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Editor-in-Chief of Bible Study Magazine
John 5:1-9
3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.b 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 1
b Some less important manuscripts paralyzed—and they waited for the moving of the waters. From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters. The first one into the pool after each such disturbance would be cured of whatever disease he had.
[1] The Holy Bible : New International Version, electronic ed., Jn 5:2–5 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996).
WHAT HAPPENED (imho)
Note inserted into the margin by some unknown scribe: Since John’s death many have asked what is this all about?
The older members knew that for some unknown reason the waters sometimes moved. The thought was that it was an angel that stirred them. The tale was that when that happened the first to jump in would be cured.
Later some not so good a scribe copied it into the body of the text
HOW IT SHOULD READ (imho)
[As the legend was that an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the water and that the first into the pool would be healed many waited for the disturbance so they could jump in. – an addition by a scribe so that we know why they were there]
We owe a lot to that first unknown scribe – perhaps he was inspired to tells us the legend.
And yes it should be kept in the main text – with a warning that it is an addition
BUT without that verse why were they there? Why did he want to get into the pool? Why was important to be first?