Jesus says that he is the door of the sheep and that all those before him were thieves. And that he rescues the one going in and lets them go in and out.
John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
The thief does not show up if he doesn't want in that place to cheat and to slay and to destroy. I myself show up in order that they might have a life and have an extraordinary one.
The first sentence has two negatives. The first is the objective negative, saying that the thief does not come. The second negative is subjective with the sense of "not wanting" something "if he doesn't want to steal, etc." This provides the motivation for the thief to show up. The word translated as "thief" generally means a crook of any sort. In a metaphorical sense that Jesus uses it, it means a f"fraud," a "faker." Though the purpose is theft, the Greek word is the root of our word "kleptomania," but the broader sense is something who profit from dishonesty.
The form of the three verbs in the second clause of the first sentence, in English translation, "to steal and to kill and to destroy," can be rendered in the third person. but the form of all three verbs is also the second person. There is no pronoun used to indicate the third person or the second person. So, this could mean that the thief comes so YOU can steal, kill, and destroy," which is a fun way of thinking.
The dishonest person has the goal of destroying things.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "but" is not the common word usually translated as "but.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "to" before "steal" does not indicate an infinitive because this is an active verb.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "to" before "kill" does not indicate an infinitive because this is an active verb.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "to" before "destroy" does not indicate an infinitive because this is an active verb.
- MW -- Missing Word -- The pronoun repeats the information in the verb so it should be repeated in English like "I myself."
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "only" doesn't exist in the source.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "not" is not shown in the English translation.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "except" is not shown in the English translation.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "for" is not shown in the English translation.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "to" before "steal" does not indicate an infinitive because this is an active verb.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "might" needed from the form of the verb is not shown in the English translation.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "to" before "kill" does not indicate an infinitive because this is an active verb.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "might" needed from the form of the verb is not shown in the English translation.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "to" before "destroy" does not indicate an infinitive because this is an active verb.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "might" needed from the form of the verb is not shown in the English translation.
- MW -- Missing Word -- The pronoun repeats the information in the verb so it should be repeated in English like "I myself."
- WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "have" indicates the past perfect tense, but the tense is something that happens at a specific point in time (past, present, or future).
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "to the full" is not the common word usually translated as "full."
The -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more.
thief - "Thief" is from the Greek noun that means "thief," "cheat," and "knave." I prefer the idea of
"cheat" or "fraud" because it is related to dishonesty, Jesus's main focus for what makes life worthless.
cometh -- The word translated as "come" primarily means "to start out" but Christ usually uses it to mean "come" but not always. It indicates movement, especially its beginning, without indicating a direction toward or away from anything, so it works either as "start," "come," or "go," but it is more like our phrase "being underway." Our English word "show up" captures both the "start" and "come" ideas. See this article for more.
not, -- The Greek word translated as "not" is the Greek negative used to deny objective facts, not opinions. It means "no," "not," or"no truly." It makes a negative statement of fact. Adding "really" to the sentence captures the same idea. When a negative precedes the verb, it affects the whole clause. When it precedes other words, its force is limited to those words.
but - (CW) Two Greek words are translated as "but." Literally, they mean "if not wanting" but this phrase is used to mean "except," "instead," and "but." However, it is not the common word translated as "but." The sense of "wanting" is important here because this verse is about motivation.
for -- The word translated as "for" is an adverb "in that place," "there," "where," "when," or as a conjunction that starts a subordinate clause "that," "when," "in order that" or "because."
to --(WF) This "to" is added because the infinitive form of the verb requires a "to" in English. However, this verb is an active verb not an infinitive.
missing "should" or "might"-- (MW) A helping verb is necessary because the following verb is a verb of possibility, a subjunctive, something that "should" or "might" occur. The helping verb is not needed in a clause beginning with an "if" or a "when" but this translation doesn't have the "if" or "when".
steal, - "Steal" is from a verb that means "to steal," "to cheat," and "to do secretly or treacherously."
and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also"). In a series, it can be translated as "not only...but also."
to --(WF) This "to" is added because the infinitive form of the verb requires a "to" in English. However, this verb is an active verb not an infinitive.
missing "should" or "might"-- (MW) A helping verb is necessary because the following verb is a verb of possibility, a subjunctive, something that "should" or "might" occur. The helping verb is not needed in a clause beginning with an "if" or a "when" but this translation doesn't have the "if" or "when".
