John 9 7

John 9:7 kjv

And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.

John 9:7 nkjv

And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.

John 9:7 niv

"Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means "Sent"). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

John 9:7 esv

and said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

John 9:7 nlt

He told him, "Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam" (Siloam means "sent"). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!

John 9 verses

John 9 7 Meaning

John 9:7 describes Jesus' command to a man born blind: "Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam." The parenthetical explanation "this word means 'Sent'" reveals a deep theological connection. The man's act of immediate obedience, driven by faith, culminates in his miraculous physical sight. This verse emphasizes divine authority, human submission, and the symbolic significance of a physical location—the Pool of Siloam—which typifies Jesus as the one "Sent" from God to bring spiritual and physical light to the world.

John 9 7 Context

John chapter 9 opens with Jesus and His disciples encountering a man born blind. The disciples immediately question if the man's blindness was due to his or his parents' sin, reflecting a common Jewish belief of the time (John 9:2). Jesus corrects this misconception, declaring that the blindness serves to display God's works through him (John 9:3). He then asserts His identity as "the light of the world" (John 9:5). Following this, Jesus makes mud by mixing saliva with earth and applies it to the man's eyes before issuing the specific command to wash in the Pool of Siloam. This entire event unfolds on the Sabbath, directly challenging the religious authorities' rigid interpretation of the law regarding work and healing. The subsequent narrative in John 9 details the intense controversy among the Pharisees over this miracle, leading to the man's excommunication from the synagogue and a deeper revelation of Jesus' identity to the healed man.

John 9 7 Word analysis

• "Go" (Ὕπαγε - hupage): An imperative verb, a direct command. It signifies an urgent call to action, demanding immediate compliance from the blind man, embodying Jesus' authoritative directive.
• "He told him" (εἶπεν αὐτῷ - eipen autō): A simple statement indicating Jesus' clear, personal instruction. It underscores the directness of the command, eliminating ambiguity.
• "wash" (νίψαι - nipsai): Aorist imperative. This command denotes a single, complete act of cleansing. It’s a test of faith, requiring a specific, physically demanding action, not just a passive reception of healing.
• "in the Pool" (ἐν τῇ κολυμβήθρᾳ - en tē kolymbēthra): Kolymbethra specifically refers to a bath, or a pool used for swimming or ritual washing. This indicates a public, known place in Jerusalem.
• "of Siloam" (τοῦ Σιλωάμ - tou Silōam): A transliteration of the Hebrew name Shiloah (שִׁלֹּחַ), meaning "sending forth." Historically, the Pool of Siloam received water from the Gihon Spring via Hezekiah's Tunnel, truly "sent" water.
• "(this word means 'Sent')" (ὃ ἑρμηνεύεται ἀπεσταλμένος - ho hermēneuetai apestalmenos): This is John the Evangelist's editorial commentary. It's crucial for understanding the theological significance. Apestalmenos is a perfect passive participle of apostellō, meaning "one who has been sent and remains sent." John deliberately highlights the name's meaning to link the pool symbolically to Jesus, the Son whom the Father "sent" into the world.
• "So the man went" (ἀπῆλθεν οὖν - apēlthen oun): Demonstrates immediate, unquestioning obedience and active faith on the part of the blind man. This movement, despite his disability, is vital.
• "and washed" (καὶ ἐνίψατο - kai enipsato): Confirms the fulfillment of Jesus' command. The physical act itself, though humble, served as the medium through which divine power was activated through faith.
• "and came home" (καὶ ἦλθεν - kai ēlthen): Literally "and came." This signifies his return, presumably from Siloam to his previous dwelling or area, marking the completion of the instruction and setting the stage for the revelation of his healing.
• "seeing" (βλέπων - blepōn): Present participle, denoting an immediate and ongoing state. The miraculous outcome: full, clear physical sight, transforming his condition. It foreshadows spiritual enlightenment.

Words-group by words-group analysis

• "Go... wash in the Pool of Siloam": This grouping represents Jesus' authoritative yet seemingly simple command. It bypasses conventional healing methods, demanding an act of humble, obedient faith in a specific, known location. The specific, publicly known site is integral to verifying the miracle.
• "the Pool of Siloam (this word means 'Sent')": This phrase uniquely highlights John's theological insight. The pool's geographical and historical identity (water "sent" from a spring) becomes a powerful type or symbol for Jesus Himself—the Divine One "sent" by the Father to bring salvation and light to humanity. This linguistic note turns a simple place-name into a profound christological statement.
• "So the man went and washed": This part emphasizes the critical human response: immediate, active, and obedient faith. Without the man's action, the miracle would not have occurred. It's an affirmation of trusting Jesus' unconventional method.
• "and came home seeing": This climactic phrase describes the indisputable and instantaneous result. The once-blind man now experiences full vision. This "seeing" is not just physical but sets the stage for his subsequent spiritual understanding and confession of Jesus as the Son of Man.

John 9 7 Bonus section

• Creative Act of Mud Application: Jesus' act of mixing dirt with saliva to form clay and applying it to the blind man's eyes has been linked by scholars to the creation narrative in Gen 2:7, where God formed man from the dust of the ground. This portrays Jesus as the Divine Creator, capable of re-creating sight and symbolically bringing new spiritual life. It also might evoke a Jewish custom of using mud as a poultice, though here its power lies in the command, not the material.
• Siloam and Messianic Expectation: The Pool of Siloam was particularly significant during the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), where water was drawn from it and brought to the Temple in a joyous ceremony, recalling the prophecy of living waters flowing from Jerusalem (Zech 14:8). John earlier linked Jesus to this ceremony (John 7:37-38). By sending the man to Siloam, Jesus implicitly connects Himself to this source of living water and to messianic fulfillment.
• Confronting Legalism: The command and subsequent healing on the Sabbath, involving the "work" of making mud and walking to Siloam, intentionally challenged the Pharisees' rigid legalism (John 9:14, 16). Jesus consistently demonstrated that compassion and divine work superseded human-made rules about the Sabbath.

John 9 7 Commentary

John 9:7 is a masterful depiction of divine authority intersecting with human faith. Jesus, the Lord of creation, chooses a non-traditional method: making mud and instructing the blind man to wash in a specific pool. This tests the man's obedience and humility. The seemingly mundane act of washing in the Pool of Siloam, with its unique etymological meaning of "Sent," serves as a physical representation of an encounter with Jesus, the one "sent" from God. The man's prompt obedience and simple act of faith unlock not just physical healing, but initiates a journey toward spiritual understanding, symbolizing cleansing from spiritual blindness through the Sent One.