The weak man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steps down before me.
I have.
Deuteronomy 32:36 For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left.
Psalm 72:12 For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.
Psalm 142:4 I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.
before.
John 5:4 For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
1 Corinthians 9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
“I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred.
The belief was that an angel would stir the waters of the pool, and the first person to enter afterward would be healed. This reflects a common ancient belief in the healing properties of certain waters, which is also seen in other cultures. The invalid's statement highlights his isolation and lack of community support, a significant issue in a society where family and community were crucial for survival and well-being. This phrase underscores the man's desperation and hopelessness, as he has no one to assist him in reaching the pool.
While I am on my way, someone else goes in before me.”
This part of the verse illustrates the competitive nature of the situation at the pool, where many sick and disabled people gathered, each hoping to be the first to enter the water. The invalid's condition prevents him from moving quickly, emphasizing his helplessness and the futility of his efforts. This scenario can be seen as a metaphor for the limitations of human effort and the need for divine intervention. The man's plight is a poignant reminder of the broader human condition, where many are in need of healing and salvation, yet unable to achieve it on their own. This sets the stage for Jesus' miraculous intervention, demonstrating His power and compassion, and foreshadowing the spiritual healing and salvation He offers to all.
This respectful address sets the tone. The man recognizes a figure of authority standing before him—though he does not yet grasp that his “Sir” is the Lord of heaven and earth.
• Like the Samaritan woman’s “Sir” in John 4:11, he shows courtesy before comprehension.
• Respect toward Jesus is always appropriate (Matthew 8:2), but reverence alone is not saving faith.
• Still, Scripture shows the Lord responding to even the smallest acknowledgment (John 1:47–49).
His words expose profound isolation.
• Physical paralysis was matched by social abandonment; Psalm 142:4 echoes, “No one cares for my soul.”
• Contrast the paralytic in Mark 2:3-5, carried by four friends—support makes a difference, but the Savior is still the ultimate healer.
• The statement reminds us that human resources are limited; deliverance must come from the Lord (Psalm 121:1-2).
The man believes in the periodic, supernatural stirring of Bethesda’s waters (John 5:4, footnoted in modern editions).
• Scripture records other instances where God uses material means for healing—Elisha and Naaman in 2 Kings 5:10-14; the bronze serpent in Numbers 21:8-9.
• The narrator offers no hint of superstition; the event is presented as fact.
• Yet the story contrasts a momentary, uncertain cure with the constant, certain power of Christ (Hebrews 13:8).
Even with determination, the man’s weakness prevails.
• His desire is evident—faith often begins with a longing (Mark 10:51).
• Romans 7:18 captures the plight: “the desire to do what is good is there, but the ability to carry it out is not.”
• The phrase underscores human inability apart from divine intervention (John 15:5).
The scene at Bethesda is competitive; healing seems reserved for the fastest.
• It mirrors the world’s system where the strong advance and the weak fall behind (Ecclesiastes 9:11).
• Jesus turns that system upside down: “The last will be first” (Matthew 20:16).
• By choosing this overlooked man, the Lord showcases grace that outruns every rival (Ephesians 2:8-9).
John 5:7 paints a picture of respectful acknowledgment, utter helplessness, and a hopelessly competitive environment. The invalid’s words prepare us for Jesus’ immediate, sovereign healing in verse 8. They highlight the contrast between limited human effort and limitless divine mercy. In lifting this man, Christ demonstrates that when we have no one—and no strength—He Himself is both the Helper and the Healing.
(7) What does the question mean? Will this Stranger, whom he has never seen before, do for him what none of those who often saw him had ever done? Will he watch for the bubbling water, and place him first in it? Is there one being in all the world who regards his state as calling for loving pity, rather than scornful loathing?I have no man.--There is an eloquence of helplessness more powerful than that of words. Day by day he has watched, listened for the first sound, caught the first movement in the bath, summoned the feeble vestiges of strength to an action on which all depended, and hoping each succeeding time, in spite of despair in which last time's hope has been engulfed, has been coming, when "another goeth down before." "I have no man" is to-day the helpless, unspoken cry of thousands imaged here.
Verse 7. - The sick (impotent) man answered him: Sir, I have no man, when the water has been troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. This implies that some special advantage accompanied the troubling of the water. The sudden escape of the medicinal gas may have soon subsided, and, with it, the special virtue of the well. The difficulty which the sick man found in reaching the point of disturbance may be accounted for in many ways. The steps which led into the water; the weakness of the sufferer, which made it an impossible task without help; the eagerness at many other impotent folk to take advantage of the supposed cure, jostling one another with selfish haste; or the absence of any personal friend to fight his battle for him, and cast him (βάλῃ) with the required plunge into water. The last point may be explained on the supposition that he was a comparative stranger in Jerusalem, and had made no friends; or by another, which several other allusions justify, viz. that he was a man who, from some reason or other, could neither make nor retain friendship. The melancholy recital of his frequent disappointment is given with an air of mendicant resignation - a kind of morbid satisfaction with his lot. The phrase, "while I am coming, another," etc., implies that he could move, if slowly, without help. The moroseness of self-dependence characterizes some sufferers, who rather glory in isolation than lament it. Still, the words express the hopelessness of thousands who, for lack of human help, are jostled out of life, peace, and salvation.