Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized.
Parallel translations
- WEB John also was baptizing in Enon near Salim, because there was much water there. They came, and were baptized.
- KJV And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.
- BSB Now John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because the water was plentiful there, and people kept coming to be baptized.
- NASB Now John also was baptizing in Aenon, near Salim, because there was an abundance of water there; and people were coming and being baptized—
- NLT At this time John the Baptist was baptizing at Aenon, near Salim, because there was plenty of water there; and people kept coming to him for baptism.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim because water was plentiful there, and people kept coming to be baptized. His ministry was still active and drawing crowds.
Overview
The geographic detail grounds the account in real places and explains the practical reason for the location. John's continued baptizing sets the stage for a comparison between his ministry and Jesus'. It also marks a moment of transition as the Baptist's role moves toward its appointed decrease.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Mark 1:4–5John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching the baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins.
- Ezek 43:2Behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shined with his glory.
- 1 Sam 9:4He passed through the hill country of Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they didn’t find them. Then they passed through the land of Shaalim, and there they weren’t there. Then he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they didn’t find them.
- Luke 3:7He said therefore to the multitudes who went out to be baptized by him, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
- Matt 3:5–6Then people from Jerusalem, all of Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him.
- Ezek 19:10“‘Your mother was like a vine, in your blood, planted by the waters. It was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.
- Gen 33:18Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan Aram; and encamped before the city.
- Jer 51:13You who dwell on many waters, abundant in treasures, your end has come, the measure of your covetousness.
- Rev 1:15His feet were like burnished brass, as if it had been refined in a furnace. His voice was like the voice of many waters.
- Rev 19:6I heard something like the voice of a great multitude, and like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of mighty thunders, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns!
- Rev 14:2I heard a sound from heaven, like the sound of many waters, and like the sound of a great thunder. The sound which I heard was like that of harpists playing on their harps.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 3:23 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.