Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - John 5:5
(5) Thirty and eight years.—The period expresses, not his age on the one hand, nor the time of his being at Bethesda on the other, but the time during which he had suffered from the infirmity. Helpless and friendless, having spent half the lot of human life in that condition, he appeals without an uttered word to the Mercy which is present in the House of Mercy; and to him alone of those He healed does Christ of His own accord address the first question. The infirmity was in some way connected... read more
John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - John 5:1-47
Bethesda. Christ and the Sabbath1-47. A miracle at the Pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath Day, and a controversy arising therefrom. This miracle may be regarded as a parable illustrating the deadly effects of sin, and the power of the Saviour to deal with the most hopeless cases. This poor man in his youth had shattered his nervous system by a life of sensual indulgence (John 5:14), and had lain for thirty-eight years a hopeless paralytic (John 5:5). This being an extreme case, the usual order of... read more