And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
other.
John 11:52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.
Genesis 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
Psalm 22:26-31 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever…
them.
Acts 15:14 Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.
Romans 8:29,30 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren…
Ephesians 2:1-5,15-18 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; …
they shall.
John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
Matthew 17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
there.
Ezekiel 37:22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:
Ephesians 2:14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
one shepherd.
John 10:2,11 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep…
Ecclesiastes 12:11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.
Ezekiel 34:23 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.
I must bring them in as well,
The necessity ("must") underscores the divine mandate and purpose of Jesus' mission. This reflects God's sovereign plan for salvation, as seen in passages like Acts 1:8, where the disciples are instructed to be witnesses to the ends of the earth. The phrase suggests active pursuit and intentionality in reaching the Gentiles, fulfilling the Abrahamic promise that all nations would be blessed through his seed (Genesis 12:3).
and they will listen to My voice.
This indicates the response of the "other sheep" to Jesus' call, emphasizing the recognition and acceptance of His authority. It echoes John 10:3-4, where the sheep recognize the shepherd's voice. This listening is not merely auditory but involves obedience and discipleship, as seen in Romans 10:17, where faith comes by hearing the word of Christ.
Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.
This phrase points to the unity of believers under Christ, transcending ethnic and cultural boundaries. It fulfills Ezekiel 34:23, where God promises one shepherd for His people. The imagery of one flock under one shepherd signifies the church's unity, as further elaborated in Ephesians 2:14-16, where Christ breaks down the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile, creating one new humanity. This unity is both a present reality and a future hope, culminating in the eschatological vision of Revelation 7:9, where a multitude from every nation worships together.
Jesus is addressing a Jewish audience that saw itself as God’s chosen flock. By declaring He already “has” other sheep, He affirms that people outside ethnic Israel are also His own.
• “Fold” naturally points to Israel (cf. Matthew 15:24), but “other sheep” looks beyond—to Gentiles, Samaritans, and every nation under heaven (Acts 10:34-35; Revelation 5:9).
• The certainty of ownership (“I have”) reveals divine foreknowledge and covenant promise, echoing John 11:52, where He will “gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.”
• God’s plan for all peoples was never an afterthought (Genesis 12:3; Isaiah 56:8). Jesus simply pulls back the curtain to show that promise coming alive in Him.
“MUST” shows divine necessity. The Shepherd is compelled by the Father’s will and by His own loving heart.
• The cross and resurrection open the gate for those outside the first fold (John 12:32).
• He accomplishes this gathering through the Spirit-empowered witness of His church (Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8).
• Old-Testament prophecy anticipated this universal mission: “I will also make You a light for the nations” (Isaiah 49:6).
• Nothing can thwart His purpose; heaven’s “must” guarantees the mission’s success (Luke 19:10).
True sheep respond when the Shepherd calls.
• Jesus’ voice is heard today through the gospel (Romans 10:17). Those appointed for eternal life believe (Acts 13:48).
• His promise is personal: “My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27).
• The listening is more than passive hearing; it is repentance, faith, and lifelong obedience (John 14:15).
• This assurance comforts evangelists—the power to save rests not in human eloquence but in the Shepherd’s compelling call (John 6:37).
The end goal is unity under Christ.
• Jew and Gentile become “one new man” in Jesus, breaking down every dividing wall (Ephesians 2:14-16).
• The single flock is the worldwide church, diverse yet united (Galatians 3:28; Revelation 7:9).
• Old-Testament hope finds fulfillment: “I will set over them one shepherd, My servant David” (Ezekiel 34:23; 37:24).
• The Shepherd alone holds authority; no rival voices, no competing loyalties—just the safe pasture of His care (1 Peter 2:25).
John 10:16 unveils Jesus’ global, unstoppable mission. He already possesses sheep beyond Israel, is compelled to bring them in through His saving work, guarantees their responsive faith, and unites all believers into one harmonious flock under His sole, loving leadership. The verse reassures us that the gospel truly is for everyone and that the Shepherd will not lose a single sheep.
(16) And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold.--The words recall to the mind a question which the Jews had asked at this very feast, "Will He go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles?" (John 7:35). They asked it in the bitterness of scorn. He asserts that among the Gentiles--who are not of the Jewish fold--He already possesses sheep; just as He says to Paul concerning Corinth, "I have much people in this city" (Acts 18:10). The Old Testament prophets had foretold this coming of the Gentiles, as e.g. Isaiah 52:13 et seq.; Isaiah 53:10 et seq.; Micah 4:2; and it is present to our Lord's mind here as the result of His laying down His life for the sheep. (Comp. Notes on John 11:52; John 12:32.) . . . Verses 16-18. -(a) The continuity of the Shepherd-activity, notwithstanding the laying down of his life. Verse 16. - And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice. "The other sheep," not of this fold, not sheltered by the theocracy, not needing the pasturage of such privileges - Gentiles they may be, earnest souls of many a name, denomination, and profession, are, while he speaks, and went before the formation of his Church, ' his own." "Other sheep I have." Though they have never as yet heard his voice, they are his. His relation with them is personal and direct and spiritual, not dictated or conditioned by "the fold." They will hear his voice. We in vain ask the question, "When?" He alone can answer it. Many a Cornelius in every nation is accepted by him (cf. Acts 10:35; Acts 14:17; Acts 17:27; Acts 28:28). But the passage contemplates a wider application: "Them also I must bring, or lead, among my own." They are scattered abroad now, but eternal Love, by assuming Shepherd-wise relations with them, determines not to bring them to one place or enclosure - to express such a thought we should have had, not ἀγαγεῖν, but συναγαγεῖν (John 11:52) or προσαγαγεῖν (Westcott) - but to bring them into personal relations with himself. They shall become one flock, one Shepherd. The false English translation of ποίμνη, viz. "fold," should be specially noticed. If our Lord had meant to convey the idea of the rigid enclosure into which all the scattered sheep should be gathered, he would have used the word αὐλή. The word ποίμνη is, however, studiously chosen. The error has done grievous injury. There is no variation of the Greek text, or in the earliest versions. It came through the Vulgate ovile into Wickliffe's Version, and into many other European versions. The Old Latin Versions were correct, but Jerome led the way into the inaccurate translation. Tyndale perceived its true meaning, and Luther beautifully preserved the play upon the words. Coverdale, in his own Bible (1535), followed Tyndale; but in 1539, "the Great Bible" followed the Vulgate (Westcott). When naturalized, it sustained the false and growing pretension that outside the one "fold" of the visible Church the good Shepherd was not ready with his care and love (see for the only adequate translation of ποίμνη, Matthew 26:31; Luke 2:8; 1 Corinthians 9:7, where the Authorized Version has correctly rendered it "flock"). Christ, on other occasions, carefully warned his disciples against such narrowness, and here he declares that the sheep, independently of the fold or folds, may yet form one great flock, under one Shepherd. When he described himself as the Door, he was, as we have seen, careful to speak of himself as "Door of the sheep," and not as the Door into the fold. He laid down his life in order to break down the partition between Jew and Gentile (Ephesians 2:13), between God and man, and between man and man. "In Christ Jesus there is neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female, bond nor free." There may be many folds. Different nations, ages, times, and seasons may cause variations in these; but there is but one flock under the watchful guardianship of one Shepherd.
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