The works of the Reverend and learned John Lightfoot D. D., late Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge such as were, and such as never before were printed : in two volumes : with the authors life and large and useful tables to each volume : also three maps : one of the temple drawn by the author himself, the others of Jervsalem and the Holy Land drawn according to the author's chorography, with a description collected out of his writings.

SECT. II. The Fountain of Siloam, and its streams.

OUR enquiry into Bethesda, (if I be not greatly mistaken) must take its rise from the fountain of Siloam.

I. The proper and ancient name for the fountain of Siloam was Gihon, 1 King. I. 33.* 1.1 Bring ye him [Solomon] down to Gihon. Targum, to Siloam. Kimchi, Gihon is Siloam, and is call'd by a twofold name. The Tables that describe Jerusalem speak of a mount Gihon, by what warrant I cannot tell; if they had said the fountain Gihon it might have pleas'd better.

II. How that name Gihon should pass into Siloam, is difficult to say. The waters of it are mention'd Isa. VIII. 6. to signifie the reign and soveraignty of the house of David. So the Targum, & Sanhedr.

Rabh. Joseph saith, If there had been no Targum of this Scrip∣ture,* 1.2 we had not known the sense of it, which is this: Forsomuch as this people is weary of the house of David, whose reign hath been gentle, as the flowing of the wa∣ters of Siloam, which are gentle, &c.

Therefore it was not in vain that David sent his Son Solomon to be anointed at Gihon or Siloam; for he might look upon those waters as some type or shadow by which the reign of his house should be decipher'd.

III. The situation of it was behind the West-wall, not far from the corner that pointed* 1.3 toward the South-west. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. The wall bent Southward above the fountain of Siloam, and then again inclin'd toward the East.

The waters of this spring by different streams derived themselves into two Fish-pools, as seems hinted in 2 Chron. XXXII. 30. Hezekiah stopt the upper water-course of Gihon, and brought it streight down to the West-side of the City of David; where a M. S. of the Targum, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 instead of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 we should write 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 of the waters. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 I suspect that for 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 should be writ 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in pipes. He stopped up the up∣per waters of Gihon, and brought them in pipes. But to let this pass, that which I would observe is this, that there was a water-course from Gihon or Siloam, which was call'd the upper water-course, which flow'd into a Pool, call'd also the upper Pool, Isa. XXXVI. 2. and as it should seem, the old Pool, Isa. XXII. 11. By Josephus the Pool or Fish-pool of Solomon; for so he in the place before cited.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. The wall again inclin'd Eastward, even to Solomon's Fish-pond, and going on to the place call'd Ophel, it came over against the Eastern Porch of the Temple. From whence we may gather that Solomon's Fish-pool was within, hard by the East-wall of the City, and on this side the place they call'd Ophel; which does so well agree with the situation of Bethesda within the sheep-gate, that it seems to me beyond all doubt or question, that Solomon's Pool, and the Pool of Bethesda was one and the same.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Kimchi in loc.
• * 1.2

  Targ. & Sanhed. fol. 94. 2.
• * 1.3

  Ioseph. de Ex∣cid.