John 5:2

‘Now there is in Jerusalem, near the Sheep Gate, a pool which in Hebrew is called Bethesda' (or Bethzatha or Bethsaida or, less likely, Belzetha - the manuscripts differ widely) ‘which has five covered collonades'.

The pool was clearly renowned for its healing properties which occurred at various times at ‘the moving of the water' (v. 7), and the five collonades had presumably been built round it to aid those who came seeking healing. Its site is uncertain but a pool that adequately fits the desription has been excavated in Jerusalem. It was ‘near that which pertains to sheep', therefore possibly ‘the Sheep Gate' which was near the Temple. It probably means ‘place of outpouring'.

At this point explanatory glosses have been introduced into the text, but not with great support in the early manuscripts - ‘waiting for the moving of the water' has support in some important regionalised texts, and John 5:4 is found in a few, mainly unimportant texts. The former is probably a note to draw attention to the phenomenon mentioned in v. 7 and the latter an explanation added to bring in a supernatural element. It is probably safe to assume that they were not part of the original text. They were possibly notes added later which accidentally became incorporated in the text.