John 10:6 (YLT)

Passage

This similitude spake Jesus to them, and they knew not what the things were that he was speaking to them;

Nearby Context

John 10:4 and when his own sheep he may put forth, before them he goeth on, and the sheep follow him, because they have known his voice;

John 10:5 and a stranger they will not follow, but will flee from him, because they have not known the voice of strangers.'

John 10:6 This similitude spake Jesus to them, and they knew not what the things were that he was speaking to them;

John 10:7 Jesus said therefore again to them, `Verily, verily, I say to you--I am the door of the sheep;

John 10:8 all, as many as came before me, are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "similitude", "spake", "jesus", "knew", "things", and "speaking". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "similitude" and "spake", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "and a stranger they will not follow..." into verse 7's "Jesus said therefore again to them Verily...", so "similitude" and "spake" 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 "similitude" and "spake" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.