John 5:1-8

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - John 5:8

Jesus saith to him, rise ,.... From thy bed, or couch, on which he lay in one of the porches: and take up thy bed and walk ; these words were spoken by the same power, as those to Lazarus, which called him out of his grave; as appears from the effect they had upon the man, who was in himself impotent, weak, and helpless. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - John 5:1

A feast - This is generally supposed, by the best critics, to have been the feast of the passover, which was the most eminent feast among the Jews. In several excellent MSS. the article is added, ἡ ἑορτη , The feast, the grand, the principal festival. Petavius supposes that the feast of Purim, or lots, is here meant; and one MS. reads ἡ σκηνοπηγια , the feast of Tabernacles. Several of the primitive fathers believe Pentecost to be intended; and they are followed by many of the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - John 5:2

There Is - This is thought by some to be a proof that John wrote his Gospel before the destruction of Jerusalem; and that the pool and its porticoes were still remaining. Though there can be little doubt that Jerusalem was destroyed many years before John wrote, yet this does not necessarily imply that the pool and its porticoes must have been destroyed too. It, or something in its place, is shown to travelers to the present day. See Maundrell's Jour. p. 108. But instead of εϚι , Is, both... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - John 5:3

Blind, halt, withered - To these the Codex Bezae, three copies of the Itala, and both the Persic, add παραλυτικων , paralytic; but they are probably included among the withered. Waiting for the moving of the water - This clause, with the whole of the fourth verse, is wanting in some MSS. and versions; but I think there is no sufficient evidence against their authenticity. Griesbach seems to be of the same opinion; for though he has marked the whole passage with the notes of... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - John 5:4

Angel - "Of the Lord," is added by AKL, about 20 others, the Ethiopic, Armenian, Slavonic, Vulgate, Anglo-Saxon, and six copies of the Itala: Cyril and Ambrose have also this reading. If this reading be genuine, and the authorities which support it are both ancient and respectable, it destroys Dr. Hammond's conjecture, that, by the angel, a messenger only, sent from the Sanhedrin, is meant, and that these cures were all performed in a natural way. Those who feel little or none of the work... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - John 5:5

Had an infirmity thirty and eight years - St. Chrysostom conjectured that blindness was the infirmity of this person: what it was, the inspired writer does not say - probably it was a palsy: his case was deplorable - he was not able to go into the pool himself, and he had no one to help him; so that poverty and disease were here connected. The length of the time he had been afflicted makes the miracle of his cure the greater. There could have been no collusion in this case: as his affliction... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - John 5:6

Wilt thou be made whole? - Christ, by asking this question, designed to excite in this person faith, hope, and a greater desire of being healed. He wished him to reflect on his miserable state, that he might be the better prepared to receive a cure, and to value it when it came. Addresses of this kind are always proper from the preachers of the Gospel, that the hearts, as well of hardened as of desponding sinners, may be stirred up to desire and expect salvation. Do you wish to be healed? Do... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - John 5:7

Sir, I have no man - Ναι, Κυριε - "Yes, sir; but I have no man:" - this is the reading of C*GH, fourteen others, both the Syriac, later Persic, Arabic, and Chrysostom. Reader, be thankful to God for health and outward comforts. When long affliction has been allied to deep poverty, how deplorable is the state! read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - John 5:8

Rise, take up thy bed, and walk - Jesus speaks here as God. He speaks in no name but his own, and with an authority which belongs to God alone. And what is the consequence? The man became whole immediately; and this sudden restoration to health and strength was an incontestable proof of the omnipotence of Christ. It has been remarked, that our Lord, after having performed a miracle, was accustomed to connect some circumstance with it, which attested its truth. After the miracle of the five... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - John 5:1

Verse 1 1.There was a feast of the Jews. Though the Evangelist does not expressly state whatfeast this was, yet the probable conjecture is that he means Pentecost, at least if what is here related took place immediately after that Christ came into Galilee. For immediately after the Passover he set out from Jerusalem, and, as he was passing through Samaria, he reckoned four months to the harvest; having entered Galilee he cured the courtier’s son. The Evangelist adds that the feast came... read more

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