So He said to them again, “Truly, truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus therefore said to them again, “Most certainly, I tell you, I am the sheep’s door.
- KJV Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of 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 answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
- Eph 2:18For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
- John 10:1“Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever does not enter the sheepfold by the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber.
- John 10:9I am the gate. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture.
- Ezek 34:31‘You are My flock, the sheep of My pasture, My people, and I am your God,’ declares the Lord GOD.”
- Ps 79:13Then we Your people, the sheep of Your pasture, will thank You forever; from generation to generation we will declare Your praise.
- Heb 10:19–22Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,
- Ps 100:3Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.
- Ps 95:7For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the sheep under His care. Today, if you hear His voice,
- Luke 15:4–6“What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the pasture and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?
- Isa 53:6We all like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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.