John 5:2
KJV
Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.
NLT
Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches.
The KJV use of “is” in John 5:2 serves as a powerful eyewitness time stamp. By stating “there is… a pool,” the author describes a structure actively standing at the time of writing, rather than looking back at a destroyed landmark. Because Rome leveled this part of Jerusalem in 70 AD, this subtle present-tense detail strongly implies the text was written before the destruction, capturing an accurate, real-time snapshot of the city.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.