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I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
John 10:9 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB I am the door. If anyone enters in by me, he will be saved, and will go in and go out, and will find pasture.
  • BSB I am the gate. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture.
  • NKJV I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
  • NASB I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
  • NLT Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures.

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 repeats that He is the door: whoever enters through Him is saved and finds secure provision. Salvation, safety, and pasture come through Him alone.

Overview

To go 'in and out' and 'find pasture' pictures the freedom, security, and nourishment of the saved. Jesus offers not only entrance but ongoing life and provision. The exclusivity of 'by me' underscores that there is no other way to be saved.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 14

  • John 14:6Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
  • Eph 2:18For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
  • John 10:7Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
  • John 10:1Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
  • Rom 5:1–2Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
  • Ps 100:3–4Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; 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, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,
  • Ps 23:1–6The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
  • Ezek 34:12–16As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
  • Isa 40:11He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
  • Isa 49:9–10That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.
  • Heb 10:19–22Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
  • Zech 10:12And I will strengthen them in the LORD; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the LORD.
  • Ps 80:1–3Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

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 10:9YouTube · 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 10:9 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.