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“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. The 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. 4After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. 5They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”

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 53:10But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
• 1 Corinthians 16:9There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me.
• Colossians 4:3Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains.
• 1 Peter 1:12They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.
• Revelation 3:7“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia. This is the message from the one who is holy and true, the one who has the key of David. What he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open:
• John 10:4After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.
• John 6:37However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them.
• John 10:14“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me,
• Exodus 33:17The Lord replied to Moses, “I will indeed do what you have asked, for I look favorably on you, and I know you by name.”
• Romans 8:30And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.
• Philippians 4:3And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life.
• 2 Timothy 2:19But God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and “All who belong to the Lord must turn away from evil.”
• Revelation 20:15And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.
• Psalms 23:2He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.
• Psalms 78:52But he led his own people like a flock of sheep, guiding them safely through the wilderness.
• Psalms 80:1Please listen, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph’s descendants like a flock. O God, enthroned above the cherubim, display your radiant glory

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