John 10:1

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

Jesus as the Good Shepherd“I tell you the solemn truth, the one who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

¶Ἀμὴν, ἀμὴν, λέγω ὑμῖν, Ὁ μὴ εἰσερχόμενος διὰ τῆς θύρας εἰς τὴν αὐλὴν τῶν προβάτων, ἀλλὰ ἀναβαίνων ἀλλαχόθεν, ἐκεῖνος κλέπτης ἐστὶν καὶ λῃστής.

Transliteration

Amēn, amēn, legō to you, the one not eiserchomenos through the thyras into the aulēn of the probatōn, but anabainōn allachothen, that one kleptēs estin and lēstēs.

Grammar Details

• *Amēn*: Hebrew term used as emphatic affirmation - truly/verily/amen
• *legō*: present active indicative, 1st person singular - I say/tell/speak
• *eiserchomenos*: present middle participle, masculine nominative singular - entering/going in
• *thyras*: genitive, feminine, singular - door/gate
• *aulēn*: accusative, feminine, singular - court/fold/enclosure
• *probatōn*: genitive, neuter, plural - of sheep
• *anabainōn*: present active participle, masculine nominative singular - climbing up/ascending
• *allachothen*: adverb - from elsewhere/another way
• *kleptēs estin*: present indicative, 3rd person singular - is a thief
• *lēstēs*: nominative, masculine, singular - robber/bandit

Word Meanings

• *Amēn*: truly/verily/amen
• *legō*: say/speak/tell
• *eiserchomenos*: entering/going in
• *thyras*: door/gate/entrance
• *aulēn*: courtyard/fold/enclosure
• *probatōn*: sheep
• *anabainōn*: climbing up/ascending
• *allachothen*: from elsewhere/by another way
• *kleptēs*: thief/stealer
• *lēstēs*: robber/bandit/plunderer

