Wikipedia's first sentence called it “tower that existed at siloam near jerusalem in ancient times”. Today it says “structure which fell upon 18 people”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2005
Tower of Siloam was a tower that existed at Siloam near Jerusalem in ancient times. The tower evidently fell before or during the time of Jesus of Nazareth , with substantial loss of life. However, more recently archaeological excavation has revealed what some Biblical scholars believe to be the ruins of the tower.1
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 15962122.
The opening as it stood in 2010 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
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.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 339510494.
The opening as it stood in 2015
James Tissot, The Tower of Siloam See also: Pool of Siloam According to the Bible , the Tower of Siloam was an ancient tower in Siloam in south Jerusalem .In Luke 13:1–5 , in a discourse on the need for individual repentance for sin, Jesus refers to 18 who died when the Tower of Siloam fell on them.Apparently they were innocent victims of a calamity which was due to no fault of those killed.The Tower of Siloam itself is mentioned only in Luke 13:4 as part of a larger passage contained in verses 13:1–5 .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 624365161.
The opening as it stood in 2020 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
James Tissot, The Tower of Siloam See also: Pool of Siloam The Tower of Siloam ( , ho pyrgos en tō Silōam ) was a structure which fell upon 18 people, killing them.Siloam is a neighborhood south of Jerusalem's Old City .In the Gospel of Luke , Jesus refers to the tower's collapse and the death of the 18 in a discourse on the need for individual repentance for sin.The incident is mentioned only once in the New Testament , in Luke 13:4 , as part of a section with examples inviting repentance contained in verses 13:1–5 .Section heading for Luke 13:1-5 in the Jerusalem Bible (1966)
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 913297134.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Structure spoken about by Jesus of Nazareth according to the Christian Gospel of Luke For the Arab village and neighborhood, see Silwan . James Tissot , The Tower of Siloam See also: Pool of Siloam The Tower of Siloam ( , ho pyrgos en tō Silōam ) was a structure which fell upon 18 people, killing them. Siloam is a neighborhood south of Jerusalem's Old City . In the Gospel of Luke , Jesus refers to the tower's collapse and the death of the 18 in a discourse on the need for individual repentance for sin. The incident is mentioned only once in the New Testament , in Luke 13:4, as part of a section with examples inviting repentance contained in verses 13:1–5.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1175796914.
The opening as it stood in 2025
Structure spoken about by Jesus of Nazareth according to the Christian Gospel of Luke For the Arab village and neighborhood, see Silwan . James Tissot , The Tower of Siloam See also: Pool of Siloam The Tower of Siloam ( Greek : ὁ πύργος ἐν τῷ Σιλωάμ , ho pyrgos en tō Silōam ) was a structure which fell upon 18 people, killing them. Siloam is a neighborhood south of Jerusalem's Old City . In the Gospel of Luke , Jesus refers to the tower's collapse and the death of the 18 in a discourse on the need for individual repentance . The incident is mentioned only once in the New Testament , in Luke 13 :4, as part of a section with examples inviting repentance contained in verses 13:1–5.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1281974680. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “tower that existed at siloam near jerusalem in ancient times”. Today it says “structure which fell upon 18 people”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
tower that existed at siloam near jerusalem in ancient times
Now
structure which fell upon 18 people
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
