John 11:51 (GNV)

Passage

This spake hee not of himselfe: but being hie Priest that same yere, he prophecied that Iesus should die for that nation:

Nearby Context

John 11:49 Then one of them named Caiaphas, which was the hie Priest that same yere, said vnto them, Ye perceiue nothing at all,

John 11:50 Nor yet doe you consider that it is expedient for vs, that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.

John 11:51 This spake hee not of himselfe: but being hie Priest that same yere, he prophecied that Iesus should die for that nation:

John 11:52 And not for that nation onely, but that he shoulde gather together in one the children of God, which were scattered.

John 11:53 Then from that day foorth they consulted together, to put him to death.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "spake", "himselfe", "priest", "same", "yere", "prophecied", "iesus", and "should". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "spake" and "himselfe", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 50's "Nor yet doe you consider that it..." into verse 52's "And not for that nation onely but...", so "spake" and "himselfe" 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 "spake" and "himselfe" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.