geography<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a quiet corner of Jerusalem, largely forgotten beneath layers of history, until a broken sewage pipe in 2004 led to an astonishing find: the ancient Pool of Siloam, where Jesus healed a man blind from birth (John 9). What began as a routine plumbing exercise turned into one of the most significant biblical discoveries of the 21st century\u2014bringing New Testament history to life, stone by stone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A MIRACLE IN THE MAKING<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Gospel of John, chapter 9, Jesus spits on the ground, makes mud, applies it to a blind man\u2019s eyes, and tells him, \u201cGo, wash in the Pool of Siloam.\u201d The man obeys, washes, and comes back seeing. For centuries, scholars debated the location\u2014and even the existence\u2014 of this pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before 2004, a small Byzantine-era pool was traditionally associated with the miracle, but it didn\u2019t quite match the historical or biblical context. That changed when Israeli archaeologists working near the City of David stumbled upon steps leading down to a much larger, older pool\u2014one that fit both the time of Jesus and the description in John\u2019s Gospel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE DISCOVERY<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pool of Siloam was discovered in 2004 by Eli Shukron, an Israeli archaeologist, and Ronny Reich, a professor of archaeology at the University of Haifa.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

HERE’S HOW THE DISCOVERY HAPPENED<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While workers were repairing a sewage pipe near the southern end of the City of David (just outside the Old City of Jerusalem), they stumbled upon ancient stone steps. Realizing the significance, the Israel Antiquities Authority called in Shukron and Reich to investigate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As they excavated further, they uncovered a large stepped pool\u2014clearly dating to the Second Temple period (around the time of Jesus). It was eventually identified as the biblical Pool of Siloam, where Jesus healed the man born blind (John 9). Excavation revealed a monumental pool with wide steps on at least three sides. It was designed to accommodate hundreds of pilgrims, which makes sense\u2014it was used for ritual cleansing during the Second Temple period, when Jewish pilgrims would ascend to the temple for festivals. This wasn\u2019t just a random water reservoir. It was part of the spiritual rhythm of Jerusalem, linked to purity, worship, and prophecy. Even more intriguing: This pool is connected to Hezekiah\u2019s Tunnel, an engineering marvel built in the 8th century BC to bring water safely into Jerusalem (2 Kings 20:20). That tunnel still exists \u2014and you can walk through it today!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A MODERN-DAY REMINDER<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes this discovery so powerful is its accessibility. Visitors to Jerusalem can walk the very steps the blind man walked. They can see the path from the pool to the temple. Suddenly, the Gospel comes alive\u2014not as an abstract idea but as a vivid experience grounded in soil, stone, and water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we continue through the \u201cFootprints of the Bible\u201d series, the Pool of Siloam reminds us that the Bible is not just a book to believe in\u2014it\u2019s a world to explore. And sometimes, it\u2019s as close as a broken pipe and a little digging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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