The Life of Jesus in Harmony | Index

sheepfold

Gk. aule, a court (Jn 10:1), the roofless enclosure in the open country into which flocks were herded at night.

When sheep are exposed to the depredations of robbers, it is customary in the East to shelter them in well-built enclosures, which are impregnable once the flock is within them. When no danger from this source is feared the flocks are put in folds only when they are to be shorn.