kill, -- (CW) The Greek verb translated as "kill" means to "offer by burning," "sacrifice," "slay," "slaughter," "celebrate [with sacrifices, offerings]," "the flesh of the sacrifice." SInce there is another word that Jesus uses more frequently to mean "kill," this word is better translated as "slay" especially since its primary use is "sacrifice."
and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also"). In a series, it can be translated as "not only...but also."
to --(WF) This "to" is added because the infinitive form of the verb requires a "to" in English. However, this verb is an active verb not an infinitive.
missing "should" or "might"-- (MW) A helping verb is necessary because the following verb is a verb of possibility, a subjunctive, something that "should" or "might" occur. The helping verb is not needed in a clause beginning with an "if" or a "when" but this translation doesn't have the "if" or "when".
destroy: -- The word translated as "destroy" means to "destroy" or "demolish." However, it can also mean to "lose" things. I like the word "destroy" because
I -- The pronoun "I" is used here. Since, as the subject of the sentence, it is part of the verb, its explicit use accentuates who is speaking "I." Saying "I myself" captures this feeling in English.
missing "myself" -- (MW) The subjective pronoun repeats the information in the verb so it should be repeated in English like "I myself."
am -- This helping verb "and" indicates that the verb is the present tense, but the verb is a form that indicates a specific point in time, past, present, or future.
come -- The word translated as "come" primarily means "to start out" but Christ usually uses it to mean "come" but not always. It indicates movement, especially its beginning, without indicating a direction toward or away from anything, so it works either as "start," "come," or "go," but it is more like our phrase "being underway." Our English word "show up" captures both the "start" and "come" ideas. See this article for more.
that -- The word translated as "that" is an adverb "in that place," "there," "where," "when," or as a conjunction that starts a subordinate clause "that," "when," "in order that" or "because."
they -- This is from the third-person, plural form of the verb.
might -- This helping verb "might" indicates that the verb indicates a possibility, the subjunctive. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.
have -- The word translated as "have" means to "have," "possess," "bear," "keep close," "hold in," "have means to do," "to have due to one," or "keep" and many specific uses.
life, -- The word translated as "life" means "living" but it also means "substance," "existence," and "property."Jesus uses it to mean the "existence" of physical life, spirit plus body. To learn more read this article on life eternal, For more on how Christ uses this word with other words about human existence (soul, heart, spirit, body, etc.), read this article.
and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also"). In a series, it can be translated as "not only...but also."
they -- This is from the third-person, plural form of the verb.
might -- This helping verb "might" indicates that the verb indicates a possibility, the subjunctive. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.
have -- The word translated as "have" means to "have," "possess," "bear," "keep close," "hold in," "have means to do," "to have due to one," or "keep" and many specific uses.
it -- This English objective pronoun is added and not in the Greek source. In Greek, pronoun objects are not repeated after each verb because they are implied by their first occurrence.
more abundantly. - -- The Greek word translated as "more abundantly" means "beyond the regular number of size," "out of the common," "extraordinary" "more than sufficient," and "superfluous." Since it is preceded by an article, it acts like a noun, so "the superfluous," "the excess," and "the useless" works in English.
The -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more.
thief - "Thief" is from the Greek noun that means "thief," "cheat," and "knave." I prefer the idea of
"cheat" or "fraud" because it is related to dishonesty, Jesus's main focus for what makes life worthless.
comes -- The word translated as "come" primarily means "to start out" but Christ usually uses it to mean "come" but not always. It indicates movement, especially its beginning, without indicating a direction toward or away from anything, so it works either as "start," "come," or "go," but it is more like our phrase "being underway." Our English word "show up" captures both the "start" and "come" ideas. See this article for more.
only -- (IW) There is nothing in the Greek that can be translated as "only" in the Greek source.
missing "not" -- (MW) The untranslated word "not" is the Greek negative used to deny objective facts, not opinions. It means "no," "not," or"no truly." It makes a negative statement of fact. Adding "really" to the sentence captures the same idea. When a negative precedes the verb, it affects the whole clause. When it precedes other words, its force is limited to those words.
