John 10:4 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

In our country at this day, shepherds generally follow their sheep, which go before them. In other countries, as France, &c., it is otherwise at this day; the shepherds go before their flocks, and their flocks follow them, upon some sounds they make. In Palestine (which was the Jews country) it should seem that the shepherds sometimes went before their sheep, and sometimes followed them. David followed his father's sheep, 2 Samuel 7:8 Psalms 78:71. On the other side, God is spoken of, Psalms 80:1, under the notion of the Shepherd of Israel, who leadeth Joseph like a flock. And the psalmist, Psalms 23:1, speaking of God as his Shepherd, saith, Psalms 23:2, he leadeth me beside the still waters. Christ here speaketh of himself under the notion of a shepherd that went before his sheep, and whom the sheep followed; and thereby lets us know the duty of all faithful pastors in the church, so to live, that their flocks may follow them with safety; which cannot be, unless they follow Christ, 1 Corinthians 11:1. For, saith our Saviour, those that are my true sheep, they know my voice; thereby signifying that power of discerning between truth and damnable errors, which the Lord gives unto all true believers, 1 John 2:27.