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Tuesday, July 8th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Read the Bible

Good News Translation

John 10:6

Jesus told them this parable, but they did not understand what he meant.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Apostles;   Jesus, the Christ;   Jesus Continued;   Sheep;   Shepherd;   Scofield Reference Index - Life;   The Topic Concordance - Jesus Christ;   Sacrifice;   Shepherds/pastors;   Unity;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Parables;   Titles and Names of Saints;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Parable;   Shepherd;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Pastor;   Shepherd;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Lamb, Lamb of God;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Soul;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Parable;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - John, the Gospel According to;   Parable;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Knowledge;   Names of God;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Parable;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Allegory;   Communion (2);   Discourse;   Metaphors;   Parable;   Protevangelium;   Religious Experience;   Understanding;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Door;   Parable;   Proverb;   Shepherd;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Flock;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Sheep;   Shepherd;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Sheep;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Jesus of Nazareth;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Jesus Christ (Part 2 of 2);  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for November 18;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Jesus gave them this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.
King James Version (1611)
This parable spake Iesus vnto them: but they vnderstood not what things they were which he spake vnto them.
King James Version
This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
English Standard Version
This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
New American Standard Bible
Jesus told them this figure of speech, but they did not understand what the things which He was saying to them meant.
New Century Version
Jesus told the people this story, but they did not understand what it meant.
Amplified Bible
Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what He was talking about.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them.
Legacy Standard Bible
This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them.
Berean Standard Bible
Jesus spoke to them using this illustration, but they did not understand what He was telling them.
Contemporary English Version
Jesus told the people this story. But they did not understand what he was talking about.
Complete Jewish Bible
Yeshua used this indirect manner of speaking with them, but they didn't understand what he was talking to them about.
Darby Translation
This allegory spoke Jesus to them, but they did not know what it was [of] which he spoke to them.
Easy-to-Read Version
Jesus told the people this story, but they did not understand what it meant.
Geneva Bible (1587)
This parable spake Iesus vnto them: but they vnderstoode not what things they were which he spake vnto them.
George Lamsa Translation
Jesus spoke this parable to them; but they did not understand what he was telling them.
Lexham English Bible
Jesus told them this parable, but they did not understand what it was that he was saying to them.
Literal Translation
Jesus spoke this allegory to them, but they did not know what it was which He spoke to them.
American Standard Version
This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
Bible in Basic English
In this Jesus was teaching them in the form of a story: but what he said was not clear to them.
Hebrew Names Version
Yeshua spoke this parable to them, but they didn't understand what he was telling them.
International Standard Version
Jesus used this illustration with them, but they didn't understand what he was saying to them.
Etheridge Translation
This parable spake Jeshu to them, but they knew not what he said with them.
Murdock Translation
This allegory spake Jesus to them; but they knew not what he said to them.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
This prouerbe spake Iesus vnto them: But they vnderstoode not what thynges they were, which he spake vnto them.
English Revised Version
This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
World English Bible
Jesus spoke this parable to them, but they didn't understand what he was telling them.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
This parable spake Jesus to them; but they understood not what things they were which he spake to them.
Weymouth's New Testament
Jesus spoke to them in this figurative language, but they did not understand what He meant.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Jhesus seide to hem this prouerbe; but thei knewen not what he spak to hem.
Update Bible Version
This parable Jesus spoke to them: but they didn't understand what things they were which he spoke to them.
Webster's Bible Translation
This parable spoke Jesus to them: but they understood not what things they were which he spoke to them.
New English Translation
Jesus told them this parable, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
New King James Version
Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.
New Living Translation
Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn't understand what he meant,
New Life Bible
Jesus told this picture-story to them. Yet they did not understand what He said.
New Revised Standard
Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
This similitude, spake Jesus unto them; but, those men, understood not what the things were which he was speaking unto them.
Douay-Rheims Bible
This proverb Jesus spoke to them. But they understood not what he spoke.
Revised Standard Version
This figure Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
This similitude spake Iesus vnto them. But they vnderstode not what thinges they were which he spake vnto them.
Young's Literal Translation
This similitude spake Jesus to them, and they knew not what the things were that he was speaking to them;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
This prouerbe spake Iesus vnto them, but they vnderstode not what it was, that he sayde vnto them.
Mace New Testament (1729)
Jesus talk'd to them in this figurative way: but they did not understand the meaning of his discourse.
THE MESSAGE
Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. So he tried again. "I'll be explicit, then. I am the Gate for the sheep. All those others are up to no good—sheep stealers, every one of them. But the sheep didn't listen to them. I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.
Simplified Cowboy Version
Jesus told this story, but the Pharisees didn't understand what he meant.

Contextual Overview

1 Jesus said, "I am telling you the truth: the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The man who goes in through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him; the sheep hear his voice as he calls his own sheep by name, and he leads them out. 4 When he has brought them out, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice. 5 They will not follow someone else; instead, they will run away from such a person, because they do not know his voice." 6 Jesus told them this parable, but they did not understand what he meant. 7 So Jesus said again, "I am telling you the truth: I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All others who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. Those who come in by me will be saved; they will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come in order that you might have life—life in all its fullness.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

they understood not: John 6:52, John 6:60, John 7:36, John 8:27, John 8:43, Psalms 82:5, Psalms 106:7, Proverbs 28:5, Isaiah 6:9, Isaiah 6:10, Isaiah 56:11, Daniel 12:10, Matthew 13:13, Matthew 13:14, Matthew 13:51, 1 Corinthians 2:14, 1 John 5:20

Reciprocal: Mark 14:22 - this Luke 18:34 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 9:22
When Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked, he went out and told his two brothers.
Genesis 10:8
Cush had a son named Nimrod, who became the world's first great conqueror.
Genesis 10:16
Canaan was also the ancestor of the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites,
1 Chronicles 4:40
They found plenty of fertile pasture lands there in a stretch of open country that was quiet and peaceful. The people who had lived there before were Hamites.
Psalms 78:51
He killed the first-born sons of all the families of Egypt.
Psalms 105:23
Then Jacob went to Egypt and settled in that country.
Psalms 105:27
They did God's mighty acts and performed miracles in Egypt.
Psalms 106:22
What wonderful things he did there! What amazing things at the Red Sea!
Isaiah 11:11
When that day comes, the Lord will once again use his power and bring back home those of his people who are left in Assyria and Egypt, in the lands of Pathros, Ethiopia, Elam, Babylonia, and Hamath, and in the coastlands and on the islands of the sea.
Jeremiah 46:9
Command the horses to go and the chariots to roll! Send out the soldiers: men from Ethiopia and Libya, carrying shields, and skilled archers from Lydia.'"

Gill's Notes on the Bible

This parable spake Jesus unto them,.... To the Pharisees, who were with him, John 9:40;

but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them; the things spoken by him being delivered in a parabolical way, though in lively figures, and in terms plain and easy to be understood; yet what through the blindness of their minds, and the hardness of their hearts, and their prejudices in favour of themselves, and against Christ, they did not understand what were meant by them; see Matthew 13:13.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

This parable - See the notes at Matthew 13:3.

They understood not ... - They did not understand the meaning or design of the illustration.


 
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