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And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
John 10:28 · New 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.
  • KJV And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck 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.
  • 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 6:39–40This is the will of my Father who sent me, that of all he has given to me I should lose nothing, but should raise him up at the last day.
  • John 6:37All those whom the Father gives me will come to me. He who comes to me I will in no way throw out.
  • John 3:15–16that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
  • Heb 7:25Therefore he is also able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, seeing that he lives forever to make intercession for them.
  • John 18:9that the word might be fulfilled which he spoke, “Of those whom you have given me, I have lost none.”
  • Rom 8:29For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
  • Isa 54:17No weapon that is formed against you will prevail; and you will condemn every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of Yahweh’s servants, and their righteousness is of me,” says Yahweh.
  • Phil 1:6being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
  • John 4:14but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
  • 1 Jn 2:25This is the promise which he promised us, the eternal life.
  • Rom 8:1There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
  • Jude 1:24Now to him who is able to keep them from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory in great joy,
  • John 17:2even as you gave him authority over all flesh, he will give eternal life to all whom you have given him.
  • John 5:24“Most certainly I tell you, he who hears my word, and believes him who sent me, has eternal life, and doesn’t come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
  • 1 Jn 2:19They went out from us, but they didn’t belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have continued with us. But they left, that they might be revealed that none of them belong to us.
  • 1 Jn 5:11The testimony is this, that God gave to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
  • 1 Pet 1:5who by the power of God are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
  • Deut 33:3Yes, he loves the people. All his saints are in your hand. They sat down at your feet. Each receives your words.
  • Ps 37:28For Yahweh loves justice, and doesn’t forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
  • Jude 1:21Keep yourselves in God’s love, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.
  • Col 3:3–4For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
  • Luke 22:31–32The Lord said, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan asked to have you, that he might sift you as wheat,
  • John 17:11–12I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them through your name which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are.
  • Ps 103:17–18But Yahweh’s loving kindness is from everlasting to everlasting with those who fear him, his righteousness to children’s children;
  • 1 Jn 5:13–20These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
  • Isa 45:17Israel will be saved by Yahweh with an everlasting salvation. You will not be disappointed nor confounded to ages everlasting.
  • Rom 8:33–39Who could bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is God who justifies.
  • Jer 31:3Yahweh appeared of old to me, saying, “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore I have drawn you with loving kindness.
  • John 11:25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies.
  • Jude 1:1Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ:
  • Prov 24:16for a righteous man falls seven times, and rises up again; but the wicked are overthrown by calamity.
  • 2 Th 2:13But we are bound to always give thanks to God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth;
  • John 3:36One who believes in the Son has eternal life, but one who disobeys the Son won’t see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
  • John 6:47Most certainly, I tell you, he who believes in me has eternal life.
  • Rom 5:21that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
  • 2 Tim 1:12For this cause I also suffer these things. Yet I am not ashamed, for I know him whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to guard that which I have committed to him against that day.
  • Job 17:9Yet shall the righteous hold on his way. He who has clean hands shall grow stronger and stronger.
  • Rom 5:17For if by the trespass of the one, death reigned through the one; so much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ.
  • 1 Sam 2:9He will keep the feet of his holy ones, but the wicked shall be put to silence in darkness; for no man shall prevail by strength.
  • Ps 125:1–2A Song of Ascents. Those who trust in Yahweh are as Mount Zion, which can’t be moved, but remains forever.

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.