John 10:6 kjv
This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
John 10:6 nkjv
Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.
John 10:6 niv
Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.
John 10:6 esv
This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
John 10:6 nlt
Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn't understand what he meant,
John 10 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| John 10:1-5 | “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door...” | Immediate context, the "figure of speech" Jesus spoke. |
| John 10:7-9 | So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep...” | Jesus' explanation following the initial lack of understanding. |
| John 10:11-16 | “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep...” | Further elucidation of Jesus' identity as the good shepherd. |
| John 8:43 | “Why do you not understand my language? It is because you cannot hear my word.” | Jesus pointing out listeners' inability to grasp His teaching. |
| Matt 13:10-17 | “The reason I speak to them in parables is that ‘seeing they do not perceive...’” | Jesus explains that parables obscure truth for the unseeing. |
| Mark 4:10-12 | He said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables...” | Parables function to reveal to some and conceal from others. |
| Luke 8:9-10 | And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant... he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God...” | Divine mysteries are granted to some but hidden from others. |
| John 12:40 | “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see... and understand...” | Isaiah's prophecy of spiritual blindness is applied to unbelief. |
| 2 Cor 3:14-16 | “Indeed, to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart... it is removed in Christ.” | Spiritual inability to grasp scripture without Christ's illumination. |
| Isa 6:9-10 | “Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.” | Old Testament prophetic description of Israel's spiritual dullness. |
| Ps 23:1 | “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” | Classic OT depiction of God's pastoral care for His people. |
| Isa 40:11 | “He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms...” | God's compassionate shepherd-like leading and care. |
| Eze 34:1-10 | “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep?” | Prophetic denouncement of Israel's unfaithful spiritual leaders. |
| Eze 34:11-16 | “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out.” | God's promise to personally shepherd His scattered people. |
| Zech 11:15-17 | Then the Lord said to me, “Take again the equipment of a foolish shepherd.” | Prophecy regarding the characteristics of a worthless, unfaithful shepherd. |
| Heb 13:20 | Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep... | Identifies Jesus Christ as the supreme, ultimate Shepherd. |
| 1 Pet 2:25 | For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. | Believers are guided back to Christ, the true Shepherd. |
| 1 Pet 5:4 | And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. | Jesus as the "Chief Shepherd" for those entrusted with leading God's flock. |
| John 16:25 | “I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech...” | Jesus acknowledges His use of figurative language and promises clarity. |
| Matt 13:34 | “All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable.” | Synoptic parallel demonstrating Jesus' consistent use of parables. |
| 1 Cor 2:14 | The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them... | Spiritual truths require the Spirit's illumination, not mere human intellect. |
| Luke 24:45 | Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. | Divine enablement is necessary for spiritual understanding. |
John 10 verses
John 10 6 Meaning
John 10:6 serves as a pivotal interpretive remark within Jesus' discourse on the Shepherd and the Sheep. It explicitly states that those listening to Jesus' initial allegorical teaching (verses 1-5) did not grasp its intended significance. This verse highlights a crucial gap: despite Jesus speaking profound spiritual truths, His audience lacked the necessary spiritual perception to comprehend the deeper meaning and implications of His words. It signifies a profound lack of understanding that necessitates further, clearer revelation from Jesus.
John 10 6 Context
John 10:6 is a crucial interjection that bridges Jesus' allegorical teaching in verses 1-5 and His subsequent explanation in verses 7-18. This discourse unfolds immediately after Jesus' confrontation with the Pharisees in John 9, where He healed the man born blind. In that narrative, the Pharisees, spiritual leaders of Israel, displayed profound spiritual blindness by refusing to acknowledge Jesus' divine authority and expelling the healed man. Against this backdrop, Jesus presents Himself using familiar Old Testament shepherd imagery. This context amplifies the significance of the audience's failure to understand His "figure of speech," directly linking their spiritual inability to the self-appointed, yet spiritually bankrupt, leadership embodied by the Pharisees who had proven themselves unfit shepherds. Jesus' parabolic method implicitly challenges and exposes the false claims and motivations of such leaders while offering a true vision of divine care.
John 10 6 Word analysis
- This figure of speech (ταύτην τὴν παροιμίαν - tautēn tēn paroimian): `Παροιμία` (paroimia) denotes a proverb, an allegory, a dark or veiled saying, or a deep metaphor. In John's Gospel, it carries a sense of a profound, spiritual truth that requires deeper understanding beyond a simple narrative. Unlike `παραβολή` (parabole) in the Synoptics, it often implies a more riddle-like or obscure saying, emphasizing the need for divine insight to comprehend Jesus' identity and claims.
- Jesus used with them (εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Ἰησοῦς - eipen autois Iēsous): `Εἶπεν` (eipen), meaning "said," indicates direct communication. The specific audience, "them," includes the Pharisees from the preceding chapter who demonstrated spiritual resistance, as well as the wider crowd gathered, encompassing both disciples and those merely curious or critical. This emphasizes Jesus' deliberate delivery of this profound teaching to this diverse group.
- but they did not understand (οὐκ ἔγνωσαν - ouk egnōsan): `Οὐκ` (ouk) is a strong negative, meaning "not at all." `Ἔγνωσαν` (egnōsan), from `γιγνώσκω` (ginōskō), signifies a knowledge gained through experience, a deep comprehension or spiritual recognition. This is more than a superficial mental block; it implies a failure of spiritual perception, an inability or unwillingness to truly apprehend the profound, salvific truth Jesus was conveying about Himself.
- what he was saying to them (τίνα ἦν ἃ ἐλάλει αὐτοῖς - tina ēn ha elalei autois): `Τίνα` (tina) means "what things." `Ἐλάλει` (elalei), imperfect tense of "to speak," implies a continuous action. Despite Jesus' ongoing communication, the spiritual reality underpinning His words remained opaque to them. Their incomprehension was not partial but fundamental to the essence of His entire teaching on the matter.
- "This figure of speech... but they did not understand": * This phrasing underscores the critical disconnect. Jesus, as the divine revealer, speaks ultimate truth in a manner suitable for spiritual insight, yet His hearers, without such insight, remain veiled. It sets up the immediate need for further, clearer exposition, highlighting both human spiritual inability and divine patience.
John 10 6 Bonus section
The choice of παροιμία (paroimia) over παραβολή (parabole), often used in the Synoptics, in John's Gospel is distinctive. Parabole typically describes earthly stories with heavenly meanings, often illustrating kingdom principles or ethical teachings. Paroimia, however, in John's usage, often refers to a more profound, almost proverbial or allegorical statement directly revealing Jesus' divine nature, mission, and challenging established spiritual authority. The lack of understanding regarding a paroimia therefore indicates a deeper spiritual insensitivity, a failure to perceive the true Christ and His divine claims, rather than just missing a moral lesson. This makes the verse a crucial literary device for John, emphasizing the profound spiritual chasm between Jesus' revelation and the unregenerate mind, preparing the reader for the subsequent direct pronouncements of Jesus' divinity.
John 10 6 Commentary
John 10:6 acts as a significant narrative pause, explicitly marking the immediate audience's spiritual inability to grasp the profound spiritual identity and role of Jesus revealed in the preceding shepherd imagery. The use of paroimia signifies a teaching designed to probe the heart and mind, demanding more than a literal understanding. Their failure to egnōsan (understand in a deep, experiential sense) wasn't merely intellectual but revealed a spiritual blindness that permeated the religious establishment, as well as a significant portion of the populace. This incomprehension necessitates Jesus' subsequent, direct explanation, demonstrating His persistent grace in clarifying who He is—the Door, the Good Shepherd—and the critical importance of receiving His revelation through faith. Without the divine enablement of the Spirit, spiritual truths, no matter how clearly presented, remain veiled and beyond comprehension.