The Meaning of John 11:51 Explained

John 11:51

KJV: And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;

YLT: 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,

Darby: But this he did not say of himself; but, being high priest that year, prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation;

ASV: Now this he said not of himself: but, being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  this  spake he  not  of  himself:  but  being  high priest  that  year,  he prophesied  that  Jesus  should  die  for that  nation; 

What does John 11:51 Mean?

Context Summary

John 11:45-57 - The Innocent For The Guilty
The friends of the family who had come to lament with them, were disposed toward Jesus and believed; but the mere spectators hastened with the news, to inflame the hatred of the Pharisees. The Romans dreaded the power acquired by permanent office, and often exchanged one high priest for another. Hence the expression, being high priest that year. By his vote Caiaphas may be said to have appointed and sacrificed his victim, who in that memorable year was to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease. See Daniel 9:24; Daniel 9:27.
Caiaphas professed to fear that Jesus would presently gain such an ascendency over the people as to lead a revolt against Rome, which would cause a deluge of blood in which the whole nation would perish. Therefore he recommended that they should compass the death of Jesus. But, as the evangelist puts it, he spoke more widely and truly than he knew, because the death of Jesus is gathering into one the children of God who are scattered abroad-that is, the heathen who were living up to their light, as in John 10:16 -that of the twain He might make one new man. [source]

Chapter Summary: John 11

1  Jesus raises Lazarus, four days buried
45  Many Jews believe
47  The high priests and Pharisees gather a council against Jesus
49  Caiaphas prophesies
54  Jesus hides himself
55  At the Passover they enquire after him, and lay wait for him

Greek Commentary for John 11:51

Not of himself [απ εαυτου ουκ]
Not wholly of himself, John means. There was more in what Caiaphas said than he understood. His language is repeated in John 18:14. Prophesied Aorist active indicative of προπητευω — prophēteuō But certainly unconscious prophecy on his part and purely accidental. Caiaphas meant only what was mean and selfish. That Jesus should die Imperfect active of μελλω — mellō in indirect discourse instead of the usual present retained after a secondary tense (επροπητευσεν — eprophēteusen) as sometimes occurs (see John 2:25). [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for John 11:51

John 11:49 That year []
This has been cited to show that John is guilty of a historical error, since, according to the Mosaic law, the high priesthood was held for life. The occurrence of the phrase three times (John 11:49, John 11:51) is significant, and, so far from indicating an error, goes to connect the office of Caiaphas with his part in accomplishing the death of Christ. It devolved on the High Priest to offer every year the great sacrifice of atonement for sin; and in that year, that memorable year, it fell to Caiaphas to be the instrument of the sacrifice of Him that taketh away the sin of the world. Dante places Caiaphas and his father-in-law, Annas, far down in Hell in the Bolgia of the Hypocrites:“to mine eyes there rushedOne crucified with three stakes on the ground. When me he saw, he writhed himself all over,-DIVIDER-
Blowing into his beard with suspirations;-DIVIDER-
And the friar Catalan who noticed this,-DIVIDER-
Said to me: 'This transfixed one whom thou seest,-DIVIDER-
Counselled the Pharisees that it was meet-DIVIDER-
To put one man to torture for the people. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
Crosswrise and naked is he on the path,-DIVIDER-
As thou perceivest; and he needs must feel,-DIVIDER-
Whoever passes, first how much he weighs;-DIVIDER-
And in like mode his father-in-law is punished-DIVIDER-
Within this moat, and the others of the council,-DIVIDER-
Which for the Jews was a malignant seed.”“Inferno,” xxiii., 110-129. Dean Plumptre suggests that the punishment described by the poet seems to reproduce the thought of Isaiah 51:23. [source]

John 4:47 When he heard [ακουσας]
First aorist active participle of ακουω — akouō The news spread rapidly about Jesus. Was come Present active indicative of ηκω — hēkō one of the perfective presents, retained in indirect discourse. He had heard the people talk about the miracles in Jerusalem and the first one in Cana. Went and besought Ingressive aorist indicative (went off at once) and imperfect active That he would come down For he was at the point of death Reason The idiom is used of the impending death of Jesus (John 11:51; John 12:33; John 18:32). [source]

What do the individual words in John 11:51 mean?

This now from himself not he said but high priest being the year that he prophesied that was about Jesus to die for the nation
Τοῦτο δὲ ἀφ’ ἑαυτοῦ οὐκ εἶπεν ἀλλὰ ἀρχιερεὺς ὢν τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ ἐκείνου ἐπροφήτευσεν ὅτι ἔμελλεν Ἰησοῦς ἀποθνήσκειν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἔθνους

Τοῦτο  This 
Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: οὗτος  
Sense: this.
δὲ  now 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: δέ  
Sense: but, moreover, and, etc.
ἑαυτοῦ  himself 
Parse: Reflexive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἑαυτοῦ  
Sense: himself, herself, itself, themselves.
εἶπεν  he  said 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
ἀρχιερεὺς  high  priest 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἀρχιερεύς  
Sense: chief priest, high priest.
ὢν  being 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: εἰμί  
Sense: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present.
ἐνιαυτοῦ  year 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: ἐνιαυτός  
Sense: a year, in a wider sense, for some fixed definite period of time.
ἐκείνου  that 
Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: ἐκεῖνος  
Sense: he, she it, etc.
ἐπροφήτευσεν  he  prophesied 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: προφητεύω  
Sense: to prophesy, to be a prophet, speak forth by divine inspirations, to predict.
ὅτι  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
ἔμελλεν  was  about 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: μέλλω  
Sense: to be about.
Ἰησοῦς  Jesus 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: Ἰησοῦς  
Sense: Joshua was the famous captain of the Israelites, Moses’ successor.
ἀποθνήσκειν  to  die 
Parse: Verb, Present Infinitive Active
Root: ἀποθνῄσκω  
Sense: to die.
ἔθνους  nation 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Neuter Singular
Root: ἔθνος  
Sense: a multitude (whether of men or of beasts) associated or living together.