John 5 4

John 5:4 kjv

For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.

John 5:4 nkjv

For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.

John 5 verses

John 5 4 Meaning

John 5:4 describes a popular belief or local tradition associated with the Pool of Bethesda, where many sick people gathered. It suggests that an angel would occasionally descend and stir the water, and the first person to enter the pool after this disturbance would be healed of their affliction. This verse explains the anticipation and urgency among the sick mentioned in John 5:3, setting the stage for Jesus' superior and unconditional healing power. It's important to note, however, that this verse is not found in the earliest and most reliable Greek manuscripts and is widely considered by biblical scholars to be a later scribal addition, likely included to explain the folk belief already alluded to in the original text of John 5:3.

John 5 4 Context

John 5 opens with Jesus in Jerusalem for an unspecified feast. He encounters a large crowd of sick, blind, lame, and paralyzed people gathered at the Pool of Bethesda, waiting. The scene immediately establishes a desperate need for healing and deliverance. The original text of John 5:3 describes these individuals as "waiting for the moving of the water," implying a belief that healing could occur when the water stirred. John 5:4, where present in manuscripts, then serves to explain this popular belief: an angel's seasonal visit would trouble the waters, and the first to enter would be cured. This historical and cultural context highlights a popular, localized superstition or tradition related to a sporadic, natural phenomenon in the springs (perhaps a periodic gushing of mineral-rich water). Against this backdrop of limited, competitive, and ritualistic hope for healing, Jesus encounters a man who had been paralyzed for 38 years. Jesus' subsequent, immediate, and unconditional healing of this man (John 5:6-9) dramatically contrasts with the unreliable, selective nature of the belief described in verse 4. John's broader purpose is to present Jesus as the divine Son, the source of life, truth, and genuine healing, not limited by time, ritual, or local conditions, and to challenge human-made systems of seeking healing.

John 5 4 Word analysis

• For: (γάρ - gar) A conjunction indicating explanation or reason. Here, it introduces the explanation for the gathering of the sick and their "waiting" mentioned in v. 3.

• an angel: (ἄγγελος - angelos) Literally "messenger." In this context, it refers to a celestial being. The concept of angels as divine agents is present throughout Scripture, but here it pertains to a popular belief regarding localized, supernatural intervention.

• went down: (κατέβαινεν - katebainen) An imperfect tense, implying a recurrent or habitual action over an unspecified period, rather than a single event. It indicates a descent into the pool.

• at a certain season: (κατὰ καιρόν - kata kairon) Signifies "from time to time," or "at times," rather than "regularly." This phrase underscores the sporadic and unpredictable nature of the supposed healing event, explaining why people would "wait" for an indefinite period.

• into the pool: (ἐν τῇ κολυμβήθρᾳ - en tē kolymbēthrā) Referring to the Pool of Bethesda. Kolymbēthrā means "swimming place" or "diving place," a basin for bathing.

• and troubled: (ἐτάρασσε - etarasse) The imperfect tense "kept troubling" or "used to trouble" suggests a repeated action. The Greek root means to "stir up" or "disturb," often implying a disquieting or agitated motion. This troubling of the water was seen as the miraculous trigger for healing.

• the water: (τὸ ὕδωρ - to hydōr) Refers to the contents of the pool.

• whosoever then first: (ὁ οὖν πρῶτος - ho oun prōtos) "Therefore the first." This highlights the crucial, competitive element of the healing; only the first person entering after the water stirred received a cure. This emphasis reveals the highly limited and challenging nature of hope under this belief system.

• after the troubling of the water: (μετὰ τὴν ταραχὴν τοῦ ὕδατος - meta tēn tarachēn tou hydatos) Specifies the timing condition for healing, directly linking the disturbance to the therapeutic effect.

• stepped in: (ἐμβάς - embas) An aorist participle, denoting a completed action, "having stepped in." It describes the act of physically entering the water.

• was made whole: (ὑγιὴς ἐγένετο - hygies egeneto) "Became healthy" or "was restored to health." This describes the successful outcome of entering the troubled water under the specified condition. Hygies means sound or healthy, the origin of our word "hygiene."

• of whatsoever disease: (παντὸς ἀρρωστήματι - pantos arrōstēmati) "Of every illness/sickness." This implies the healing was comprehensive, whatever the specific ailment, reinforcing the miraculous nature of the supposed cure.

• Word group analysis: "an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water": This phrase details the mechanism of healing according to popular belief. It attributes the disturbance of the water—the prerequisite for healing—to a supernatural, but irregular, angelic visitation. This contrasts sharply with God's direct, personal, and ever-present intervention through Jesus. The 'troubled water' often carries biblical imagery of chaos or judgment (e.g., Ps 46:3), but here it’s viewed as a catalyst for restoration, a unique local belief.

• Word group analysis: "whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole": This highlights the conditions for healing: competitive urgency ("first") and perfect timing. The limited access to healing (only one per incident) and the intense struggle required by the infirm contrast starkly with the effortless and universal healing offered by Jesus. This human system emphasizes works, timing, and chance, as opposed to grace, compassion, and divine power.

John 5 4 Bonus section

The absence of John 5:4 from critical Greek manuscripts, including the prestigious Sinaiticus and Vaticanus, is a key piece of textual criticism. Its inclusion in later manuscripts, like the Textus Receptus (on which the KJV is based), appears to have been an attempt to clarify or explain the phrase "waiting for the moving of the water" in verse 3, by supplying the popular legendary explanation for this phenomenon. The internal evidence also points to its later insertion: it interrupts the flow of the discourse, and its style varies somewhat from John's typical prose. Even in translations where it is included (e.g., NKJV, KJV), footnotes often indicate its disputed textual status. While not part of the inspired text, the verse's content nonetheless sheds light on the socio-religious environment in which Jesus ministered, demonstrating the common human yearning for a divine solution to suffering and highlighting the powerful contrast between limited, folk-religious practices and the unbridled, sovereign power of God embodied in Jesus Christ. Thus, while not scriptural, it accurately reflects the context that Jesus supernaturally fulfilled, allowing John's account to dramatically highlight Jesus' unique authority over all disease.

John 5 4 Commentary

John 5:4, while widely regarded as a later scribal addition, serves as a powerful illustrative foil within the narrative. It encapsulates the deep human longing for deliverance from suffering and the varied, often superstitious or conditional, ways people sought relief. The belief described – in sporadic angelic intervention, limited healing, and a "first-come, first-served" competitive rush – vividly portrays the scarcity of hope and the ineffectual nature of human-centric or local supernatural methods. John's main point, foregrounded by Jesus' actions immediately following, is to transcend this paradigm. Jesus, as the true source of life and healing, acts by sovereign authority, not bound by seasons, water, or conditions. He heals a man of 38 years' illness instantly and unconditionally, without any prior stirring of the water, a race, or a specific ritual. The implicit message of the chapter is that where human hope is tied to chance, specific conditions, or limited means, Jesus offers an abundance of grace, immediate and complete healing, and direct access to divine life without qualification or competition.