Discovery BoxJohn 9:7 
Context9:7 and said to him, “Go wash in the pool of Siloam” 1 (which is translated “sent”). 2 So the blind man 3 went away and washed, and came back seeing.
John 13:5
Context13:5 He poured water into the washbasin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel he had wrapped around himself. 4
John 13:10
Context13:10 Jesus replied, 5 “The one who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, 6 but is completely 7 clean. 8 And you disciples 9 are clean, but not every one of you.”
John 13:14
Context13:14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you too ought to wash one another’s feet.
1 tn The pool’s name in Hebrew is shiloah from the Hebrew verb “to send.” In Gen 49:10 the somewhat obscure shiloh was interpreted messianically by later Jewish tradition, and some have seen a lexical connection between the two names (although this is somewhat dubious). It is known, however, that it was from the pool of Siloam that the water which was poured out at the altar during the feast of Tabernacles was drawn.
2 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. Why does he comment on the meaning of the name of the pool? Here, the significance is that the Father sent the Son, and the Son sent the man born blind. The name of the pool is applicable to the man, but also to Jesus himself, who was sent from heaven.
3 tn Grk “So he”; the referent (the blind man) is specified in the translation for clarity.
4 tn Grk “with the towel with which he was girded.”
5 tn Grk “Jesus said to him.”
6 tn Grk “has no need except to wash his feet.”
7 tn Or “entirely.”
8 sn The one who has bathed needs only to wash his feet. A common understanding is that the “bath” Jesus referred to is the initial cleansing from sin, which necessitates only “lesser, partial” cleansings from sins after conversion. This makes a fine illustration from a homiletic standpoint, but is it the meaning of the passage? This seems highly doubtful. Jesus stated that the disciples were completely clean except for Judas (vv. 10b, 11). What they needed was to have their feet washed by Jesus. In the broader context of the Fourth Gospel, the significance of the foot-washing seems to point not just to an example of humble service (as most understand it), but something more – Jesus’ self-sacrificial death on the cross. If this is correct, then the foot-washing which they needed to undergo represented their acceptance of this act of self-sacrifice on the part of their master. This makes Peter’s initial abhorrence of the act of humiliation by his master all the more significant in context; it also explains Jesus’ seemingly harsh reply to Peter (above, v. 8; compare Matt 16:21-23 where Jesus says to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan”).
9 tn The word “disciples” is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb. Peter is not the only one Jesus is addressing here.
