Kerby Anderson

The Israel Antiquities Authority and the City of David Foundation announced that the Pool of Siloam will soon be opened to the public. This is the first time in 2,000 years that anything, but a small section has been visible.

The pool is significant to both Jews and Christians. This is where Jewish pilgrims cleansed themselves prior to entering the Second Temple. And this is also the site where Jesus healed the blind man as recorded in John 9.

The pool was built approximately 2,700 years ago and was a part of the water system in Jerusalem. Construction was done under the reign of King Hezekiah and is described in 2 Kings 20:20. It is just one of many examples of how archaeology confirms the details in the Old Testament.

Ze’ev Orenstein is the director of international affairs for the City of David Foundation in Jerusalem. He explains that the pool is: “One of the most significant sites affirming Jerusalem’s biblical heritage — not simply as a matter of faith, but as a matter of fact — with significance to billions around the world, will be made fully accessible for the first time in 2,000 years.”

Johnnie Moore concludes that: “In the Pool of Siloam, we find evidence of history preserved for us, revealed at just the right time. This is a truly historic event. Theologically, it affirms Scripture, geographically it affirms history and politically it affirms Israel’s unquestionable and unrivaled link to Jerusalem. Some discoveries are theoretical. This one is undeniable. It is proof of the story of the Bible and of its people, Israel.”

The more archaeologists discover, the more the Jewish and Christian narrative of the Holy Land is confirmed.