John 10:15

As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
As	καθὼς kathōs	G2531	just (or inasmuch) as · conjunction
the Father	πατὴρ patēr	G3962	a "father" (literally or figuratively · noun — nominative singular masculine, a title
knoweth	γινώσκει ginōskei	G1097	to "know" (absolutely) in a great variety of applicatio… · verb — present active indicative, 3rd person singular
me	με me	G3165	me · personal pronoun — 1st person accusative singular
even so	κἀγώ kagṓ	G2504	so also the dative case
know I	γινώσκω ginōskō	G1097	to "know" (absolutely) in a great variety of applicatio… · verb — present active indicative, 1st person singular
the Father	πατέρα, patera	G3962	a "father" (literally or figuratively · noun — accusative singular masculine, a title
and	κἀγὼ kagō	G2532	and · personal pronoun — 1st person nominative singular + conjunction
I lay down	τίθημι tithēmi	G5087	to place (in the widest application · verb — present active indicative, 1st person singular
my	μοῦ moû	G3450	of me
life	ψυχήν psuchēn	G5590	breath · noun — accusative singular feminine
for	ὑπὲρ huper	G5228	"over" · preposition
the sheep	προβάτων. probatōn	G4263	something that walks forward (a quadruped) · noun — genitive plural neuter

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Galatians 1:4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Matthew 11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son,…
Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, h…
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but qu…
1 John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
Zechariah 13:7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall…
1 Timothy 2:5-6 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on John 10:1-18

It is not certain whether this discourse was at the feast of dedication in the winter (spoken of Joh 10:22), which may be taken as the date, not only of what follows, but of what goes before (that which countenances this is, that Christ, in his discourse there, carries on the metaphor of the sheep, Joh 10:26, Joh 10:27, whence it seems that that discourse and this were at the same time); or whether this was a continuation of his parley with the Pharisees, in the close of the foregoing chapter. The Pharisees supported themselves in their opposition to Christ with this principle, that they were the pastors of the church, and that Jesus, having no commission from them, was an intruder and an im…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on John 10:15

As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father--What claim to absolute equality with the Father could exceed this? (See on Mat 11:27). and I lay down my life for the sheep--How sublime this, immediately following the lofty claim of the preceding clause! It is the riches and the poverty of "the Word made flesh"--one glorious Person reaching at once up to the Throne and down even to the dust of death, "that we might live through Him." A candid interpretation of the words, "for the sheep," ought to go far to establish the special relation of the vicarious death of Christ to the Church.

Adam Clarke on John 10:14

I - know my sheep - I know, τα εμα, them that are mine: I know their hearts, their wishes, their purposes, their circumstances; and I approve of them; for in this sense the word to know is often taken in the Scriptures. Homer represents the goatherds as being so well acquainted with their own, though mixed with others, as easily to distinguish them. Τους δ', ὡς' αιπολια πλατε' αιγων αιπολοι ανδρες Ῥεια διακρινεωσιν, επει κε νομῳ μιγεωσιν. Iliad. 2. 474. "As goat-herds separate their numerous flocks With ease, though fed promiscuous." And are known of mine - They know me as their father, protector, and Savior; they acknowledge me and my truth before the world; and they approve of me, my wo…

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The Church Fathers

In a later passage He declares that He is known by the Father, and the Father by Him; adding that He was so wholly loved by the Father, that He was laying down His life, because He had received this commandment from the Father.
— Tertullian, Against Praxeas

(Hom. in Evang. xiv.) And I lay down My life for My sheep. As if to say, This is why I know My Father, and am known by the Father, because I lay down My life for My sheep; i. e. by My love for My sheep, I show how much I love My Father.
— Gregory the Dialogist ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

Christ did not endure death against his will on our behalf and for our sakes. Rather, we see him go toward it voluntarily, although he could easily escape the suffering if he did not want to suffer. Therefore, in his willingness even to suffer for us, we shall see the excellent quality of his love toward us and the immensity of his kindness.
— Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Gospel of John, Book 6

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Church — Derived probably from the Greek kuriakon (i.e., “the Lord’s house”), which was used by ancient authors for the place of worship. In the New Testament it is the translation of the Greek word ecclesia,…
Parable — (Gr. parabole), a placing beside; a comparison; equivalent to the Heb. mashal, a similitude. In the Old Testament this is used to denote (1) a proverb (1 Sam. 10:12; 24:13; 2 Chr. 7:20), (2) a…
Sheep — Are of different varieties. Probably the flocks of Abraham and Isaac were of the wild species found still in the mountain regions of Persia and Kurdistan. After the Exodus, and as a result of…
Atonement, The · Was voluntary — Was voluntary
Christ, The Shepherd · His sheep: He laid down his life for — His sheep: He laid down his life for
Humility Of Christ, The · Exhibited in his: Death — Exhibited in his: Death
Sheep · .Of the righteous — .Of the righteous
Shepherd · .Of Christ — .Of Christ
Suffering · OF CHRIST — OF CHRIST
Titles And Names Of Saints · Sheep of Christ — Sheep of Christ

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

John 10:15

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on John 10:1-18

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on John 10:15

Adam Clarke on John 10:14

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John 10:15

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on John 10:1-18

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on John 10:15

Adam Clarke on John 10:14

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on John 10:15

John Calvin on John 10:11-15

Tyndale Open Study Notes on John 10:15