Charles Ellicott Commentary John 3:23

"And John also was baptizing in Enon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized." — John 3:23 (ASV)

Ænon near to Salim.—The latter place was clearly well known at the time and regarded as fixing the locality of the former. It has been usual to follow Jerome and Eusebius, who fix the place in the valley of the Jordan, eight miles south from Bethshan, or Scythopolis. (See quotation from the Onomasticon, in Caspari, Chronological and Geographical Introduction, English Translation, p. 122.)

The objection to this is that the text seems to limit us to Judea , whereas this Salim is more than thirty miles from it. The word Ænon means “springs” and probably belonged to more than one place where there was much water. The mention of this is opposed to the locality of the Jordan valley, where it would not be necessary to choose a place for this reason.

Dr. Barclay (City of the Great King, 1858, pp. 558-570) found both names in a place answering the description, and certainly answering the narrative better than other identifications, at Wady Farah, about five miles from Jerusalem.

They came—that is, the people.