The good shepherd] The Gk. signifies the Perfect or Ideal Shepherd. This beautiful figure is often found in the OT. applied to Jehovah (Psalms 23, 80 Isaiah 40:11); only in Ezekiel does it become a title of the Messiah (Ezekiel 34:23; Ezekiel 37:24). Giveth (RV 'layeth down') his life for the sheep] Another distinct prophecy of His death. Eastern shepherds are always armed, and are sometimes killed in defending their flocks against the wolves, leopards, and panthers, which infest the wilderness (Genesis 31:39; 1 Samuel 17:34). The expression 'layeth down his life' is peculiar to St. John (see John 13:37).

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