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John 10:1
ESV "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.
NIV "Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.
NASB Truly, truly I say to you, the one who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber.
CSB "Truly I tell you, anyone who doesn’t enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber.
NLT I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber!
KJV Verily, 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.
NKJV “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

What does John 10:1 mean?

Jesus' words here continue without pause from the end of His conversation with the Pharisees who disputed His healing of the man born blind (John 9). Once again, Jesus applies the "Amen, amen" construction. This uses a word which has come from Aramaic almost unchanged into many other languages. It expresses agreement or hopefulness when used at the end of a statement. When used at the beginning of a sentence, it implies that the speaker is presenting first-hand, absolute truth.

This is the first of three related-but-separate analogies Jesus will make using the concept of shepherding.

Jesus begins the first metaphor by stating that someone who climbs the wall of a sheep enclosure "is a thief and a robber." In that era, multiple flocks of sheep would be housed in a single walled-in enclosure. The sides were high enough to prevent sheep from getting out and wild animals from getting in. This structure would have a single opening; this was the only intended place for the sheep to come in or out. Anyone attempting to get into the pen without using that single door was, by definition, up to no good.

In the next verses, Jesus will continue to explain that only the legitimate shepherd can come in and out. Only that shepherd is approved by the gatekeeper. This teaching also relies on the unique way sheep naturally learn to respond only to the voice of "their" shepherd, and not to others.
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