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Jesus therefore said to them again, “Most certainly, I tell you, I am the sheep’s door.
John 10:7 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
  • BSB So He said to them again, “Truly, truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.
  • NKJV Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
  • NASB So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
  • NLT so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.

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 restates the figure, declaring plainly, 'I am the door of the sheep.' He is the sole appointed entrance to God's flock.

Overview

This is one of John's great 'I am' sayings, echoing the divine name revealed to Moses. By calling Himself the door, Jesus claims to be the exclusive means of access to salvation and to God's people. He clarifies the imagery so its application to Himself is unmistakable.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 11

  • John 14:6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.
  • Eph 2:18For through him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.
  • John 10:1“Most certainly, I tell you, one who doesn’t enter by the door into the sheep fold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
  • John 10:9I am the door. If anyone enters in by me, he will be saved, and will go in and go out, and will find pasture.
  • Ezek 34:31You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, says the Lord Yahweh.
  • Ps 79:13So we, your people and sheep of your pasture, will give you thanks forever. We will praise you forever, to all generations.
  • Heb 10:19–22Having therefore, brothers, boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus,
  • Ps 100:3Know that Yahweh, he is God. It is he who has made us, and we are his. We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
  • Ps 95:7for he is our God. We are the people of his pasture, and the sheep in his care. Today, oh that you would hear his voice!
  • Luke 15:4–6“Which of you men, if you had one hundred sheep, and lost one of them, wouldn’t leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one that was lost, until he found it?
  • Isa 53:6All we like sheep have gone astray. Everyone has turned to his own way; and Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

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 10:7YouTube · 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 10:7 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.