John 10:8 (GNV)

Passage

All, that euer came before me, are theeues and robbers: but the sheepe did not heare them.

Nearby Context

John 10:6 This parable spake Iesus vnto them: but they vnderstoode not what things they were which he spake vnto them.

John 10:7 Then sayd Iesus vnto them againe, Verely, verely I say vnto you, I am that doore of the sheepe.

John 10:8 All, that euer came before me, are theeues and robbers: but the sheepe did not heare them.

John 10:9 I am that doore: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saued, and shall go in, and go out, and finde pasture.

John 10:10 The theefe commeth not, but for to steale, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might haue life, and haue it in abundance.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sheep", "euer", "came", "before", "theeues", "robbers", "sheepe", and "heare". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sheep" and "euer", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "Then sayd Iesus vnto them againe Verely..." into verse 9's "I am that doore by me if...", so "sheep" and "euer" 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 "sheep" and "euer" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.