John 10:1

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.
• English Standard Version (ESV)"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.
• 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

“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. 2The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

John 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 replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
• John 10:9I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.
• Jeremiah 14:15Therefore this is what the Lord says about the prophets who are prophesying in my name: I did not send them, yet they are saying, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.’ Those same prophets will perish by sword and famine.
• Jeremiah 23:16This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord.
• Jeremiah 28:15Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies.
• Jeremiah 29:31“Send this message to all the exiles: ‘This is what the Lord says about Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, even though I did not send him, and has persuaded you to trust in lies,
• Ezekiel 13:2“Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination: ‘Hear the word of the Lord!
• Matthew 7:15“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
• Matthew 23:16“Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’
• Romans 10:15And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
• Ephesians 4:8This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.”
• Hebrews 5:4And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.
• 1 Peter 1:10Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care,
• 2 Peter 2:1But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.
• 1 John 4:1Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
• John 10:8All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened 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

• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• Minister, Christian
• Sheep
• Shepherd
• Theft and Thieves

In the dictionaries

• Fold
• Hall
• Lay
• Parable
• Sanctify
• Sheep
• Thief
• Allegory
• Door
• God

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