“Sheep are known throughout most of the world, even though, as in Central Africa, they are a far cry from the fleecy wool-producing animals of colder climates. Where such animals are known, even by seemingly strange names, e.g. ‘cotton deer’ (Yucateco) or ‘woolly goat’ (Inupiaq), such names should be used. In some instances, one may wish to borrow a name and use a classifier, e.g. ‘an animal called sheep.’ In still other instances translators have used ‘animal which produces wool’, for though people are not acquainted with the animals they are familiar with wool.” (Source: Bratcher / Nida)
In Dëne Súline, it is usually translated as “an evil little caribou.” To avoid the negative connotation, a loan word from the neighboring South Slavey was used. (Source: NCEM, p. 70)
Note that the often-alleged Inuktitut translation of “sheep” with “seal” is an urban myth (source Nida 1947, p. 136).
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “thief” in English is translated in Low German as Spitzboov or “naughty boy” / “scoundrel” (translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1937, republ. 2006).
Following are a number of back-translations of John 10:8:
Uma: “All people who came ahead-of me are thieves and robbers. But my sheep do not pay attention to their calling.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “The people who came before me, the ones that taught what is not true, they were like thieves and burglars. But the people who belong to me did not listen to them.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “There are teachers who came before me here, but they are just like bandits and thieves. However my own sheep, which is to say, the people who are mine, they did not obey them.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “All who preceded me who told-and-told lies, they are thieves and bandits. But (reassurance particle) the sheep didn’t believe/obey.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Many have preceded me who were teachers who had no authority coming from God. They are like thieves and robbers because they snatch-away the believing/obeying of the people. But they weren’t taken seriously by those who are my like sheep.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “All who lived before me and who didn’t enter through the gate are sheep-thieves. But those sheep paid no attention when they were called.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.
One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.
Before the time of Abraham at least five breeds of sheep had already been developed in Mesopotamia. From mummified remains (that is, preserved dead bodies) and ancient art it is also known that at least two different breeds had reached Egypt by about 2000 B.C. Thus it is likely that the sheep mentioned in the Bible were of more than one breed.
The Hebrew word kar seems to be used of imported foreign sheep and may refer to a special breed but some scholars think it refers to a wether (castrated ram), since this word is never used in the context of sacrifice. This word is also used for a battering ram, that is, a heavy pole suspended on a rope, used in war for breaking down walls. ’Ayil is the word for a ram or adult male sheep, rachel is a breeding ewe or female sheep, and taleh is a very young lamb, probably still unweaned. The remaining Hebrew words refer to sheep in general.
The Greek word probaton is the general word for sheep, or flocks that may include goats. Krios is the Greek word for a ram or male sheep. Pascha is a technical name for the Passover lamb exclusively, and the remaining Greek words all mean lamb. Ovis is the Latin word for sheep.
Click or tap here for the rest of this entry in United Bible Societies’ All Creatures Great and Small: Living things in the Bible.
The early Hebrews were nomadic shepherds to whom sheep were the most important domestic animal. While goats eat almost any vegetation, sheep are much more selective about the grasses and plants they eat. This meant that suitable grazing for them was not always easy to find, and shepherds had to keep moving their flocks from place to place. This led to a nomadic lifestyle, with movable tents rather than houses being the normal household shelter. It was not until the occupation of Canaan after the Exodus that the lifestyle of the Israelites changed, and they became settled village-dwelling farmers and fruit growers.
However, even then, most households owned sheep, and some family members would function as shepherds, often living away from home for fairly long periods.
Sheep in the Bible were a source of meat, milk, wool, hides, and horns, and it seems likely that various strains were bred selectively to enhance production of these commodities. Wool is mentioned in the Bible as early as the Mosaic Law, which forbade the weaving of cloth containing both wool and plant fibers. The shearing of sheep is mentioned even earlier, in Genesis 31:19. Wool was in fact the most common and available fiber known to the people of Israel.
There was a very extensive wool trade in biblical times, stretching from Egypt to China. In the Middle East wool was cheaper than cotton or linen, which were the other common fibers. (Silk was known by the time of Solomon, but it was extremely expensive as it was produced in China and handled by numerous traders on its way west.) It would be a mistake to think of all wool at that time as being white, as Genesis 30 indicates quite clearly that there were also dark colored sheep and sheep that had dark and light patches, probably varying combinations of black, white, and brown.
We can be fairly sure that one breed of sheep known to the Israelites was the Fat-tailed Sheep Ovis laticaudata and that its fatty tail is referred to in Exodus 29:22, Leviticus 3:9 et al.
Rams’ horns had a variety of uses. Whole ram horns were used as drinking vessels, jars, and trumpets. But pieces of horn were used as handles for knives and other household implements, and for jewelry such as bracelets and beads. Needles too, and probably also arrow heads, were made from horn, as well as from bone and later from bronze and iron.
Sheep were also very important in Israelite religion. They were a very important element in the sacrificial system and in the traditional religious feasts, especially the Feast of Passover.
Sheep and goats belong to the same general family. They differ in that sheep produce wool, which is a special type of soft hair, among the ordinary hairs on their bodies. A ram’s horns too differ in shape from a goat’s horns, those of a ram curling down in a tight spiral beside its face, with those of a goat curving more gently back towards its shoulders. The sheep of biblical times produced much shorter wool than is common with wool-bearing breeds of today.
The fat-tailed or broad-tailed sheep is a smallish breed usually brown and white with a very broad tail. Like most other breeds of sheep in the Middle East it has large floppy ears.
Sheep are generally fairly timid animals, lacking the self-confidence and adaptability of goats. While goats will spread out in their search for food and then regroup without much difficulty, sheep become very insecure when they are separated from other sheep and tend to stay bunched together. They thus require a lot of shepherding. In the Middle East the method of shepherding involves training the dominant ram to follow the shepherd. The remaining sheep then follow this dominant ram, which often wears a wooden clapper or a bell. As they feed, the sheep usually keep within earshot of this sound. It is likely that this method is centuries old.
In most modern breeds only male sheep have horns, but in most ancient breeds female sheep had short horns too. This made separating sheep from goats in a single flock more difficult than it is today.
Of all animals the sheep was the most important for the Israelite nation. It had great religious, social, and economic importance.
The metaphor of a lamb is used in the New Testament to refer to Christ, with an emphasis on his being a sacrifice for the sin of the world. This is especially the case in John’s gospel and Revelation. In the latter book the metaphor is introduced in a very striking way. In Revelation 5:5 as the writer is mourning the fact that no one can be found to open the scroll, he is comforted by one of the elders who tells him that “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” has triumphed and can thus open the scroll. Then the writer, expecting to see the Lion, sees instead a Lamb that looks as if it has been killed for sacrifice. The remainder of the book is then concerned with describing the triumph of this Lamb over the forces of evil.
In the gospels Jesus also refers to his disciples as “sheep” and “lambs” (Matthew 10:17; John 10:1 et al.).
The metaphor of the shepherd is extended to God himself who is the ultimate “Shepherd of Israel” (Psalms 23:1; 80:1). Then those who are responsible for the nurture, guidance, ruling, and protection of Israel, be it kings, prophets, or priests, are also likened to shepherds (Isaiah 56:11; Jeremiah 23:4; 49:19; Ezekiel 34:2; Zechariah 10:2).
The Messiah is also called a shepherd (Isaiah 40:11), and Jesus refers to himself as “the good shepherd” (John 10:11). In Hebrews 13:20 he is referred to as “the great shepherd of the sheep” and in 1 Peter 2:25 he is called “the Shepherd and Guardian of your lives”.
In languages that have a word for sheep, it is advisable to translate according to the meanings given above. If possible, the feminine forms should be translated as “female lamb” or “female sheep”. In languages in which sheep are not known, a word has usually been coined or borrowed by the time Bible translation begins, and this word should be used. It is not advisable to substitute another locally well-known animal in this case, since doing so negates the ritual and symbolic importance that sheep had for the biblical cultures.
In translating Psalms 23:1 it is extremely important to make sure that the phrase “my shepherd” preserves the relationship intended by the writer and reflects the psalmist’s theme that Yahweh is his benefactor, protector, and guide. There are really two metaphors involved in the opening verse-the caring shepherd (God) and by clear implication, the dependent sheep (the psalmist). In many languages the literal phrase “my shepherd” depicts a wrong relationship, meaning something like “the one who looks after my sheep” or “the one I employ to watch my sheep.” In many African languages unwary translators have produced a rendering that means “The Chief is (nothing more than) my herdsman.” It is often necessary to restructure the whole verse as something like “I am a sheep, and the lord is my shepherd.”
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
It is difficult to determine precisely who is referred to in all others who came before me. Evidently this expression was taken by some scribes as a reference to the Old Testament period, and so one ancient Greek manuscript and several other ancient sources omit the word all from the text. However, the evidence for the omission of this word is very weak. It is readily seen why a scribe would delete it from the text, but it is difficult to see any possible reason for adding it, if it was not there originally. On the other hand, the words before me are problematic, and the UBS Greek text places them in brackets to indicate their uncertainty. It may be that these words were added in an attempt to explain the meaning of the verb came, or it may be that they were omitted to help resolve the difficulty mentioned in connection with the word all. Even though the inclusion of before me remains problematic, most modern translations include this phrase.
In spite of the textual difficulties, there is no real problem in the interpretation of the text as it stands, provided one takes the reference to thieves and robbers to be the same here as in verse 1. It is not, of course, a blanket reference to all leaders of the Old Testament period. It would include any leaders, including prophets, priests, or kings, who had taken advantage of the people God had placed in their care; it would also include the false Messianic pretenders, as well as the Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus’ own day. Thieves and robbers are the same words used in verse 1.
All others who came before me may be rendered in some languages “All others who have come in the past.” It may, however, be necessary to indicate clearly just who “all others” are, for example, “All others who have come pretending to take care of the sheep.” It is also possible to make this meaning clear by means of a marginal note.
The Greek verb “to hear” covers a broad area of meaning. Good News Translation takes it here to mean did … listen to. Revised Standard Version translates “did … heed”; New English Bible “paid … heed to”; Jerusalem Bible “took … notice of”; and Moffatt “would … listen to.”
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 .
All who came before Me were thieves and robbers: Jesus said that those who came before him and who said that they were the gate were really thieves. They said that they were the Messiah or had a different way to salvation (the sheepfold), but they were wrong. These are the people mentioned in 10:1a–d.
All: This word does not refer to everyone who came before Jesus, because that would include Moses and the prophets. Jesus did not say that they were thieves! Rather, there is some implied information here. Jesus apparently meant something like “All who came before me and said that they were the gate.” Remember that they did not go in through the true gate (see 10:1). You may need to include some of the implied information if people misunderstand this sentence without it. For example:
All who lived before me and who did not enter through the gate are sheep-thieves. (Otomi Back Translation)
-or-
Many ⌊teachers⌋ have preceded me ⌊who said that they had a different way into the sheep pen⌋ . They were just crooks!
thieves and robbers: The words thieves and robbers mean about the same thing. The idea is repeated for emphasis. See 10:1d, where the same words are used in the singular. You may want to translate them the same way that you did there. Here it is clearer that the thieves are not just those stealing sheep but represent those trying to destroy people. For example:
just criminals
-or-
thieves and criminals
10:8b
but: This word indicates something that is not expected. Although it is implied that the thieves tried to deceive the sheep, the sheep did not listen to them. It is implied that because the sheep did not listen, the thieves were not able to steal them. It may be necessary to make some of this implied information explicit. For example:
⌊They called the sheep⌋ but…
-or-
⌊They wanted the sheep to follow them⌋ but…
the sheep did not listen to them: The words the sheep continue the metaphor. The people of God did not listen to the false religious teachers. They knew that Jesus was the door and that they should only go in or out through him. Here are other ways to translate this clause:
the sheep didn’t respond to them (God’s Word)
-or-
the true sheep did not listen to them (New Living Translation (2004))
to them: The word them refers to the false teachers, who were trying to call the sheep. In some languages it may be natural to say:
to them ⌊when they called⌋
-or-
to their ⌊commands/call⌋
-or-
to their ⌊voices/words⌋
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