Bible Strands
John 10:8
All who came before Me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus speaks to a Jewish audience in Jerusalem immediately after declaring Himself the gate for the sheep, directly confronting the false leaders who preceded His ministry.
The words — ὅσοι (hosoi) means “as many as” and ἦλθον (ēlthon) means “came,” isolating the specific predecessors Jesus references. κλέπται (kleptai) translates literally to “thieves,” defining their unauthorized and destructive role.
The thread — The designation of false leaders as thieves appears in John 10:1, where one who bypasses the gate is labeled a thief, and aligns with the prophetic condemnations of Israel’s shepherds in Ezekiel 34:2 and Jeremiah 23:1.
Why it lands — The text states that the sheep did not listen to these predecessors, requiring the reader to acknowledge Jesus as the sole legitimate entry point and to follow His direction without deviation.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
Cross-references
- Ezekiel 34:2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who only feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed their flock?
- Jeremiah 23:1 “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” declares the LORD.
- John 10:1 “Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever does not enter the sheepfold by the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber.
- Isaiah 56:10 Israel’s watchmen are blind, they are all oblivious; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they are dreamers lying around, loving to slumber.
- Ezekiel 22:25 The conspiracy of the princes in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing its prey. They devour the people, seize the treasures and precious things, and multiply the widows within her.
- John 10:27 My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.
- Acts 5:36 Some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men joined him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing.
- Zechariah 11:4 This is what the LORD my God says: “Pasture the flock marked for slaughter,
- Zechariah 11:16 For behold, I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will neither care for the lost, nor seek the young, nor heal the broken, nor sustain the healthy, but he will devour the flesh of the choice sheep and tear off their hooves.
- John 10:5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will flee from him because they do not recognize his voice.”