10:26
But: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But introduces a strong contrast with the previous clause. Although the people saw the evidence of Jesus’ miracles, they did not believe him.
because: This word here introduces the real reason that Jesus’ opponents did not believe.
you are not My sheep: This clause returns to the metaphor of Jesus as the shepherd, the sheep farmer. It indicates that these unbelieving people were not sheep that belonged to Jesus’ flock (group of sheep). They thought that because they were Jewish, they were God’s people. Jesus implied that they were wrong. Here are other ways to translate this clause
you do not belong to my sheep (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
you are not sheep of my flock (Revised English Bible)
Some old Greek manuscripts include an additional clause “just as I told you.” Modern English translations do not include the clause because scholars do not think it was part of the original text. However, the King James Version includes it (“as I said unto you”). So you may want to include the clause if a major translation in your area includes it.
you refuse to believe: This clause refers to believing Jesus or believing what Jesus said. In some languages it may be natural to supply an object for the verb believe. For example:
you don’t believe me (New Living Translation (2004))
you: The pronoun you is plural and refers to Jesus’ opponents. The Greek text emphasizes this pronoun. The problem was that his opponents (you) did not believe, not that Jesus did not tell them.
General Comment on 10:26
In some languages it may be natural to reverse the order of the clauses in 10:26. For example:
but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep (New Revised Standard Version)
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