John 11:51 (YLT)

Passage

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,

Nearby Context

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.

John 11:53 From that day, therefore, they took counsel together that they may kill him;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "said", "himself", "chief", "priest", "year", "prophesy", "jesus", and "nation". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "said" and "himself", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 50's "nor reason that it is good for..." into verse 52's "and not for the nation only but...", so "said" and "himself" 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 "said" and "himself" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.