What Does John 10:12 Mean in the King James?
But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The Greek verb for the hireling’s leaving also means to release or forgive; here, the flock is what he lets go.
THE MEANING
The verse exposes a difference between occupying a caring role and belonging to those entrusted to you: danger reveals whether the bond holds. When the threat arrives, the hireling releases the sheep and runs, leaving them open to seizure and scattering.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the assumption that someone’s role as protector guarantees they will stay when danger comes.
THE ROOT
ἀφίημι
aphiēmi
GROWS FROM
ἵημι
hiēmi
Send or let go; with the prefix apo-, ἀφίημι carries the sense of sending away or releasing.
“leaveth” in this verse is aphiēmi. The hireling ἀφίησιν, lets go of, the sheep. The same verb can describe releasing a debt or forgiving, so the sense here turns on what is being let go: the flock is abandoned to danger.
ALSO GROWS
aphiēmi: To leave, release, send away, or forgive.
ἀφίημι
This is the verb used for the hireling’s act: he lets the sheep go and flees.
aphesis: Release, dismissal, or forgiveness.
ἄφεσις
This noun from the same word family shows how release can mean letting something go; here the hireling’s release leaves the sheep exposed.
μισθωτός
misthōtos
GROWS FROM
μισθός
misthos
Wage or payment for service.
“hireling” in this verse is misthōtos. The word names the worker by his wage: the role is tied to payment. That fits the verse’s contrast between someone hired to tend the sheep and the shepherd for whom they are his own.
ALSO GROWS
misthos: Wage, payment, or reward.
μισθός
The hireling’s name carries the wage at the center of his role.
misthoō: To hire or engage for wages.
μισθόω
This related verb makes the paid nature of the hireling’s position explicit.
THE PATTERN
A shepherd’s care is exposed by whether the flock remains protected when a predator comes.
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;THE THREAD
And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.“Forsook” in Luke and “leaveth” here translate forms of the same Greek verb, ἀφίημι (aphiēmi), meaning to leave or release. In John, the hireling lets go of the sheep and abandons them; in Luke, the disciples let go of their possessions and follow.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us