Johannes 3:23

23 En Johannes doopte ook in Enon bij Salim, dewijl aldaar vele wateren waren; en zij kwamen daar, en werden gedoopt.

Johannes 3:23 Meaning and Commentary

John 3:23

And John also was baptizing in Aenon
The Syriac and Persic versions call it "Ain", or "In you", the fountain of the dove; and the Arabic version reads it, the fountain of "Nun": and whether it was a town, or river, it seems to have its name from a fountain near it, or that itself was one, where was an abundance of water, as the text shows. There is a city of this name in the Septuagint version of ( Joshua 15:61 ) , and mention is made of Hazerenon in ( Numbers 34:9 ) ( Ezekiel 47:17 ) , but neither of them seem to be the same with this; but be it where, and what it will, it was

near to Salim;
and where that was, is as difficult to know as the other, some take it to be Shalem, a city of Shechem, mentioned in ( Genesis 33:18 ) , but that is not the same name with this; and besides was in Samaria; and indeed is by some there thought not to be the proper name of any place. Others are of opinion, that it is the same with Shalim in ( 1 Samuel 9:4 ) , though it seems rather to be the place which Arias Montanus calls ^F15 "Salim juxta torrentem", Salim by the brook; and which he places in the tribe of Issachar: and might be so called, either because it was near this Aenon, and may be the brook, or river intended, by which it was; or because it was not far from the place where the two rivers, Jabbok and Jordan, met; and so the Jewish maps place near Jordan, in the tribe of Manasseh, bordering on the tribe of Issachar, a Shalem, and by it Ain-yon. And the Septuagint in ( Joshua 19:22 ) mention "Salim by the sea", as in the tribe of Issachar. There is a passage in the Talmud ^F16, which, whether it has any regard to this Aenon, and Salim, I leave to be considered:

``the wine of Ogedoth, why is it forbidden? because of the village Pegesh; and that of Borgetha, because of the Saracene palace; and of Ain-Cushith, because of the village Salem.''

Nonnus here calls Aenon, a place of deep waters; and Salim he reads Salem; and so some copies. Aenon, where John baptized, according to Jerom ^F17, was eight miles from Scythopolis, to the south, and was near Salim and Jordan; and he makes Salim to be at the same distance from Scythopolis. However, John was baptizing in these parts, at the same time that Christ was teaching and baptizing: he did not leave off on that account. This was the work he was sent to do, and which he continued in as long as he had his liberty; and be chose this place,

because there was much water there;
or "many waters"; not little purling streams, and rivulets; but, as Nonnus renders it, abundance of water; or a multitude of it, as in the Arabic version; see ( Revelation 1:15 ) ( 14:2 ) ( 17:1 ) ( 19:6 ) ( Song of Solomon 8:7 ) and the Septuagint in ( Psalms 78:16 ) ( Psalms 107:23 ) , and what was sufficient to immerse the whole body in, as Calvin, Aretius, Piscator, and Grotius, on the place, observe; and which was agreeable not only to: the practice of the Jews, who used dipping in their baptisms, and purifications, as Musculus and Lightfoot assert; but to John's method and practice elsewhere:

and they came, and were baptized.
The Ethiopic version renders it, "they came to him", that is, to John, "and he baptized them"; as the Persic version adds, "there", in Aenon, near Salim, in the much water there: it may be understood of the people coming both to John and Christ, and of their being baptized by them; though it seems rather to be said of John; and so Nonnus paraphrases it.

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FOOTNOTES:

F15 Antiqu. Jud. l. 2. c. 3.
F16 T. Hieros. Avoda Zara, fol. 44. 4.
F17 De locis Hebraicis fol. 89. C. & fol, 94. F.

Johannes 3:23 In-Context

21 Maar die de waarheid doet, komt tot het licht, opdat zijn werken openbaar worden, dat zij in God gedaan zijn.

22 Na dezen kwam Jezus en Zijn discipelen in het land van Judea, en onthield Zich aldaar met hen, en doopte.

23 En Johannes doopte ook in Enon bij Salim, dewijl aldaar vele wateren waren; en zij kwamen daar, en werden gedoopt.

24 Want Johannes was nog niet in de gevangenis geworpen.

25 Er rees dan een vraag van enigen uit de discipelen van Johannes met de Joden over de reiniging.