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.
• 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.
• 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.

Context of John 10:1

“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! 2But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. 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, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
• John 10:9Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures.
• Jeremiah 14:15Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I will punish these lying prophets, for they have spoken in my name even though I never sent them. They say that no war or famine will come, but they themselves will die by war and famine!
• Jeremiah 23:16This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says to his people: “Do not listen to these prophets when they prophesy to you, filling you with futile hopes. They are making up everything they say. They do not speak for the Lord!
• Jeremiah 28:15Then Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent you, but the people believe your lies.
• Jeremiah 29:31“Send an open letter to all the exiles in Babylon. Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Since he has prophesied to you when I did not send him and has tricked you into believing his lies,
• Ezekiel 13:2“Son of man, prophesy against the false prophets of Israel who are inventing their own prophecies. Say to them, ‘Listen to the word of the Lord.
• Matthew 7:15“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.
• Matthew 23:16“Blind guides! What sorrow awaits you! For you say that it means nothing to swear ‘by God’s Temple,’ but that it is binding to swear ‘by the gold in the Temple.’
• Romans 10:15And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
• Ephesians 4:8That is why the Scriptures say, “When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.”
• Hebrews 5:4And no one can become a high priest simply because he wants such an honor. He must be called by God for this work, just as Aaron was.
• 1 Peter 1:10This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you.
• 2 Peter 2:1But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves.
• 1 John 4:1Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.
• John 10:8All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true 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

• 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