Sheep
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πρόβατον (probaton) is the ordinary New Testament noun for a sheep, whether one animal or, in plural forms, members of a flock. Biblical writers use the animal's dependence, vulnerability, tendency to stray, and relation to a shepherd in several distinct ways.
Reader summary
Full entry for πρόβατον (G4263) · Open the biblical lexicon
πρόβατον (probaton) is the ordinary New Testament noun for a sheep, whether one animal or, in plural forms, members of a flock. Biblical writers use the animal's dependence, vulnerability, tendency to stray, and relation to a shepherd in several distinct ways.
The BSB source-word alignment has 39 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include sheep (35), a sheep (1), sheep’s (1), sheepfold (1), than a sheep (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 7:15. Its strongest book concentrations include John (19), Matthew (11), Luke (2), Mark (2).
πρόβατον (probaton) is the ordinary New Testament noun for a sheep, whether one animal or, in plural forms, members of a flock. Biblical writers use the animal's dependence, vulnerability, tendency to stray, and relation to a shepherd in several distinct ways. Jesus sees harassed crowds as sheep without a shepherd and responds with compassion. He sends disciples as sheep among wolves, joining vulnerability to shrewd and innocent mission.
In the lost-sheep parable, one wandering sheep becomes the object of determined search. John 10 places the sheep under the self-giving care of the Good Shepherd, who lays down His life and knows His own. Peter recalls people who were straying like sheep but have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of their souls. The image is not permission to insult believers as mindless animals or to demand passive submission to human leaders.
It names need, belonging, danger, rescue, recognition, and the costly care of Christ, with each passage deciding which feature carries the weight.
πρόβατον supplies a flexible pastoral image of vulnerable creatures belonging to and needing a shepherd. The selected passages move from compassion and mission through rescue and the Good Shepherd's death to the restored belonging of those who had wandered.
When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
The comparison interprets the crowds through Jesus' compassion, not contempt. Their sheep-like condition names exposure and lack of faithful care, preparing for the prayer for laborers and the mission of the Twelve.
Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
Jesus does not promise His emissaries social safety. Sheep among wolves expresses real vulnerability, while the paired commands reject both naivety and retaliatory corruption in mission.
What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost?
The sheep's wandering becomes the occasion for searching care. In Matthew's community discourse, the image supports the Father's concern that one of the little ones not perish, not a calculation that the ninety-nine are disposable.
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
The sheep are defined by the Good Shepherd's self-giving action. Jesus' death is not inferred from animal traits; it is explicitly stated as the shepherd's chosen act for those who belong to Him.
For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Peter uses sheep imagery to describe former wandering and present return. The emphasis falls on restored relation to Christ, the Shepherd and Overseer, within a passage shaped by His suffering and the healing secured by His wounds.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. In NT metaphor, denotes Christ's vulnerable followers dependent on their shepherd's protective care and guidance.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 41 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
a sheep
Read versea sheep
Read versea sheep
Read versea sheep
Read versea sheep
Read versea sheep
Read versea sheep
Read versea sheep
Read versea sheep
Read versea sheep
Read versea sheep
Read versea sheep
Read versea sheep
Read versea sheep
Read versea sheep
Read versea sheep
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 6 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 39 lexical occurrence verses.
πρόβατον is built from this root:
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Scripture's sheep image is powerful because the animal is never the whole message. In Matthew 9, sheep without a shepherd move Jesus to compassion; the comparison exposes failed care and leads toward mission. In Matthew 10, sheep among wolves describe disciples sent into genuine danger, yet Jesus commands them to combine alert wisdom with innocence. Matthew 18 shifts the image again: one straying sheep is sought because the Father does not will the loss of one little one.
John 10 places every pastoral thread under Jesus' identity as the Good Shepherd who knows His sheep and lays down His life for them. Peter then describes conversion as return from wandering to the Shepherd and Overseer of souls. These passages do not teach that people are incapable of thought or that human leaders deserve unquestioned compliance. They teach that sinners wander, disciples remain vulnerable, faithful care seeks the endangered, and Christ's flock exists because the Shepherd gives Himself.
The image should produce humility, confidence in Christ, and vigilant care for people who are easily neglected or harmed.
John.10.11
πρόβατον is a common concrete noun and appears in singular and plural forms. Figurative force is not automatic; some passages refer to actual animals, while explicit comparisons or shepherding discourse activate images of vulnerability, belonging, wandering, or care. No single animal characteristic should be imported into every occurrence.
Israel's Scriptures call God's people His flock, confess the Lord as Shepherd, expose leaders who scatter or exploit the sheep, and promise that God will seek His flock and raise up a Davidic shepherd. Jesus' Good Shepherd claim and Peter's Shepherd language receive that canonical background, centering rescue and restored belonging in Christ's self-giving care.