That the man had been sick for thirty-eight years indicates at once the completeness and the wonder of healing. His lameness was not something of a temporary nature; he had probably been lame all his life—in other words, he was thirty-eight years old.

Through the Greek term identifying the man as being sick merely means “weak,” it seems clear that this weakness was lameness, because he is told to get up and take up his bed and walk. It may be necessary in some languages to use a term for sick which means essentially “lame.” Otherwise, a term for “sick” might suggest some kind of debilitating fever or infectious disease, which probably would not have lasted for 38 years.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .