I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse isn't just about Jesus knowing about us; it highlights a deep, intimate knowledge that's reciprocal, like the bond between Father and Son. It's a connection rooted in mutual love and shared life, where Jesus knows our hearts, needs, and dangers, and we, in turn, recognize and respond to His care. This profound relationship means we are never truly lost or forgotten, as He cherishes us as His own.
I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus has just described the contrast between a true shepherd and a hired hand, highlighting how the hired hand abandons the sheep when danger appears. Now, Jesus directly identifies Himself as the "good shepherd" whose intimate knowledge and loving relationship with His sheep are mutual, a bond as deep as His own relationship with the Father. This declaration sets the stage for His ultimate act of love: laying down His life for them.
Jesus says he 'knows' his sheep. What kind of knowing is this? It's more than just recognizing faces in a crowd.
When Jesus says, 'I know my own,' it’s not just an intellectual awareness. The original language and context reveal a knowledge deeply rooted in affectionate regard and personal connection.
More Than Recognition
This isn't like knowing someone's name or address. It’s a profound, intimate knowledge that sees into the heart. Think of it as knowing someone's deepest needs, their unique struggles, and their hidden potential, all while holding them in high esteem.
A Shepherd's Care
Just as an ancient shepherd would know each sheep in his flock by sight, by sound, and by their individual needs, Jesus knows us. This knowledge isn't passive; it fuels his active care, his protection, and his unwavering commitment to our well-being. He knows us so he can tend to us, defend us, and guide us.
It's a two-way street! Jesus knows us, and we know Him. What does this mutual knowing signify?
The verse doesn't just speak of Jesus' knowledge of us; it highlights a reciprocal relationship: 'my own know me.' This mutual knowing signifies a deep sense of belonging and loyalty.
The Shepherd's Voice
For Jesus' sheep, knowing the Shepherd means recognizing his voice – his teachings, his commands, his character. It's an intuitive understanding that draws them to follow him, distinguishing his guidance from any other.
Ask a follow-up
A Shared Life
This intimate knowledge isn't just about understanding doctrine; it's about a shared life. As the commentaries suggest, it’s a knowledge that grows out of the 'most intimate fellowship of love and life.' When we truly know Jesus, our lives are oriented towards him, just as he is oriented towards us and the Father.
Understand the original words
ginōskō · Greek Verb
Beyond mere intellectual awareness, this biblical term signifies an intimate, experiential, and relational connection. It implies a deep bond of love, mutual recognition, and covenantal commitment between persons.
This passage directly parallels Jesus' declaration by describing God's own shepherding of His people, highlighting His personal knowledge and care for each sheep, and His rescue of them from darkness.
Psalm 23:1-6This beloved psalm expresses the sheep's intimate knowledge of and trust in their Shepherd, echoing the reciprocal relationship described in John 10:14, where the sheep follow the Shepherd's voice.
1 Samuel 16:7This verse speaks to God's unique ability to see and know the heart, a concept that underpins Jesus' profound, intimate knowledge of His own, which goes beyond outward appearance.
John 17:25-26Jesus' high priestly prayer reveals that the Father's love for the Son is the basis for the Father's love for believers, and this divine love is the foundation for the intimate knowledge shared between the Son and His sheep.
barnesJohn 10:14: "I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine."
Know my sheep - Know my people, or my church. The word "know" here is used in the sense of affectionate regard or love. It implies such a knowledge of their wants, their dangers, and their characters, as to result in a deep interest in their welfare. Thus the word "knoweth," in John 10:15 , is in John 10:17 explained by the word "loveth." Jesus knows the hearts, the dangers, and the wants of his people, and his kindn…
calvinJohn 10:11-15: "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep."
- I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 12. But the hireling, and he who is not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf teareth them, and scattereth the sheep. 13. The hireling fleeth, because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep. 14. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am kno…
This verse isn't just about Jesus knowing about us; it highlights a deep, intimate knowledge that's reciprocal, like the bond between Father and Son. It's a connection rooted in mutual love and shared life, where Jesus knows our hearts, needs, and dangers, and we, in turn, recognize and respond to His care. This profound relationship means we are never truly lost or forgotten, as He cherishes us as His own.
Jesus has just described the contrast between a true shepherd and a hired hand, highlighting how the hired hand abandons the sheep when danger appears. Now, Jesus directly identifies Himself as the "good shepherd" whose intimate knowledge and loving relationship with His sheep are mutual, a bond as deep as His own relationship with the Father. This declaration sets the stage for His ultimate act of love: laying down His life for them.
Jesus has just described the contrast between a true shepherd and a hired hand, highlighting how the hired hand abandons the sheep when danger appears. Now, Jesus directly identifies Himself as the "good shepherd" whose intimate knowledge and loving relationship with His sheep are mutual, a bond as deep as His own relationship with the Father. This declaration sets the stage for His ultimate act of love: laying down His life for them.
"I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep." — This verse isn't just about Jesus knowing about us; it highlights a deep, intimate knowledge that's reciprocal, like the bond between Father and Son. It's a connection rooted in mutual love and sha…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026