John 3:23

The exact location of Aenon (lit. springs) near Salim is unknown today. The best evidence seems to point to a site just south of Scythopolis (Old Testament Beth-shan). [Note: See Tenney, "John," p. 52, and the map "Palestine in the Time of Jesus" at the end of these notes.] The other possible site was a few miles east of Sychar (near Old Testament Shechem). The first site is about 15 miles south of the Sea of Galilee. The second is approximately midway between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. Both are only a few miles west of the Jordan River. [Note: See Edersheim, 2:767-69, for further discussion of the location of Sychar.] John evidently chose the site for its abundant water that came from nearby springs. Many people were coming to him to express their repentance by undergoing water baptism.

". . . the importance of the note is to show that John moved from the south to the north, leaving Jesus to baptize in the area not distant from Jerusalem." [Note: Beasley-Murray, p. 52.]