John 3:25

Amplified Bible

²⁵Therefore there arose a controversy between John’s disciples and a Jew in regard to ^[a]purification (ceremonial washing).

John 3:25 An immersion baptism was one of the requirements for a convert to Judaism, and John the Baptist had most likely taken over the ritual, giving it new meaning in his own ministry. Jewish tradition specified that there had to be enough water to completely cover a person, and that it had to be collected naturally.