What is the meaning of John 10:7?

So He said to them again

Jesus has just spoken of thieves and robbers (John 10:1–6). Because His listeners did not grasp His figurative teaching, He repeats and clarifies.

• Scripture often records the Lord repeating truth for emphasis and mercy (see Matthew 23:37; John 21:15–17).

• Repetition underlines His patience and desire that none miss the message (2 Peter 3:9).

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Truly, truly

This double “Amen” signals absolute reliability.

• Every word the Lord utters is certain (Numbers 23:19).

• The phrase alerts us that what follows carries eternal weight, just as in John 3:3, 5 and John 5:24.

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I tell you

The Good Shepherd speaks personally and authoritatively.

• He delivers firsthand revelation, not secondhand opinion (Mark 1:22).

• His “I tell you” cuts through confusion and tradition (Matthew 5:21–22) and calls for wholehearted acceptance (John 8:31–32).

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I am the gate

Jesus identifies Himself as the exclusive entrance to safety and life.

• Earlier He declared, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35) and “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12); here He presents yet another “I am” that echoes Exodus 3:14.

• A sheepfold in first-century Judea often had no wooden door; the shepherd himself lay across the opening, becoming the living gate.

• Only through Him do we find protection from predators and judgment (John 10:9; Acts 4:12).

• Other so-called gateways—religion, good works, self-effort—are exposed as false (Galatians 2:16).

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for the sheep

His provision is personal and specific.

• The “sheep” are those who hear His voice and follow (John 10:27).

• He lays down His life for this flock (John 10:11) and keeps them secure forever (John 10:28–29).

• The image recalls Psalm 23:1—“The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not want”—and anticipates the ultimate fellowship of Revelation 7:17, where “the Lamb… will shepherd them.”

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summary

By repeating Himself, Jesus lovingly insists that His listeners grasp a foundational truth: He alone is the divinely appointed, absolutely trustworthy, and personally accessible entrance to salvation and security. Every soul must pass through Him to find life, pasture, and protection, for there is no other gate for the sheep.