Siloam is an ancient Greek name derived from the more ancient Hebrew Shiloah. The Arabic, Silwan, was derived form the Greek, Siloam. It is an ancient site in Jerusalem, south of the Old City.

Antiquity

According to the Hebrew Bible, the ancient community of Siloam was built around the "serpent

Serpent (symbolism)

Serpent in Latin means: Rory Collins :&, in turn, from the Biblical Hebrew word of: "saraf" with root letters of: which refers to something burning-as, the pain of poisonous snake's bite was likened to internal burning.This word is commonly used in a specifically mythic or religious context,...

-stone", Zoheleth

Zoheleth

Zoheleth - the serpent-stone, a rocky plateau near the centre of thevillage of Siloam, and near the fountain of En-rogel, to whichthe women of the village resort for water . HereAdonijah feasted all the royal princes except Solomon...

, where Adonijah

Adonijah

Adonijah was the fourth son of King David according to the book of Samuel , which is contained in the Bible.-Life:After the death of his elder brothers Amnon and Absalom, he became heir-apparent to the throne, but Solomon, a younger brother, was preferred to him. Adonijah, however, when his father...

 gave his feast in the time of Solomon

Solomon

Solomon , according to the Book of Kings and the Book of Chronicles, a King of Israel and according to the Talmud one of the 48 prophets, is identified as the son of David, also called Jedidiah in 2 Samuel 12:25, and is described as the third king of the United Monarchy, and the final king before...

. Siloam is the site of the Pool of Siloam

Pool of Siloam

Pool of Siloam is a rock-cut pool on the southern slope of the City of David, the original site of Jerusalem, located outside the walls of the Old City to the southeast. The pool was fed by the waters of the Gihon Spring, carried there by two aqueducts.-History:The Pool of Siloam is mentioned...

, the outlet of the waters of the Gihon Spring

Gihon Spring

The Gihon Spring was the main source of water for the City of David, the original site of Jerusalem. One of the world's major intermittent springs - and a reliable water source that made human settlement possible in ancient Jerusalem - the spring was not only used for drinking water, but also...

. According to the Christian New Testament, this is the site where Jesus

Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...

 healed a man blind from birth as described in the Gospel of John

Gospel of John

The Gospel According to John , commonly referred to as the Gospel of John or simply John, and often referred to in New Testament scholarship as the Fourth Gospel, is an account of the public ministry of Jesus...

, and the legendary Tower of Siloam

Tower of Siloam

According to the Bible, the Tower of Siloam was an ancient tower in Siloam in south Jerusalem, which fell during the time of Jesus, killing 18 people.-Mentioned in the Bible:...

, whose collapse is an omen in the Gospel of Luke

Gospel of Luke

The Gospel According to Luke , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Luke or simply Luke, is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels. This synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It details his story from the events of his birth to his Ascension.The...

.

Inscription

The Siloam inscription

Siloam inscription

The Siloam inscription or Silwan inscription is a passage of inscribed text found in the Hezekiah tunnel which brings water from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam, located in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan. The inscription records the construction of the tunnel in the 8th century...

 was discovered in the water tunnel

Hezekiah tunnel

Hezekiah's Tunnel, or the Siloam Tunnel is a tunnel that was dug underneath the City of David in Jerusalem before 701 BC during the reign of Hezekiah, in Israel. The tunnel is mentioned in in the Bible...

 built during the reign of Hezekiah

Hezekiah

Hezekiah was the son of Ahaz and the 14th king of Judah. Edwin Thiele has concluded that his reign was between c. 715 and 686 BC. He is also one of the most prominent kings of Judah mentioned in the Hebrew Bible....

, in the early 7th Century BC

7th century BC

The 7th century BC started the first day of 700 BC and ended the last day of 601 BC.The Assyrian Empire continued to dominate the Near East during this century, exercising formidable power over neighbors like Babylon and Egypt. In the last two decades of the century, however, the empire began to...

. The Siloam inscription is now preserved in the Archeological Museum of Istanbul, Turkey. Another important inscription found at Siloam is the lintel of Shebna

Shebna

Shebna was "treasurer over the house" in the reign of king Hezekiah of Judah, according to the Old Testament....

-yahu's tomb, which is in the collections of the British Museum

British Museum

The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...

.

Commemoration

Biblical Siloam has been honored, for its healing pool, in the names of many Baptist

Baptist

Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...

 churches and is commemorated by the US towns of:

• Siloam Springs, Arkansas
  Siloam Springs, Arkansas
  Siloam Springs is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 13,990...
  
  , the location of John Brown University
  John Brown University
  The main campus in Northwest Arkansas has been the site of the university since it was founded in 1919. JBU has 2,183 students as of the 2011-2012 school year, 1,279 of which are traditional undergraduates. Of these, 878 live on campus. The Graduate School has 468 students...
  
  
• Siloam, Georgia
  Siloam, Georgia
  Siloam is a town in Greene County, Georgia, United States. The population was 331 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Siloam is located at ....
  
  
• Siloam, New Jersey
  Siloam, New Jersey
  Siloam is an unincorporated community within Freehold Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey. CR 527 passes through the center of Siloam. Exit 21 on I-195 provides access to Siloam....
  
  , a district in southern Freehold
  Freehold, New Jersey
  Freehold, New Jersey may refer to:* Freehold Borough, New Jersey, the county seat of Monmouth County* Freehold Township, New Jersey, the much larger township that surrounds the borough...
  
  
• West Siloam Springs, Oklahoma
  West Siloam Springs, Oklahoma
  West Siloam Springs is a town in Delaware County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 877 at the 2000 census.-Geography:West Siloam Springs is located at...
  
  
• Siloam, North Carolina
  Siloam, North Carolina
  Siloam is an unincorporated community in southeastern Surry County, North Carolina, United States. The Yadkin River makes up the community's southern border, and the Ararat River flows between it and the community of Shoals to the east...
  
  
• Siloam, Colorado, now deserted