King James Bible
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber."
Jesus uses the double 'amen' (verily, verily) to signal a solemn truth requiring special attention. This emphatic formula appears frequently in John's Gospel to introduce key teachings about Jesus' identity and mission. The sheepfold was a walled enclosure with a single gate where shepherds kept their flocks at night. Legitimate shepherds entered through the proper entrance, establishing the metaphor of authorized versus unauthorized access to God's people. This describes someone scaling the wall to avoid the gatekeeper's scrutiny. In the context of John 9, this likely refers to the Pharisees who claimed spiritual authority while rejecting Jesus, the true entrance to God's kingdom. Jesus distinguishes between a thief (who steals by stealth) and a robber (who takes by violence), encompassing all forms of illegitimate leadership. These false shepherds exploit the flock for personal gain rather than serving their welfare.