John 13:11 (DRB)

Passage

For he knew who he was that would betray him; therefore he said: You are not all clean.

Nearby Context

John 13:9 Simon Peter saith to him: Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.

John 13:10 Jesus saith to him: He that is washed needeth not but to wash his feet, but is clean wholly. And you are clean, but not all.

John 13:11 For he knew who he was that would betray him; therefore he said: You are not all clean.

John 13:12 Then after he had washed their feet and taken his garments, being set down again, he said to them: Know you what I have done to you?

John 13:13 You call me Master and Lord. And you say well: for so I am.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "knew", "betray", "therefore", "said", and "clean". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "knew" and "betray", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "Jesus saith to him He that is..." into verse 12's "Then after he had washed their feet...", so "knew" and "betray" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "knew" and "betray" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.