John 11:50 (YLT)

Passage

nor reason that it is good for us that one man may die for the people, and not the whole nation perish.'

Nearby Context

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,

John 11:50 nor reason that it is good for us that one man may die for the people, and not the whole nation perish.'

John 11:51 And this he said not of himself, but being chief priest of that year, he did prophesy that Jesus was about to die for the nation,

John 11:52 and not for the nation only, but that also the children of God, who have been scattered abroad, he may gather together into one.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "reason", "good", "people", "whole", "nation", and "perish". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "reason" and "good", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 49's "and a certain one of them Caiaphas..." into verse 51's "And this he said not of himself...", so "reason" and "good" 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 "reason" and "good" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.