After reporting the belief that the beloved disciple would not die, John immediately corrects it: "Yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die." He then repeats Jesus' actual conditional statement.
Jesus in Context
Jesus Did Not Say, 'He Shall Not Die'
John explicitly corrects the rumor about the beloved disciple by distinguishing what people said Jesus meant from the words Jesus actually spoke.
Introduction
Historical and Cultural Context
This is one of the clearest examples in the Gospels of the narrator correcting an interpretation of Jesus' words. John does not merely offer an alternative explanation; he identifies the circulated claim and denies that Jesus said it. He then quotes the relevant statement again, preserving the conditional "if."
The correction distinguishes remembered wording from an inference that had been drawn from it.
Why It Matters
The episode models careful interpretation. A conclusion may sound plausible and become widely repeated while still going beyond the wording of the source. John resolves the issue by returning to the statement itself.