missing "except" -- (MW) The untranslated word "except" is two words. Literally, they mean "if not" but this phrase is used to mean "except," "instead," and "but." However, it is not the common word translated as "but."
missing "for" -- (MW) The untranslated word "for" is an adverb "in that place," "there," "where," "when," or as a conjunction that starts a subordinate clause "that," "when," "in order that" or "because."
to --(WF) This "to" is added because the infinitive form of the verb requires a "to" in English. However, this verb is an active verb not an infinitive.
missing "should" or "might"-- (MW) A helping verb is necessary because the following verb is a verb of possibility, a subjunctive, something that "should" or "might" occur. The helping verb is not needed in a clause beginning with an "if" or a "when" but this translation doesn't have the "if" or "when".
steal, - "Steal" is from a verb that means "to steal," "to cheat," and "to do secretly or treacherously."
and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also"). In a series, it can be translated as "not only...but also."
to --(WF) This "to" is added because the infinitive form of the verb requires a "to" in English. However, this verb is an active verb not an infinitive.
missing "should" or "might"-- (MW) A helping verb is necessary because the following verb is a verb of possibility, a subjunctive, something that "should" or "might" occur. The helping verb is not needed in a clause beginning with an "if" or a "when" but this translation doesn't have the "if" or "when".
kill, -- (CW) The Greek verb translated as "kill" means to "offer by burning," "sacrifice," "slay," "slaughter," "celebrate [with sacrifices, offerings]," "the flesh of the sacrifice." SInce there is another word that Jesus uses more frequently to mean "kill," this word is better translated as "slay" especially since its primary use is "sacrifice."
and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also"). In a series, it can be translated as "not only...but also."
to --(WF) This "to" is added because the infinitive form of the verb requires a "to" in English. However, this verb is an active verb not an infinitive.
missing "should" or "might"-- (MW) A helping verb is necessary because the following verb is a verb of possibility, a subjunctive, something that "should" or "might" occur. The helping verb is not needed in a clause beginning with an "if" or a "when" but this translation doesn't have the "if" or "when".
destroy: -- The word translated as "destroy" means to "destroy" or "demolish." However, it can also mean to "lose" things.
I -- The pronoun "I" is used here. Since, as the subject of the sentence, it is part of the verb, its explicit use accentuates who is speaking "I." Saying "I myself" captures this feeling in English.
missing "myself" -- (MW) The subjective pronoun repeats the information in the verb so it should be repeated in English like "I myself."
have -- (WT) This helping verb "have" indicates that the verb is the past-perfect tense, but the verb is a form that indicates a specific point in time, past, present, or future.
come -- The word translated as "come" primarily means "to start out" but Christ usually uses it to mean "come" but not always. It indicates movement, especially its beginning, without indicating a direction toward or away from anything, so it works either as "start," "come," or "go," but it is more like our phrase "being underway." Our English word "show up" captures both the "start" and "come" ideas. See this article for more.
that -- The word translated as "that" is an adverb "in that place," "there," "where," "when," or as a conjunction that starts a subordinate clause "that," "when," "in order that" or "because."
they -- This is from the third-person, plural form of the verb.
may -- This helping verb "may" indicates that the verb indicates a possibility, the subjunctive. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.
have -- The word translated as "have" means to "have," "possess," "bear," "keep close," "hold in," "have means to do," "to have due to one," or "keep" and many specific uses.
life, -- The word translated as "life" means "living" but it also means "substance," "existence," and "property."Jesus uses it to mean the "existence" of physical life, spirit plus body. To learn more read this article on life eternal, For more on how Christ uses this word with other words about human existence (soul, heart, spirit, body, etc.), read this article.
and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also"). In a series, it can be translated as "not only...but also."
have -- The word translated as "have" means to "have," "possess," "bear," "keep close," "hold in," "have means to do," "to have due to one," or "keep" and many specific uses.
it -- This English objective pronoun is added and not in the Greek source. In Greek, pronoun objects are not repeated after each verb because they are implied by their first occurrence.
to the full. - -- (CW) The Greek word translated as "to the full" means "beyond the regular number of size," "out of the common," "extraordinary" "more than sufficient," and "superfluous." Since it is preceded by an article, it acts like a noun, so "the superfluous," "the excess," and "the useless" works in English. However, this is not the word that means "full" in Greek.
