John 11:47 (YLT)

Passage

the chief priests, therefore, and the Pharisees, gathered together a sanhedrim, and said, `What may we do? because this man doth many signs?

Nearby Context

John 11:45 Many, therefore, of the Jews who came unto Mary, and beheld what Jesus did, believed in him;

John 11:46 but certain of them went away unto the Pharisees, and told them what Jesus did;

John 11:47 the chief priests, therefore, and the Pharisees, gathered together a sanhedrim, and said, `What may we do? because this man doth many signs?

John 11:48 if we may let him alone thus, all will believe in him; and the Romans will come, and will take away both our place and nation.'

John 11:49 and a certain one of them, Caiaphas, being chief priest of that year, said to them, `Ye have not known anything,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "chief", "priests", "therefore", "pharisees", "gathered", "together", "sanhedrim", and "said". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "chief" and "priests", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 46's "but certain of them went away unto..." into verse 48's "if we may let him alone thus...", so "chief" and "priests" 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 "chief" and "priests" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.