The noun conveys the idea of a stirring, a shifting, or a visible motion. It appears a single time in the Greek New Testament: “Within these lay a multitude of the sick—the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed—waiting for the moving of the waters” (John 5:3).

Narrative Setting

John locates the scene “in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate… a pool with five covered colonnades” (John 5:2). A popular tradition held that at unpredictable moments the surface of the pool suddenly rippled, signaling a divinely granted opportunity for healing. The sick therefore watched intently for that moment of movement, believing that the first person to enter would be restored (a belief reflected in the explanatory gloss that many manuscripts place in John 5:4).

Historical–Cultural Insights

1. Healing pools and sacred springs were common in the ancient world, both in Jewish and Greco-Roman settings.
2. Archaeology has confirmed the existence of a two-basin structure north of the Temple Mount matching John’s description, strengthening the historical reliability of the account.
3. The sudden disturbance of the water might have been caused by an intermittent spring that fed the pool from below; nevertheless, the text attributes the phenomenon to a divine source, showing how first-century Jews interpreted providential signs through the lens of Scripture and angelic activity (compare Exodus 14:21; Psalm 77:16).

Theological Themes

• Divine initiative. The motion of the water signaled that God, not the pool itself, was the ultimate agent of healing.
• Anticipation versus fulfillment. Many waited for a limited, unpredictable opportunity, but Jesus arrived as the ever-present source of life, rendering the wait unnecessary (John 5:6–9).
• Superiority of Christ. By healing the paralytic without recourse to the pool, Jesus demonstrated authority that surpassed traditional expectations and challenged religious assumptions (John 5:10–18).
• Symbolism of living water. The stirring prefigures the living water Jesus offers in John 4:10–14 and foreshadows the rivers of spiritual life promised in John 7:38–39.

Related Biblical Motifs

• Waters in motion marking divine intervention—Red Sea (Exodus 14:21), Jordan River (Joshua 3:13), and Elijah’s cloak (2 Kings 2:8).
• Spirit-initiated movement—Genesis 1:2 (“the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters”) and Acts 2:2 (“a sound like a mighty rushing wind”).
• Waiting on God’s timing—Psalm 27:14; Isaiah 40:31.

Ministry Significance

1. Expectant faith. The crowd’s vigilance reminds modern believers to watch for God’s activity and to respond promptly.
2. Christ-centered hope. While God may still employ physical means, ultimate confidence rests in the Person of Jesus Christ, whose power is not limited to particular times or places.
3. Compassionate outreach. Jesus’ engagement with the overlooked paralytic encourages ministry to those who feel perpetually “next in line” yet never helped.
4. Sabbath perspective. The healing on the Sabbath calls the church to celebrate works of mercy as in keeping with God’s design for holy rest (Matthew 12:12).

Note on Textual Variation

Verse 4, which explicitly mentions an angel stirring the water, is absent from many early manuscripts. Whether copied as an explanatory comment or part of the original text, the tradition it records underlies the crowd’s behavior and does not alter the historicity of the healing nor the theological significance of the movement described in verse 3.

Summary

The lone New Testament use of this term captures a moment when physical motion signaled divine grace, setting the stage for Jesus to reveal Himself as the decisive and superior Healer. The scene encourages believers to look beyond outward phenomena to the Lord of all movement, whose word alone brings lasting wholeness.