What does John 3:23 mean?

This gospel was written by John, a disciple of Jesus, but the person mentioned here is someone else: John the Baptist (John 1:6–7; Matthew 3:1–3).

For a while, both Jesus and John the Baptist preached in the wider region around Jerusalem. This helps explain why the local religious leaders were concerned. These two men were not like the random, tiny groups of heretics Jerusalem typically saw. As a result, people responded to the message. Jesus and John were a legitimate spiritual threat to Jerusalem's established religious order. In fact, there must have been an extremely strong response. This verse says that John chose his location "because there was plenty of water." If so many people are being baptized that it's necessary to find a place with "plenty of water," the message is having an impact.

Like many ancient places, we don't know exactly where Aenon near Salim was located. One strong possibility is somewhere between the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee. The Greek word ainōn literally means "springs," so there was probably a natural fountain or other water source there.