Shelah, also called Shiloah, the King's Pool, or Siloam, was a pool in Jerusalem fed by the Gihon Spring via Hezekiah's Tunnel (Neh. 3:15; Isa. 8:6; Neh. 2:14; Luke 13:4; Jhn.9.7, 11).
Also known as Siloam · Siloah · Shiloah · King's Pool
Shelah, also known as Shiloah, the King's Pool, or Siloam, was a pool located in the southeastern part of Jerusalem, near the City of David. It was fed by the waters of the Gihon Spring, which were diverted through Hezekiah's Tunnel, a remarkable engineering feat of the 8th century BC (2Chr. 32:30; Isa. 22:11).
The pool is mentioned in various contexts throughout the Bible. In the time of Nehemiah, the wall of Jerusalem was repaired near the Pool of Shelah (Neh. 3:15), and Nehemiah himself inspected the walls by the King's Pool (Neh. 2:14). The prophet Isaiah used the gently flowing waters of Shiloah as a metaphor for the calm and trust in God, in contrast to the mighty waters of the Euphrates, symbolizing the Assyrian threat (Isa. 8:6).
In the New Testament, Jesus healed a man born blind by sending him to wash in the Pool of Siloam (Jhn.9.7, 11). This miracle not only demonstrated Jesus' power but also served as a spiritual lesson about faith and the true identity of the Messiah. The Gospel of Luke also records an incident where eighteen people were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them (Luke 13:4), using this event to teach about the need for repentance.
The Pool of Siloam has been identified with the archaeological site known as the Siloam Pool, which was discovered in 2004. Excavations have revealed a large pool from the Second Temple period, consistent with the biblical descriptions and historical accounts of the site.
Approximate location: 31.777, 35.235 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
6 verses in 4 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H7975
Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and the Kingʼs Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to get through;
The Fountain Gate was repaired by Shallun son of Col-hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah. He rebuilt it, roofed it, and installed its doors, bolts, and bars. He also repaired the wall of the Pool of Shelah near the kingʼs garden, as far as the stairs that descend from the City of David.
“Because this people has rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah and rejoiced in Rezin and the son of Remaliah,
Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam collapsed on them: Do you think that they were more sinful than all the others living in Jerusalem?
Then He told him, “Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came back seeing.
He answered, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and anointed my eyes, and He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed and received my sight.”
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.