John 10

brings…out
The translation “brings…out,” rather than something like “puts forth,” provides a closer lexical rendering of the Greek verb ἐκβάλλω (ekballō), which often means to “cast out,” but can also mean in some contexts to cause something to go out without force (see BDAG on ἐκβάλλω). “Brings…out” also better emphasizes the doorkeeper’s leading of the sheep rather than pushing them from behind, which might have been unnecessarily implied from “puts forth.”

never
The translation “never” brings out the strong emphasis of the Greek double negative οὐ μὴ (ou mē) in this verse. Jesus is making a strong and emphatic statement that His true followers will never be misled to follow a stranger. They know His voice (v. 4) but not the voice of another (v. 5) because of their very nature as His sheep. This leads to a great sense of security for those who believe Jesus, as they can never be removed from His true flock.

snatches and scatters them
The phrase “snatches and scatters them” more closely represents the Greek text than something like, “snatches them and scatters them,” since “them” only appears once in the Greek (ἁρπάζει αὐτὰ καὶ σκορπίζει; harpazei auta kai skorpizei). These are two actions tied together which the wolf does to the same flock that is guarded by a hired hand and not a shepherd.

from Myself
The translation “from Myself” literally renders the Greek construction ἀπʼ ἐμαυτοῦ (ap’ emautou). While many translations render the phrase differently (e.g., “of myself,” “on my own initiative”), the preposition ἀπό (apo) is regularly translated as “from.” Furthermore, the reflexive pronoun ἐμαυτοῦ (emautou) is translated in its literal sense, “Myself.” Jesus is emphasizing that He has ultimate authority over His own life and death, and He has this authority because it was given Him by command from the Father.

someone demon-possessed
The translation “someone demon-possessed” (δαιμονιζομένου; daimonizomenou) provides a smoother English reading than “one demon-possessed” here and still accurately communicates John’s meaning. These people rightly postulate that a demon-possessed person would not have the healing power that Jesus has demonstrated here.

Can a demon open…
This question opens with the Greek negative particle μή (mē), which, according to normal Greek usage, sets an expectation of a negative answer. This is why some translations structure the question, “A demon cannot…can he?” However, to avoid adding words which do not appear in the Greek, the rhetorical question is simply translated with a familiar English structure. This way, nothing external is added and the force of the rhetorical question and the expected negative answer remains perfectly intact. The phrasing of this question here communicates that the people do not think that a demon can open blind eyes. However, their use of a question rather than a statement shows that they are not fully convinced of Jesus’ claims either.

never perish—ever
The Greek text uses both the strongest negative (οὐ μὴ; ou mē) and a temporal description that could be translated “until forever” (εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα; eis ton aiōna). The translation of “never die—ever” captures both the intensity of the Greek strong negative and succinctly captures the ultimate negation of never ever dying, indicating the complete impossibility for one to “perish.”

make Yourself God
The phrase “make Yourself God” literally translates the Greek ποιεῖς σεαυτὸν θεόν (poieis seauton theon). The verb ποιέω (poieō) used here usually communicates the idea of producing something or bringing about a certain state. It is more than simply causing something to seem a certain way (“out to be God”). Thus, this translation carries over the meaning of this accusation of the Jews, showing that they assume Jesus has always been merely a man, since He must “make” Himself God. They thought that He, as a mere man, was assuming not just God’s position, power, or authority, but His very being. They are exactly right that Jesus claims to be God, but they refuse to accept those claims. Rather, they accuse Jesus of blasphemy for making Himself what they think He is not.