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John 10:29

ESV My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
NIV My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.
NASB My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
CSB My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.
NLT for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand.
KJV My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

What does John 10:29 mean?

When explaining His ministry, using shepherding analogies (John 10:1–14), Jesus made the claim that His authority was given by God the Father (John 10:17–18). This caused controversy and debate—some thought Jesus was insane (John 10:20), others that His miracles proved He was a sincere messenger of God (John 10:21). The men who are accosting Jesus now are entirely convinced that He's wrong. They have cornered Jesus in an awkward location in the temple (John 10:22), probably already armed with rocks (John 10:31), and are daring Him to repeat these claims (John 10:24).

In response, Jesus pointed out that their disbelief was the result of stubbornness (John 5:39–40). They were not willing to believe since they were not part of the "sheep" given to Jesus by the Father (John 10:25–27). Jesus then continued to proclaim that the eternal life He offers (John 3:16) is absolutely irrevocable. In the prior verse, Jesus uses a Greek phrasing that is emphatic and forceful: they will not perish for all of eternity.

Here, Jesus again links His power and authority with that of God the Father. Those who are saved through Jesus Christ are saved because they are "given" to Jesus, and given by God. Jesus once again uses the symbolism of being "snatched," which He referred to in the prior verse (John 10:28) as well as His earlier statements about eternal life (John 10:12). Here, though, He indicates that it is the hand of the Father from which they cannot be taken.

The implication is that the hand of Jesus is identical to the hand of the Father—a conclusion Jesus is about to state very directly.
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