John 10:10 (DBY)

Passage

The thief comes not but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy: I am come that they might have life, and might have [it] abundantly.

Nearby Context

John 10:8 All whoever came before me are thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not hear them.

John 10:9 I am the door: if any one enter in by me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and shall go out and shall find pasture.

John 10:10 The thief comes not but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy: I am come that they might have life, and might have [it] abundantly.

John 10:11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep:

John 10:12 but he who serves for wages, and who is not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf seizes them and scatters the sheep.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thief", "comes", "steal", "kill", "destroy", "might", and "life". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thief" and "comes", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "I am the door if any one..." into verse 11's "I am the good shepherd The good...", so "thief" and "comes" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "thief" and "comes" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.