John 3:23

3:23 John ¹  was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, ²  because water was plentiful there, and people were coming ³  to him ⁴  and being baptized.

John 4:5

4:5 Now he came to a Samaritan town ⁵  called Sychar, ⁶  near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. ⁷ 

Acts 7:16

7:16 and their bones ⁸  were later moved to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a certain sum of money ⁹  from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

[3:23]  ¹ sn John refers to John the Baptist.

[3:23]  ² tn The precise locations of Αἰνών (Ainwn) and Σαλείμ (Saleim) are unknown. Three possibilities are suggested: (1) In Perea, which is in Transjordan (cf. 1:28). Perea is just across the river from Judea. (2) In the northern Jordan Valley, on the west bank some 8 miles [13 km] south of Scythopolis. But with the Jordan River so close, the reference to abundant water (3:23) seems superfluous. (3) Thus Samaria has been suggested. 4 miles (6.6 km) east of Shechem is a town called Salim, and 8 miles (13 km) northeast of Salim lies modern Ainun. In the general vicinity are many springs. Because of the meanings of the names (Αἰνών = “springs” in Aramaic and Σαλείμ = Salem, “peace”) some have attempted to allegorize here that John the Baptist is near salvation. Obviously there is no need for this. It is far more probable that the author has in mind real places, even if their locations cannot be determined with certainty.

[3:23]  ³ tn Or “people were continually coming.”

[3:23]  ⁴ tn The words “to him” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[4:5]  ⁵ tn Grk “town of Samaria.” The noun Σαμαρείας (Samareias) has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[4:5]  ⁶ sn Sychar was somewhere in the vicinity of Shechem, possibly the village of Askar, 1.5 km northeast of Jacob’s well.

[4:5]  ⁷ sn Perhaps referred to in Gen 48:22.

[7:16]  ⁸ tn “and they.”

[7:16]  ⁹ sn See Gen 49:29-32.