John 10:3

John 10:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
• New International Version (NIV)The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
• English Standard Version (ESV)To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
• New King James Version (NKJV)To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

Context of John 10:3

1“Truly I tell you, anyone who doesn’t enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber. 2The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers.”

John 10:3 word by word

τούτῳ ὁ θυρωρὸς ἀνοίγει, καὶ τὰ πρόβατα τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ ἀκούει, καὶ τὰ ἴδια πρόβατα φωνεῖ κατ᾽ ὄνομα καὶ ἐξάγει αὐτά.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• To himοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• the porterὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the porterθυρωρόςthurōros · gatekeeperG2377
• openethἀνοίγωanoigō · to openG455
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• the sheepπρόβατονprobaton · sheepG4263
• hearἀκούωakouō · to hearG191
• hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• voiceφωνήphōnē · voice/sound: voiceG5456
• he callethκαλέωkaleō · to call: callG2564
• his ownἴδιοςidios · one's own/privateG2398
• byκατάkata · according toG2596
• nameὄνομαonoma · nameG3686
• leadethἐξάγωexagō · to lead outG1806

Cross-references for John 10:3

• Isaiah 53:10Yet the Lord was pleased to crush him severely. When you make him a guilt offering, he will see his seed, he will prolong his days, and by his hand, the Lord’s pleasure will be accomplished.
• 1 Corinthians 16:9because a wide door for effective ministry has opened for me — yet many oppose me.
• Colossians 4:3At the same time, pray also for us that God may open a door to us for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains,
• 1 Peter 1:12It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you. These things have now been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven — angels long to catch a glimpse of these things.
• Revelation 3:7“Write to the angel of the church in Philadelphia: Thus says the Holy One, the true one, the one who has the key of David, who opens and no one will close, and who closes and no one opens:
• John 10:4When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice.
• John 6:37Everyone the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never cast out.
• John 10:14“I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me,
• Exodus 33:17The Lord answered Moses, “I will do this very thing you have asked, for you have found favor with me, and I know you by name.”
• Romans 8:30And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.
• Philippians 4:3Yes, I also ask you, true partner, to help these women who have contended for the gospel at my side, along with Clement and the rest of my coworkers whose names are in the book of life.
• 2 Timothy 2:19Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, bearing this inscription: The Lord knows those who are his, and let everyone who calls on the name of the Lord turn away from wickedness.
• Revelation 20:15And anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
• Psalms 23:2He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters.
• Psalms 78:52He led his people out like sheep and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
• Psalms 80:1Listen, Shepherd of Israel, who leads Joseph like a flock; you who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine

Commentaries on John 10:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3To him the porter openeth - Sir Isaac Newton observes that our Lord being near the temple, where sheep were kept in folds to be sold for sacrifices, spoke many things parabolically of sheep, of their shepherds, and of the door to the sheepfold; and discovers that he alluded to the sheepfolds which were to be hired in the market place, by speaking of such folds as a thief could not enter by the door, nor the shepherd himself open, but a porter opened to…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3To him the porter openeth - The porter is the doorkeeper. It seems that the more wealthy Jews who owned flocks employed some person to take charge of the flock. At first all shepherds attended their flocks personally by day and by night, and this continued to be commonly the practice, but not always. The sheep hear his voice - The voice of the shepherd. A flock will readily discern the well-known voice of one who is accustomed to attend them. The meaning…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3the sheep listen for his voice: The Middle Eastern shepherd is well known for having intimate knowledge of the sheep. Sheep are led with flute tunes, songs, or verbal commands.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. To him the porter openeth--that is, right of free access is given, by order of Him to whom the sheep belong; for it is better not to give the allusion a more specific interpretation [Calvin, Meyer, Luthardt]. and the sheep hear his voice--This and all that follows, though it admits of important application to every faithful shepherd of God's flock, is in its direct and highest sense true only of "the great Shepherd of the sheep," who in the first five…Read the comment

Topics related to John 10:3

• Character
• God Continued...
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• Minister, Christian
• Sheep
• Shepherd

In the dictionaries

• Fold
• Lay
• Parable
• Sanctify
• Sheep
• Thief
• Allegory
• Doorkeeper
• God
• Jesus Christ

Commentaries on John 10

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings