John 10:6

⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.

⁵ But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will flee from him because they do not recognize his voice.”

Jesus spoke to them using this illustration, but they did not understand what He was telling them.

⁷ So He said to them again, “Truly, truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.

⁸ All who came before Me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: Jesus spoke to them using this illustration, but they did not understand what He was telling them.
KJV: This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
WEB: Jesus spoke this parable to them, but they didn’t understand what he was telling them.
ASV: This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
DARBY: This allegory spoke Jesus to them, but they did not know what it was [of] which he spoke to them.
BLB: Jesus spoke to them this allegory, but they did not know what it was that He was saying to them.

ÅB: Denne lignelse sa Jesus til dem; men de skjønte ikke hva det var han talte til dem.
OTB: Jesus brukte dette billedspråket, men de forstod ikke hva han sa til dem.
B1930: Denne lignelse sa Jesus til dem; men de skjønte ikke hvad det var han talte til dem.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Isaiah 56:11
Like ravenous dogs, they are never satisfied. They are shepherds with no discernment; they all turn to their own way, each one seeking his own gain:
Read in context
Psalms 82:5
They do not know or understand; they wander in the darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
Read in context
Proverbs 28:5
Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD comprehend fully.
Read in context
John 16:25
I have spoken these things to you in figures of speech. An hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you this way, but will tell you plainly about the Father.
Read in context
Isaiah 6:9–10
And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
Read in context
Psalms 106:7
Our fathers in Egypt did not grasp Your wonders or remember Your abundant kindness; but they rebelled by the sea, there at the Red Sea.
Read in context
Matthew 13:51
Have you understood all these things?” “Yes,” they answered.
Read in context
Daniel 12:10
Many will be purified, made spotless, and refined, but the wicked will continue to act wickedly. None of the wicked will understand, but the wise will understand.
Read in context