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And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
John 10:28 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
  • BSB I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand.
  • NKJV And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
  • NASB and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.
  • NLT I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me,

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Jesus gives His sheep eternal life, promising they will never perish and that none can snatch them from His hand. He guarantees the eternal security of His own.

Overview

This is one of the clearest assurances of the believer's preservation, grounded in Christ's own power. The gift of eternal life cannot fail, and no enemy can wrest the sheep away. It assures believers that their salvation rests on the shepherd's grip, not their own.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 40

  • John 6:39–40And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
  • John 6:37All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
  • John 3:15–16That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
  • Heb 7:25Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
  • John 18:9That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.
  • Rom 8:29For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
  • Isa 54:17No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
  • Phil 1:6Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
  • John 4:14But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
  • 1 Jn 2:25And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.
  • Rom 8:1There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
  • Jude 1:24Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
  • John 17:2As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
  • John 5:24Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
  • 1 Jn 2:19They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
  • 1 Jn 5:11And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
  • 1 Pet 1:5Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
  • Deut 33:3Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words.
  • Ps 37:28For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
  • Jude 1:21Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
  • Col 3:3–4For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
  • Luke 22:31–32And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
  • John 17:11–12And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
  • Ps 103:17–18But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children;
  • 1 Jn 5:13–20These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
  • Isa 45:17But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.
  • Rom 8:33–39Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
  • Jer 31:3The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
  • John 11:25Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
  • Jude 1:1Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:
  • Prov 24:16For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.
  • 2 Th 2:13But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
  • John 3:36He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
  • John 6:47Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
  • Rom 5:21That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
  • 2 Tim 1:12For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
  • Job 17:9The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger.
  • Rom 5:17For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
  • 1 Sam 2:9He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.
  • Ps 125:1–2They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (5)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — John videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on John 10:28YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JohnMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.

How John 10:28 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.