John 9:7
“And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Jesus sends the man to wash in the pool of Siloam, and obedience brings sight.
Context
The pool of Siloam was a real place in Jerusalem where water flowed from the Gihon Spring. The name 'Siloam' means 'Sent.' The man's obedience to Jesus' instruction completes the healing.
What Does John 9:7 Mean?
The pool of Siloam is not arbitrary. John pauses to tell us the name means 'Sent.' We are meant to notice: Jesus is the one sent by God. The man washes in the waters of 'Sent,' and through obedience to the one who sent him, he receives sight. There is a wordplay, a theological resonance: obedience to the Sent One brings wholeness.
The man does not hesitate or ask questions. He goes. He washes. And sight comes. The healing is not instantaneous in the way we might imagine; it unfolds through an action. The man must participate, must trust, must move toward the water. His obedience is his healing. When he washes, he comes seeing: a profound, simple transformation. What was sealed is opened. What was dark is light.
In the Original Language
Siloam (Hebrew), shilóach -- 'sent' or 'flow,' the water channel that supplied Jerusalem. Its theological name ('Sent') mirrors Jesus' identity as the one sent by God the Father.
Application
Healing and wholeness often require our participation. We do not merely receive passively; we move toward the waters, we obey the instruction, we step into the movement of God's purposes. Trust expresses itself in action.