For you (so most translations) has by far the strongest manuscript support, and this reading is followed by the UBS Committee on the Greek text. Only Phillips (“for us”) seems to follow an alternative reading. It is better for you may be rendered “you will be better off” or “it will be to your advantage” or, idiomatically, “you will get the bigger part” or “you will be above others.”

New American Bible is wrong in placing for the people in brackets, as if its presence in the text were doubtful. No Greek manuscript evidence favours its omission; only the evidence of some of the early Church Fathers. However, New American Bible note is possibly correct, in suggesting that the preposition rendered for should be understood with the meaning “instead of.” In verse 51 the preposition for in the phrase for the people has its usual meaning, “for the sake of.”

Nation in this verse is the same word translated Jewish people in verse 51, and both these terms are synonymous with the word translated people in this verse. Technically one could say that nation refers to the Jewish people as a political unit, while the word people refers to them in their relation to God. However, this distinction is rather artificial in this passage.

The rhetorical question in verse 50 may be transformed into a statement in languages in which such a question might be misleading. For example, one may say “You should realize that it is better….”

Instead of having the whole nation destroyed may be treated as a causative, for example, “instead of causing the whole nation to be destroyed” or “instead of causing the Romans to destroy the whole nation.” In some languages, however, it may be better to treat this expression as one which allows, rather than causes, something to happen, for example, “instead of allowing the whole nation to be destroyed.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .