John 10:11

10:11 “I am the good ¹  shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life ²  for the sheep.

John 10:15-18

10:15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay down my life ³  for ⁴  the sheep. 10:16 I have ⁵  other sheep that do not come from ⁶  this sheepfold. ⁷  I must bring them too, and they will listen to my voice, ⁸  so that ⁹  there will be one flock and ¹⁰  one shepherd. 10:17 This is why the Father loves me ¹¹  – because I lay down my life, ¹²  so that I may take it back again. 10:18 No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down ¹³  of my own free will. ¹⁴  I have the authority ¹⁵  to lay it down, and I have the authority ¹⁶  to take it back again. This commandment ¹⁷  I received from my Father.”

[10:11]  ¹ tn Or “model” (see R. E. Brown, John [AB], 1:386, who argues that “model” is a more exact translation of καλός [kalos] here).

[10:11]  ² tn Or “The good shepherd dies willingly.”

[10:15]  ³ tn Or “I die willingly.”

[10:15]  ⁴ tn Or “on behalf of” or “for the sake of.”

[10:16]  ⁵ tn Grk “And I have.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[10:16]  ⁶ tn Or “that do not belong to”; Grk “that are not of.”

[10:16]  ⁷ sn The statement I have other sheep that do not come from this sheepfold almost certainly refers to Gentiles. Jesus has sheep in the fold who are Jewish; there are other sheep which, while not of the same fold, belong to him also. This recalls the mission of the Son in 3:16-17, which was to save the world – not just the nation of Israel. Such an emphasis would be particularly appropriate to the author if he were writing to a non-Palestinian and primarily non-Jewish audience.

[10:16]  ⁸ tn Grk “they will hear my voice.”

[10:16]  ⁹ tn Grk “voice, and.”

[10:16]  ¹⁰ tn The word “and” is not in the Greek text, but must be supplied to conform to English style. In Greek it is an instance of asyndeton (omission of a connective), usually somewhat emphatic.

[10:17]  ⁷ tn Grk “Because of this the Father loves me.”

[10:17]  ⁸ tn Or “die willingly.”

[10:18]  ⁹ tn Or “give it up.”

[10:18]  ¹⁰ tn Or “of my own accord.” “Of my own free will” is given by BDAG 321 s.v. ἐμαυτοῦ c.

[10:18]  ¹¹ tn Or “I have the right.”

[10:18]  ¹² tn Or “I have the right.”

[10:18]  ¹³ tn Or “order.”