ὁ [821 verses](article sg masc nom) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").
κλέπτης [9 verses](noun sg masc nom) "A thief" is kleptes, which means a "thief", "cheat," and "knave."
οὐκ [269 verses](partic) "Not" is ou , the negative adverb for facts and statements, negating both single words and sentences. The other negative adverb, μή applies to will and thought; οὐ denies, μή rejects; οὐ is absolute, μή relative; οὐ objective, μή subjective.
ἔρχεται [198 verses] (3rd sg pres ind mp) "Cometh" is erchomai, which means "to start," "to set out," "to come," "to go," and any kind of motion. It means both "to go" on a journey and "to arrive" at a place.
εἰ μὴ [14 verses](conj particle) "But" is ei me, which is the conjunction that means "if not," "but," and "except." εἰ is the particle use with the imperative usually to express conditions "if" or indirect questions, "whether." mê (me) is the negative used in prohibitions and expressions of doubt meaning "not" and "no."
ἵνα [134 verses](adv/conj) "For" is hina, which means "in that place," "there," "where," "when," but when beginning a phrase "that," "in order that," "when," and "because."
κλέψῃ [6 verses](verb 3rd sg aor subj act) "To steal" is klepto, which means "to steal," "to cheat," "to spirit away," "to conceal," "to keep secret," "to do secretly," "to seize or occupy secretly," "to bring about secretly," and "to do secretly or treacherously."
καὶ [1089 verses](conj/adv) "And" is kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "also." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even," "also," and "just."
θύσῃ [5 verses] (3rd sg aor subj act) "To kill" is thyro, which means to "offer by burning," "sacrifice," "slay," "slaughter," "celebrate [with sacrifices, offerings]," "the flesh of the sacrifice."
καὶ [1089 verses](conj/adv) "And" is kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "also." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even," "also," and "just."
ἀπολέσῃ: [43 verses](3rd sg aor subj act) "To destroy" is apollymi, which means "to demolish," "to lay waste," "to lose" things, "to perish," "to die," "to cease to exist," and "to be undone." Its literal meaning from its root is "destroy from" or "ruin from."
In the Greek source I use, the following is in the following verse, but we translated it here to follow English Bibles.
ἐγὼ [162 verses](pron 1st sg masc nom) "I" is ego, which is the first-person singular pronoun meaning "I." It also means "I at least," "for my part," "indeed," and for myself.
ἦλθον [198 verses](1st sg aor ind act) "Am come" is erchomai, which means "to start," "to set out," "to come," "to go," and any kind of motion. It means both "to go" on a journey and "to arrive" at a place.
ἵνα [134 verses](adv/conj) "That" is hina, which means "in that place," "there," "where," "when," but when beginning a phrase "that," "in order that," "when," and "because."
ζωὴν [42 verses] (noun sg fem acc) "Life" is zoe, which means "living," "substance," "property," "existence," and, incidentally, "the scum on milk." It has the sense of how we say "make a living" to mean property. Homer used it more to mean the opposite of death.
ἔχωσιν [181 verses] (3rd pl pres subj act) "They might have" i is echo, which means "to have," "to hold," "to possess," "to keep," "to have charge of," "to have due to one," "to maintain," "to hold fast," "to hold in," "to bear," "to carry," "to keep close," "to keep safe," and "to have means to do." In aorist, it can mean "acquire," or "get." The main sense when it has an object is "to have" or "to hold." It can also mean "to without" or "keep back" a thing.
καὶ [1089 verses](conj/adv) "And" is kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "also." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even," "also," and "just."
περισσὸν [3 verses](adj sg neut nom/acc) "More abundantly" is perissos, which means "beyond the regular number of size," "out of the common," "extraordinary" "more than sufficient," "superfluous," "useless," "excessive," "extravagant," "over-wise," "over-curious," "abundantly," and "remarkable."
ἔχωσιν. [181 verses] (3rd pl pres subj act) "They might have" i is echo, which means "to have," "to hold," "to possess," "to keep," "to have charge of," "to have due to one," "to maintain," "to hold fast," "to hold in," "to bear," "to carry," "to keep close," "to keep safe," and "to have means to do." In aorist, it can mean "acquire," or "get." The main sense when it has an object is "to have" or "to hold." It can also mean "to without" or "keep back" a thing.