Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
That it is expedient for you (oti sumferei umin). Indirect discourse with present active indicative of sumferw used with the ina clause as subject. It means to bear together, to be profitable, with the dative case as here (umin, for you). It is to your interest and that is what they cared most for.
That one man die (ina eiv anqrwpov apoqanh). Sub-final use of ina with second aorist active subjunctive of apoqnhskw as subject clause with sumferei. See John 16:7; John 18:7 for the same construction.
For the people (uper tou laou). uper simply means over, but can be in behalf of as often, and in proper context the resultant idea is "instead of" as the succeeding clause shows and as is clearly so in Galatians 3:13 of the death of Christ and naturally so in II Corinthians 5:14 f.; Romans 5:6. In the papyri uper is the usual preposition used of one who writes a letter for one unable to write.
And that the whole nation perish not (kai mh olon to eqnov apolhtai). Continuation of the ina construction with mh and the second aorist subjunctive of apollumi. What Caiaphas has in mind is the giving of Jesus to death to keep the nation from perishing at the hands of the Romans. Politicians are often willing to make a sacrifice of the other fellow.
Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing John 11:50:
Luke 19:47
John 6:51
John 11:52
John 15:13
John 16:7
John 18:14
John 18:35
John 18:35
2 Corinthians 5:14
Galatians 3:13
1 John 3:16
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