The details of this chapter regarding sheep and shepherd agree accurately with what is known of sheep herding in Palestine. Although sheep pens were sometimes located on hills and enclosed by stone walls, the one referred to here is apparently of a yard in front of a house and surrounded by a stone wall. It may be difficult to find an adequate term for sheep pen, which must often be described as “a place for the protection of sheep” or “a place where sheep are kept.” The only equivalent in some languages is “a corral for sheep.”

The Greek text has “door,” but a number of translators find gate to be more appropriate.

There may be problems in rendering climbs in some other way. The only way that a thief or robber could get into the sheep pen would be by climbing over the wall, since the gate would obviously be guarded and there was no other opening. It may be necessary to say “but climbs over the wall” or “climbs over at some other place” (implying some place other than the gate). However, it may be possible to use a less specific expression, for example, “but gets into the sheep pen by some other means.”

In some languages it is almost obligatory to employ the positive expression before the negative; therefore, it may be necessary to say “the man who gets into the sheep pen over the wall rather than by entering the gate is a thief….”

In the phrase a thief and a robber most translations render the first noun as Good News Translation does (it is used of Judas in 12.6), but there is considerable difference in the translation of the second word. Revised Standard Version and New English Bible also have “robber,” but New American Bible has “marauder”; Phillips “rogue”; Jerusalem Bible “brigand”; and Anchor Bible “bandit.” Since the two Greek nouns which Good News Translation renders thief and robber are not normally synonyms, it is suggested by some commentators that the Greek word “and” (kai) should here be translated “or.” However, most translators prefer “and.” In 18.40 the word here translated robber is used of Barabbas, but Good News Translation renders it bandit. Bandit is quite possibly also the meaning in the present context, especially in light of the fact that this discourse on the good shepherd was probably connected with the Festival of Dedication (see verse 22). This festival celebrated the restoration and rededication of the Jewish Temple by Judas Maccabeus in 165 BC. If the Maccabean leaders are the persons referred to in verse 8, the designation bandit fits the context of both verse 1 and verse 8 very well. Jesus is comparing the Pharisees to the leaders of the Maccabean revolt, whom the people willingly followed with Messianic expectations. These people were indeed thieves and bandits, and Jesus is affirming that the Pharisees are no better. They have come only to steal, kill, and destroy, but Jesus has come to give people life.

In general, the distinction between thief and robber is the fact that the thief employs stealth while the robber uses violence, to obtain what he takes away from other people. Most languages have ways of marking the distinction. A thief may be described as “one who takes away stealthily” and a robber as “one who takes away by threats or weapons” or “… by threat of injury or harm.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .