One of the principal sources of water supply to Jerusalem was the intermittent pool of Gihon ("Virgin's Fountain") below the Fountain Gate (Nehemiah 3:15). This fed water along an open canal, which flowed slowly along the southeast slopes, called siloah, ("Sender"; LXX Siloam--Isaiah 8:6). It followed the line of the later "second aqueduct" (Wilson) discharging into the Lower or Old Pool. This Old Pool was probably the "Pool of Siloam" in use in New Testament times for sick persons and others to wash (John 9:7-11). [Tyndale House, The Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Vol. 3, p. 1452]
The Bible also indicates that the kings of Israel were buried in a special area near Jerusalem. These tombs were close to the pool of Shelah ("Siloam"--RSV) or ("Siloah" --AV) (see Nehemiah 3:15). [Tyndale House, The Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Vol. 3, pp. 1416, 1435]
According to the Talmud (Sukkoth 4.9), water was drawn from Siloam's pool in a golden vessel to be carried in procession to the Temple on the Feast of Tabernacles. [Tyndale House, The Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Vol. 3, p. 1452]
. Finally, the waters of Shiloah were near the fuller's field, where garments were cleansed and bleached and spread to dry in the sun (2 Kings 18:17; Isaiah 7:3; 36:2). [Tyndale House, The Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Vol. 1, p. 128]
2 Nephi 18:6 Waters of Shiloah ([Illustration]): Plan of the Siloam area, including the pools and the channels which carried the water into the city of Jerusalem. [Tyndale House, The Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Vol. 3, p. 1452]
2 Nephi 18:6 Waters of Shiloah ([Illustration]): Plan showing the probable location of the "Sepulchres of the Kings" within the city of David, and the positions of other tombs dating from Solomon to the fall of Judah. [Tyndale House, The Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Vol. 3, p. 1416]
2 Nephi 18:6-7 The waters of Shiloah ([Illustration]): The Pool of Siloam of New Testament times is thought to be the same as the "waters of Shiloah" mentioned by Isaiah. The pool receives its waters from the Gihon Spring that flows through Hezekiah's Tunnel. Photograph by Arnold H. Green. [Donald W. Parry, Visualizing Isaiah, p. 30]
2 Nephi 18:6-7 The waters of Shiloah ([Illustration]): The Gihon Spring at the entrance of Hezekiah's Tunnel, Jerusalem. The Gihon Spring flows from a natural cave on the west side of the valley of Kidron, south of where Solomon's temple once stood to the Pool of Siloam of New Testament times. In the Old Testament period, the spring was the chief source of water for Jerusalem's inhabitants. Solomon was anointed king near the spring in a sacred ceremony. Perhaps other kings were anointed here as well. From this spring King Hezekiah's engineers ran a tunnel under the city to safeguard Jerusalem's water supply from the invading Assyrians. The Gihon Spring is likely the "upper pool" mentioned by Isaiah. Photograph by Arnold H. Green. [Donald W. Parry, Visualizing Isaiah, p. 9]
2 Nephi 18:6-7 The Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria ([Illustration]): The waters of the river represent the king of Assyria who leads his great, destructive armies "like a flood" to "cover the earth" (see Jeremiah 46:8). Tiglath-pileser III's Flood Metaphor. Map: The Assyrian Empire, 9th to 7th Centuries B.C. [Donald W. Parry, Visualizing Isaiah, p. 31]