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John 10:27

ESV My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
NIV My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
NASB My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;
CSB My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.
NLT My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
KJV My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

What does John 10:27 mean?

This continues Jesus' repetition of an analogy He made several months prior, after healing a man born blind (John 9). There, He pointed out that sheep only recognize the voice of their particular shepherd—those who don't listen to the witness of Jesus are proving they're not part of His "flock" (John 10:1–6). In another analogy, Jesus stated that He was the only means of salvation (John 10:7–9), separating all people into two basic groups: saved and unsaved. Those who refuse to come to Christ are, by definition, part of the group mastered by Satan (John 8:42–47).

Jesus makes this statement under dire circumstances. His critics have trapped Him in a corner of the temple (John 10:24), daring Him to repeat His claims, and apparently prepared for violence (John 10:31). In typical fashion, Jesus not only responds with brave truth, He continues, as shown in the following verses (John 10:28–29), culminating in a statement that seems almost deliberately intended to enrage His critics (John 10:30).
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