John 10:1

Verily, Verily (Amhn, amhn). Solemn prelude by repetition as in Matthew 1:51 . The words do not ever introduce a fresh topic (cf. Matthew 8:34 Matthew 8:51 Matthew 8:58 ). So in Matthew 10:7 . The Pharisees had previously assumed (Vincent) they alone were the authoritative guides of the people ( Matthew 9:24 Matthew 9:29 ). So Jesus has a direct word for them. So Jesus begins this allegory in a characteristic way. John does not use the word parabolh, but paroimia (verse Matthew 6 ), and it really is an allegory of the Good Shepherd and self-explanatory like that of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:1-32 . He first tells it in verses 10:1-5 and then explains and expands it in verses 7-18 . Into the fold of the sheep (ei thn aulhn twn probatwn). Originally aulh (from aw, to blow) in Homer's time was just an uncovered space around the house enclosed by a wall, then a roofless enclosure in the country where flocks were herded as here and verse 16 . It later came to mean the house itself or palace ( Matthew 26:3 Matthew 26:58 , etc.). In the papyri it means the court attached to the house. Climbeth up (anabainwn). Present active participle of anabainw, to go up. One who goes up, not by the door, has to climb up over the wall. Some other way (allacoqen). Rare word for old alloqen, but in 4Macc. 1:7 and in a papyrus. Only here in N.T. The same (ekeino). "That one" just described. Is a thief and a robber (klepth estin kai lhsth). Both old and common words (from kleptw, to steal, lhzomai, to plunder). The distinction is preserved in the N.T. as here. Judas was a klepth ( John 12:6 ), Barabbas a robber ( John 18:40 ) like the two robbers ( Matthew 27:38 Matthew 27:44 ) crucified with Jesus erroneously termed thieves like "the thief on the cross" by most people. See Mark 11:17 . Here the man jumping over the wall comes to steal and to do it by violence like a bandit. He is both thief and robber.