were " tro ibled," or for St. John's mention of tlie " angel trou- bling " the waters. Here, as in many other instances, the sim- plest view, and the one which involves the fewest difficulties, is to take the passage as we find it, and to interpret it as narrating an actual fact, — viz. : a standing miracle which actually was literally wrought at a certain season, and perhaps every year.
After all there is no more real difficulty iti the account before us, than in the history of our Lord's temptation in the wilder- ness, the various cases of Satanic possession, or the release of Peter from prison by an angel. Once admit the existence of angels, their ministry on earth, and the possibiUty of their inter- position to carry out God's designs, and there is nothing that ought to stumble us in the passage. The true secret of some of the objections to it, is the modern tendency to regard all miracles as useless lumber, which must be thrown overboard, if possible, and cast out of the Sacred Narrative on every occasion. Against this tendency we must watch and be on our guard.
Rollock remarks, " The Jewish people at this time was in a state of great confusion, and the presence of God was in great measure withdrawn from it. The prophets whom God had been accustomed to raise up for extraordinary purpose^, were no longer given to the Jews. Therefore God, that He might not appear altogether to cast off His people, was willing to heal some miraculously, and in an extraordinary way, in order that He might testify to the world that the nation was not yet en- tirely rejected." Brentius and Calvin say much the same.
Poole thinks that this miracle only began a little before the birth of Christ, "as a figure of him being about to come, who was to be a fountain opened to the house of David." Lightfoot takes the same view.
[Troubled the water.] This means, no doubt, " disturbed, agi- tated, stirred up," the water of the pool. There is no reason foi supposing that the angel visibly appeared in doing this. It is enough to suppose that at a certain hour there was a sudden stir and agitation of the waters, immediately after which tliey pos- sessed the miraculous virtue of healing, — just as Ihe waters at Marah became sweet i:amediately after Moses cast the tree into them. (Exod. xv. 25.)
[ WTiosoever then first. \ This shows that the whole affair was mi- raculous. On no other supposition can we account for only one person, being healed after the troubling of the water. That only " one" was healed, is plain, I think, from the wording of the passage
[Of whatsoever dismse he had.] These words would be more literally translated, " with whatsoever disease he was held."
Bengel thinks that the use of the past t(ms3 throughout; this