Pools are mentioned in the Bible for various symbolic and practical reasons. They refer to a pond, reservoir, artificial cistern or tank. In the Bible, pools often represent places of purification or healing.
1. Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1–15):
Jesus heals a man who has been paralysed for 38 years. He had been lying near the pool of Bethesda, a place believed to have healing properties. Jesus felt compassion for the man, and instructed him to to pick up his mat and walk. At once the man was healed.
2. King’s Pool (Nehemiah 2:14):
The King’s Pool is mentioned by Nehemiah when he inspects the broken walls of Jerusalem at night, while making plans for rebuilding the city’s defences.
3. Pool of Siloam (John 9:1–7):
Jesus heals a blind man by spitting on the ground, making mud with the saliva and putting it on the man’s eyes. He then instructs the man to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam. Upon following Jesus’ instructions, the man’s sight is restored.
4. Pool of Gibeon (2 Samuel 2:13):
War breaks out between the house of David and the house of Saul. David’s men, led by Joab, face off against the followers of Ish-Bosheth at the pool of Gibeon.
5. Pools of Heshbon
(Song of Songs 7:4): King Solomon compares the eyes of his lover to the pools of Heshbon by the gate of Bath-Rabbim.
6. Pool of Samaria (1 Kings 22:38):
Following the death of Ahab, his blood-stained chariot is washed at the Pool of Samaria.
7. Pool of Hebron (2 Samuel 4:12):
David orders the execution of Rekab and Baanah after the assassination of Ish-Bosheth. Their bodies are hung by the pool of Hebron as a demonstration of justice.
8. Upper Pool (Isaiah 7:3):
Isaiah is instructed by the Lord to take his son and meet King Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, an important water reservoir. Isaiah has a reassuring message for the king: God will protect Judah.
9. Lower Pool (Isaiah 22:9–11):
Isaiah delivers a message of judgement against the people of Jerusalem, who have done everything to try to save themselves from their enemy, including securing their water supply. But they had forgotten the only One who could truly save them.
10. Pool of restoration (Isaiah 35:7):
Isaiah portrays a time of restoration and renewal, with the parched ground becoming a pool, and the thirsty ground like bubbling springs. It highlights God’s transformative power of redemption.
