Psalms 79:13

79:13 Then we, your people, the sheep of your pasture,

will continually thank you.¹

We will tell coming generations of your praiseworthy acts.²

Psalms 95:7

95:7 For he is our God;

we are the people of his pasture,

the sheep he owns.³

Today, if only you would obey him!⁴

Psalms 100:3

100:3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God!

He made us and we belong to him;⁵

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Jeremiah 23:1

New Leaders over a Regathered Remnant

23:1 The Lord says,⁶ “The leaders of my people are sure to be judged.⁷ They were supposed to watch over my people like shepherds watch over their sheep. But they are causing my people to be destroyed and scattered.⁸

Ezekiel 34:8

34:8 As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, my sheep have become prey and have become food for all the wild beasts. There was no shepherd, and my shepherds did not search for my flock, but fed themselves and did not feed my sheep,

Ezekiel 34:31

34:31 And you, my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are my people,⁹ and I am your God, declares the sovereign Lord.’”

Luke 12:32

12:32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is well pleased¹⁰ to give you the kingdom.

John 10:26-30

10:26 But you refuse to believe because you are not my sheep. 10:27 My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 10:28 I give¹¹ them eternal life, and they will never perish;¹² no one will snatch¹³ them from my hand. 10:29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,¹⁴ and no one can snatch¹⁵ them from my Father’s hand. 10:30 The Father and I¹⁶ are one.”¹⁷

¹tn Or (hyperbolically) “will thank you forever.”

²tn Heb “to a generation and a generation we will report your praise.” Here “praise” stands by metonymy for the mighty acts that prompt worship. Cf. Ps 9:14.

³tn Heb “of his hand.”

⁴tn Heb “if only you would listen to his voice.” The Hebrew particle אִם (’im, “if”) and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (cf. Ps 81:8). Note that the apodosis (the “then” clause of the conditional sentence) is suppressed.

⁵tn The present translation (like most modern translations) follows the Qere (marginal reading), which reads literally, “and to him [are] we.” The Kethib (consonantal text) has “and not we.” The suffixed preposition לו (“to him”) was confused aurally with the negative particle לא because the two sound identical.

⁶tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

⁷sn Heb This particle once again introduces a judgment speech. The indictment is found in v. 1 and the announcement of judgment in v. 2. This leads into an oracle of deliverance in vv. 3-4. See also the note on the word “judged” in 22:13.

⁸tn Heb “Woe to the shepherds who are killing and scattering the sheep of my pasture.” See the study note on 22:13 for the significance of “Sure to be judged” (Heb “Woe”) See the study note for the significance of the metaphor introduced here.

⁹tn Heb, “the sheep of my pasture, you are human.” See 36:37-38 for a similar expression. The possessive pronoun “my” is supplied in the translation to balance “I am your God” in the next clause.

¹⁰tn Or perhaps, “your Father chooses.”

¹¹tn Grk “And I give.”

¹²tn Or “will never die” or “will never be lost.”

¹³tn Or “no one will seize.”

¹⁴tn Or “is superior to all.”

¹⁵tn Or “no one can seize.”

¹⁶tn Grk “I and the Father.” The order has been reversed to reflect English style.

¹⁷tn The phrase ἕν ἐσμεν ({en esmen) is a significant assertion with trinitarian implications. ἕν is neuter, not masculine, so the assertion is not that Jesus and the Father are one person, but one “thing.” Identity of the two persons is not what is asserted, but essential unity (unity of essence).