Referenced Verses

• 1 John 4:1 : 1 Testing the Spirits Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
• Heb 5:4 : 4 And no one assumes this honor on his own initiative, but only when called to it by God, as in fact Aaron was.
• John 10:8-9 : 8 All who came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters through me, he will be saved, and will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.
• Rom 16:18 : 18 For these are the kind who do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By their smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of the naive.
• Matt 7:15 : 15 A Tree and Its Fruit“Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves.
• 2 Pet 2:3 : 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation pronounced long ago is not sitting idly by; their destruction is not asleep.
• 1 Pet 1:10 : 10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who predicted the grace that would come to you searched and investigated carefully.
• 2 Pet 2:1 : 1 The False Teachers’ Ungodly Lifestyle But false prophets arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. These false teachers will infiltrate your midst with destructive heresies, even to the point of denying the Master who bought them. As a result, they will bring swift destruction on themselves.
• 2 Cor 11:13-15 : 13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will correspond to their actions.
• Eph 4:8-9 : 8 Therefore it says,“When he ascended on high he captured captives; he gave gifts to men.” 9 Now what is the meaning of“he ascended,” except that he also descended to the lower regions, namely, the earth? 10 He, the very one who descended, is also the one who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things. 11 And he himself gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ,
• Matt 23:16-28 : 16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say,‘Whoever swears by the temple is bound by nothing. But whoever swears by the gold of the temple is bound by the oath.’ 17 Blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 And,‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing. But if anyone swears by the gift on it he is bound by the oath.’ 19 You are blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and the one who dwells in it. 22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and the one who sits on it. 23 “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you neglect what is more important in the law– justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You should have done these things without neglecting the others. 24 Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel! 25 “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside may become clean too! 27 “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of the bones of the dead and of everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you look righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
• John 3:3 : 3 Jesus replied,“I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
• Rom 10:15 : 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written,“How timely is the arrival of those who proclaim the good news.”
• Isa 56:10-12 : 10 All their watchmen are blind, they are unaware. All of them are like mute dogs, unable to bark. They pant, lie down, and love to snooze. 11 The dogs have big appetites; they are never full. They are shepherds who have no understanding; they all go their own way, each one looking for monetary gain. 12 Each one says,‘Come on, I’ll get some wine! Let’s guzzle some beer! Tomorrow will be just like today! We’ll have everything we want!’
• Jer 14:15 : 15 I did not send those prophets, though they claim to be prophesying in my name. They may be saying,‘No war or famine will happen in this land.’ But I, the LORD, say this about them:‘War and starvation will kill those prophets.’
• Jer 23:16-17 : 16 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies says to the people of Jerusalem:“Do not listen to what those prophets are saying to you. They are filling you with false hopes. They are reporting visions of their own imaginations, not something the LORD has given them to say. 17 They continually say to those who reject what the LORD has said,‘Things will go well for you!’ They say to all those who follow the stubborn inclinations of their own hearts,‘Nothing bad will happen to you!’
• Jer 23:21 : 21 I did not send those prophets. Yet they were in a hurry to give their message. I did not tell them anything. Yet they prophesied anyway.
• Jer 23:32 : 32 I, the LORD, affirm that I am opposed to those prophets who dream up lies and report them. They are misleading my people with their reckless lies. I did not send them. I did not commission them. They are not helping these people at all. I, the LORD, affirm it!”
• Jer 28:15-17 : 15 Then the prophet Jeremiah told the prophet Hananiah,“Listen, Hananiah! The LORD did not send you! You are making these people trust in a lie! 16 So the LORD says,‘I will most assuredly remove you from the face of the earth. You will die this very year because you have counseled rebellion against the LORD.’” 17 In the seventh month of that very same year the prophet Hananiah died.
• Jer 29:31-32 : 31 “Send a message to all the exiles in Babylon. Tell them,‘The LORD has spoken about Shemaiah the Nehelamite.“Shemaiah has spoken to you as a prophet even though I did not send him. He is making you trust in a lie. 32 Because he has done this,” the LORD says,“I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his whole family. There will not be any of them left to experience the good things that I will do for my people. I, the LORD, affirm it! For he counseled rebellion against the LORD.”’”
• Ezek 13:2-6 : 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to the prophets who prophesy from their imagination:‘Listen to the LORD’s message! 3 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit but have seen nothing! 4 Your prophets have become like jackals among the ruins, O Israel. 5 You have not gone up in the breaks in the wall, nor repaired a wall for the house of Israel that it would stand strong in the battle on the day of the LORD. 6 They see delusion and their omens are a lie. They say,“the LORD declares,” though the LORD has not sent them; yet they expect their word to be confirmed.
• Ezek 34:2-5 : 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them– to the shepherds:‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not shepherds feed the flock? 3 You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the choice animals, but you do not feed the sheep! 4 You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured, brought back the strays, or sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled over them. 5 They were scattered because they had no shepherd, and they became food for every wild beast.
• Zech 11:4-5 : 4 The LORD my God says this:“Shepherd the flock set aside for slaughter. 5 Those who buy them slaughter them and are not held guilty; those who sell them say,‘Blessed be the LORD, for I am rich.’ Their own shepherds have no compassion for them.
• Zech 11:16-17 : 16 Indeed, I am about to raise up a shepherd in the land who will not take heed to the sheep headed to slaughter, will not seek the scattered, and will not heal the injured. Moreover, he will not nourish the one that is healthy but instead will eat the meat of the fat sheep and tear off their hooves. 17 Woe to the worthless shepherd who abandons the flock! May a sword fall on his arm and his right eye! May his arm wither completely away, and his right eye become completely blind!”
• Titus 1:11 : 11 who must be silenced because they mislead whole families by teaching for dishonest gain what ought not to be taught.
• 2 Pet 2:14-19 : 14 Their eyes, full of adultery, never stop sinning; they entice unstable people. They have trained their hearts for greed, these cursed children! 15 By forsaking the right path they have gone astray, because they followed the way of Balaam son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, 16 yet was rebuked for his own transgression(a dumb donkey, speaking with a human voice, restrained the prophet’s madness). 17 These men are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm, for whom the utter depths of darkness have been reserved. 18 For by speaking high-sounding but empty words they are able to entice, with fleshly desires and with debauchery, people who have just escaped from those who reside in error. 19 Although these false teachers promise such people freedom, they themselves are enslaved to immorality. For whatever a person succumbs to, to that he is enslaved.