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And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
John 12:32 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
  • BSB And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw everyone to Myself.”
  • NKJV And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”
  • NASB And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself.”
  • NLT And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.”

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

Jesus says that when he is lifted up, he will draw all people to himself. The cross is the magnet of salvation.

Overview

Being 'lifted up' refers to Jesus' crucifixion, exaltation, and the saving power of his death. He promises to draw people of every kind, Jew and Gentile alike, to himself. Faithful Christians differ over whether 'all people' means all without exception or all without distinction, but the verse clearly proclaims the worldwide, gathering power of the cross.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 20

  • John 8:28Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
  • John 3:14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
  • 1 Pet 2:24Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
  • 1 Jn 2:2And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
  • John 1:7The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
  • John 6:44No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
  • 1 Tim 2:6Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
  • Gal 3:13Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
  • Heb 2:9But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
  • Rom 5:17–19For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
  • Hos 11:4I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.
  • 1 Pet 3:18For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
  • Rev 5:9And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
  • Deut 21:22–23And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree:
  • Isa 49:6And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
  • John 19:17And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:
  • Ps 22:16–18For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
  • John 12:34The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?
  • 2 Sam 18:9And Absalom met the servants of David. And Absalom rode upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth; and the mule that was under him went away.
  • Song 1:4Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee.

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 12:32YouTube · 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 12:32 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.