English Standard Version
John 10:1
1"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.
John 10:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
- New International Version (NIV)“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
- New Living Translation (NLT)“I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber!
Context of John 10:1
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
Read all of John 10John 10:1 word by word
Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν· ὁ μὴ εἰσερχόμενος διὰ τῆς θύρας εἰς τὴν αὐλὴν τῶν προβάτων ἀλλ᾽ ἀναβαίνων ἀλλαχόθεν, ἐκεῖνος κλέπτης ἐστὶν καὶ λῃστής·Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Verilyἀμήνamēn · amenG281
- I sayλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- unto youσύsu · youG4771
- He thatὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- enterethεἰσέρχομαιeiserchomai · to enterG1525
- notμήmē · notG3361
- byδιάdia · through/because ofG1223
- the doorθύραthura · doorG2374
- intoεἰςeis · towardG1519
- the sheepfoldαὐλήaulē · palace/courtyardG833
- butἀλλάalla · butG235
- climbeth upἀναβαίνωanabainō · to ascendG305
- some other wayἀλλαχόθενallachothen · from elsewhereG237
- the sameἐκεῖνοςekeinos · thatG1565
- isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- a thiefκλέπτηςkleptēs · thiefG2812
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- a robberλῃστήςlēstēs · robber/rebelG3027
- ·πρόβατονprobaton · sheepG4263
Cross-references for John 10:1
- John 3:3Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
- John 10:9I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
- Jeremiah 14:15Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who prophesy in my name although I did not send them, and who say, 'Sword and famine shall not come upon this land': By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed.
- Jeremiah 23:16Thus says the Lord of hosts: "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord.
- Jeremiah 28:15And Jeremiah the prophet said to the prophet Hananiah, "Listen, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie.
- Jeremiah 29:31"Send to all the exiles, saying, 'Thus says the Lord concerning Shemaiah of Nehelam: Because Shemaiah had prophesied to you when I did not send him, and has made you trust in a lie,
- Ezekiel 13:2"Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel, who are prophesying, and say to those who prophesy from their own hearts: 'Hear the word of the Lord!'
- Matthew 7:15"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
- Matthew 23:16"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.'
- Romans 10:15And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"
- Ephesians 4:8Therefore it says, "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men."
- Hebrews 5:4And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was.
- 1 Peter 1:10Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully,
- 2 Peter 2:1But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.
- 1 John 4:1Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
- John 10:8All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
Commentaries on John 10:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Verily, verily, etc. - From John 10:6, we learn that this is a parable, i.e. a representation of heavenly things through the medium of earthly things. Some think our Lord delivered this discourse immediately after that mentioned in the preceding chapter; others think it was spoken not less than three months after. The former, says Bishop Pearce, was spoken at the feast of tabernacles, see chap. 7, or about the end of September, and this at the feast of…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1Verily, verily - See the notes at John 3:3. I say unto you - Some have supposed that what follows here was delivered on some other occasion than the one mentioned in the last chapter; but the expression verily, verily, is one which is not used at the commencement of a discourse, and the discourse itself seems to be a continuation of what was said before. The Pharisees professed to be the guides or shepherds of the people. Jesus, in the close of the last…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1The parable of the good shepherd. (1-5) Christ the Door. (6-9) Christ the good Shepherd. (10-18) The Jews' opinion concerning Jesus. (19-21) His discourse at the feast of dedication. (22-30) The Jews attempt to stone Jesus. (31-38) He departs from Jerusalem. (39-42) Verses 1-5 Here is a parable or similitude, taken from the customs of the East, in the management of sheep. Men, as creatures depending on their Creator, are called the sheep of his pasture…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1A shepherd in the wild would build a sheepfold. This was a pen with low stone walls topped by sharp branches, to keep his sheep safe at night. The pen had one gate (or opening in the wall) that was closed with branches. Any person or thing that came into the pen threatened the flock. A bad shepherd was like a thief and a robber. He used the sheep for his own gain and did not care for them. Bad shepherds took the sheep’s milk and wool for themselves. They…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-21This discourse seems plainly to be a continuation of the closing verses of the ninth chapter. The figure was familiar to the Jewish ear (from Jr 23:1-40; Eze 34:1-31; Zec 11:1-17, &c.). "This simple creature [the sheep] has this special note among all animals, that it quickly hears the voice of the shepherd, follows no one else, depends entirely on him, and seeks help from him alone--cannot help itself, but is shut up to another's aid" [Luther in Stier]…Read the comment
Topics related to John 10:1
In the dictionaries
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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries