The Greek in John 10:9 that is translated in English typically as “I am the door (or: gate)” is translated in Lak as “I am the entrance.”
Vitaly Voinov tells this story:
“Field testing showed that some readers might find it hard to understand how a person could say about themselves that they are a door or gate. What exactly this metaphor means in this context was not well understood and caused what linguists call ‘processing difficulty.’ Even when it was explicated by ‘I am the door/gate for the sheep,’ it still caused problems in understanding. In other languages that have experienced a similar problem with this metaphor, translators have sometimes resorted to turning it into a simile, ‘I am like a door/gate.’ But in the Lak case, this would still leave unanswered the basic question of what the exact point of similarity is between Jesus and a door/gate. After much discussion, the team decided to try a different synonym, ‘I am the entrance.’ Further field testing should show whether this has solved the problem or not.”
Likewise, in Chichewa, “‘door’ is ‘that which shuts in,’ so naturally no one is going to be able to ‘enter by’ it. The solution in this case is not too hard to find: Christ is the ‘doorway,’ or entrance, to the house, building, stockpen, or whatever. When ‘open,’ he allows free passage; when ‘closed,’ one’s entry is barred.” (Source: Wendland 1987, p. 121)
In the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) it is translated as Ich bin das Gatter, using the term that is used for a gate in an animal pen.
The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as a form of “save” in English is translated in Shipibo-Conibo with a phrase that means literally “make to live,” which combines the meaning of “to rescue” and “to deliver from danger,” but also the concept of “to heal” or “restore to health.”
Following are a number of back-translations of John 10:9:
Uma: “I am the door. Whoever enters through me, they receive goodness. They are like sheep who enter into the corral and go outside to get fertile [lit., fat] grass.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “I am figuratively the door,’ said Isa. ‘Whoever enters by me, is saved. He is free to go in and out and he is given good.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “I am the door. If anyone enters in by means of me, I will free him from punishment. He is like my sheep who enters into the corral and goes out and looks for his food because I always watch over him.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “I am the entrance. Whoever enters who walks-through me, he will be saved. He is compared to a sheep who both enters and goes-out to go graze.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “I am like the gateway. As many as enter here by me, because I am the one being believed-in/obeyed and trusted-in/relied-on by him now, certainly will be freed/saved. I will take good care of him, like the care of a shepherd of sheep when going in, going out, so that nothing will happen to him, but on the contrary he will always find good pastures.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “I am like a door. He whom I cause to pass through, he it is who will be saved. And he will do like a sheep which goes in and goes out from the fence and finds what to eat.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “survive,” “escape,” “save,” or similar in English is translated in the Contemporary Chichewa translation (2002/2016) in these verses with pulumuka, describing someone whose life was in danger but who has freed himself or herself. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero 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.
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 obvious from this verse that Jesus is the gate by which one enters into the Kingdom. In the Greek sentence construction the phrase by me is emphatic, thus emphasizing that Jesus is the only one through whom one enters the Kingdom. The one who enters through Jesus is saved, and he has freedom, which is expressed by the phrase come in and go out. The expression find pasture describes the life-sustaining force that is given to the believer. Jesus is the bread of life and the water of life, and he provides his sheep with pasture that sustains them.
As in verse 7, it may be necessary to introduce a simile, for example, “I am just like a gate” or “I am just like the gate for the sheep.”
Will be saved may in this context be translated “will become safe.” Or it may be expressed negatively as “will be kept from danger.”
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 .
I am the gate: This clause is the same as in 10:7, without the words “for the sheep.” Jesus implied that he was the gate or door for people also. He is the entrance into the home of his people, the way to go into God’s kingdom. People must enter the kingdom through him. This is a metaphor (one of the seven “I am” statements in John). There are several ways to translate it:
• Use a metaphor. For example:
I am the door (Revised English Bible)
• Use a simile. For example:
I am ⌊just⌋ like the gate
• Use a figure of speech and indicate that the word gate is not being used literally. For example:
I am the ⌊true/spiritual⌋ gate/door
See how you translated the word gate in 10:1b, 10:2, 10:3a, and 10:7.
I: The Greek text emphasizes this pronoun. This emphasis contrasts Jesus with those in 10:8a who were thieves and robbers. They were not the gate, but apparently said that they knew a different way to God. Here are some ways to show this emphasis and contrast:
I, on the other hand, am the door.
-or-
But I am the only door.
10:9b
If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved: The extended metaphor continues in this clause. The meaning of this clause is that those who enter the kingdom of God through Jesus will receive salvation. (The Greek text emphasizes the words through Me.) Try to use language that can refer to both people and sheep so that readers can easily understand the meaning.
anyone: This word refers to anyone and everyone who enters through Jesus. It is possible to use either singular or plural forms. For example:
Whoever enters by me will be saved (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Those who enter the sheep pen through me will be saved. (God’s Word)
enters through Me: This phrase here refers to trusting Jesus as the way to salvation. Jesus was still using the gate metaphor. Use a phrase that is natural for speaking about going through a door of some kind. For example:
enters by me (New Revised Standard Version)
In some languages it may be natural to say explicitly what the sheep or people enter. Use a word that your readers will understand as representing a safe and good place. For example:
enter the sheep pen through me (God’s Word)
he will be saved: This verb phrase refers to receiving protection from danger. Literally, this indicates that the sheep will be protected from danger. Figuratively, it indicates that God will protect people from spiritual danger and death and give them eternal life. Try to use an expression that readers can understand both literally and figuratively.
This is a passive phrase. There are at least two ways to translate it:
• Use a passive verb. For example:
will be protected
-or-
will be kept from harm
• Use an active verb. For example:
will live safely
-or-
will be safe (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
will find salvation
Use the verb form that is most natural in your language in this context.
10:9c
He will come in and go out: This expression indicates that the sheep will move around freely. They will be able to get what they need: rest, exercise, food and water. This metaphor indicates that people who trust Jesus will live freely and safely. This does not mean that people will sometimes leave the kingdom of God and then come back in. A metaphor cannot mean something that disagrees with another part of scripture. The idea here is that people are free. For example:
will be able to come in and go out (New Century Version)
-or-
will come and go freely (New Living Translation (2004))
find pasture: A pasture is a field where animals can eat the grass. During the night the sheep were in the sheep pen and during the day they were in the pasture, eating freely. The phrase find pasture means that the sheep will find grass to eat.
This phrase is a metaphor. In this metaphor, Jesus compared the way God provides for believers to sheep finding food in a pasture. God supplies our needs just as the shepherd supplies the needs of his sheep by allowing them to eat grass. In some languages a literal translation of this metaphor may be difficult to understand. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:
• Supply information indicating that the pasture is a good place to be, a place where one’s needs are provided for. For example:
find good pastures (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
find his food (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
• Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:
It will be like sheep finding grass to eat in a pasture.
• Change the metaphor to a simile and make explicit the way that they are similar. For example:
Those who come through me will receive all their needs, like sheep finding good pastures.
• In some places there are no specific pastures. You may want to speak in more general terms of animals eating freely of food that is desirable. For example:
eat in grassy/fertile fields
-or-
eat green/good grass
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