Charles Ellicott Commentary John 10:5

"And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers." — John 10:5 (ASV)

And a stranger will they not follow.—The “stranger” is anyone other than their own shepherd, and the term is not to be limited to the “thief” and “robber” of John 10:1. The thought is of the flock following the shepherd to the pasture. On the road they would meet other persons whom they would not follow. Some would, as thieves and robbers, seek to lead them away, calling them by their names and imitating their shepherd’s cry; but they have, by long usage, learned to recognize his voice, and will not follow a stranger.

But will flee from him.—A strange word is a source of alarm to them. With the known tone of the shepherd’s voice they have learned to associate protection, guidance, food. His voice recalls these associations. A stranger’s voice is something unknown and therefore feared. It is like the voice of a plundering raider who has called the flock before, or like the cry of a wild beast that has broken into the fold at night. The associations with unfamiliar words are only of things that are evil.