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Now is the judgment of this world. Now the prince of this world will be cast out.
John 12:31 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
  • BSB Now judgment is upon this world; now the prince of this world will be cast out.
  • NKJV Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
  • NASB Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
  • NLT The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Now is the judgment of the world and the casting out of its prince. The cross defeats Satan and judges the world.

Overview

Jesus declares that his impending death is the decisive moment of judgment, when Satan, the 'prince of this world,' is overthrown. The cross, seemingly a defeat, is in truth the triumph that breaks the enemy's hold. This is central to the gospel, that Christ conquers sin, death, and the devil through his sacrifice.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 18

  • 2 Cor 4:4in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the Good News of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn on them.
  • 1 Jn 3:8He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. To this end the Son of God was revealed: that he might destroy the works of the devil.
  • 1 Jn 5:19We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
  • John 14:30I will no more speak much with you, for the prince of the world comes, and he has nothing in me.
  • Eph 6:12For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
  • Heb 2:14Since then the children have shared in flesh and blood, he also himself in the same way partook of the same, that through death he might bring to nothing him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
  • Col 2:15having stripped the principalities and the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
  • John 16:8–11When he has come, he will convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment;
  • Rev 20:2–3He seized the dragon, the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole inhabited earth, and bound him for a thousand years,
  • 1 Jn 4:4You are of God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world.
  • Rev 12:9–11The great dragon was thrown down, the old serpent, he who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
  • Eph 2:1–2You were made alive when you were dead in transgressions and sins,
  • Matt 12:28But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then God’s Kingdom has come upon you.
  • Gen 3:15I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel.”
  • Luke 10:17–19The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”
  • Acts 26:18to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
  • Isa 49:24Shall the plunder be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captives be delivered?
  • John 5:22–27For the Father judges no one, but he has given all judgment to the Son,

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — John videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on John 12:31YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JohnMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.

How John 12:31 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.