The Pool of Bethesda and the Church of St. Anne (article)

Further in the chapter, we read that Jesus heals the sick man found at the pool. "Bethesda", which means a spring fed pool with five porches, is Hebrew in origin, coming from the word "Chesda", meaning house of mercy. The supposed remains of the pool of Bethesda are on the east side of Jerusalem, contiguous on one side to St. Stephen's gate and on the northern side is the area of the temple mount. It is believed to be 120 paces long and 40 paces wide and about 8 feet deep but contains no water. On its west end are some old dammed up arches which are connected to the five porches mentioned in the verses. There is some discussion among scholars that there are only three or four porches instead of five. During the Roman Period, a temple dedicated to the god Serapis was located on this site. Anne Stanford [Archaeology] [Images of selected sites in Jerusalem]