Passage

John 12.32

Book: John · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"30. Jesus answered and said, This voice hath not come for my sake, but for your sakes. 31. Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out."

"32. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto myself."

"33. But this he said, signifying by what manner of death he should die. 34. The multitude therefore answered him, We have heard out of the law that the Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?" (John 12:30-34, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"30. Jesus answered, “This voice hasn’t come for my sake, but for your sakes. 31. Now is the judgment of this world. Now the prince of this world will be cast out."

"32. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”"

"33. But he said this, signifying by what kind of death he should die. 34. The multitude answered him, “We have heard out of the law that the Christ remains forever. How do you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up?’ Who is this Son of Man?”" (John 12:30-34, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"30. Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. 31. Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out."

"32. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me."

"33. This he said, signifying what death he should die. 34. The 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?" (John 12:30-34, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"30. Jesus answered and said, 'Not because of me hath this voice come, but because of you; 31. now is a judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this world be cast forth;"

"32. and I, if I may be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto myself.'"

"33. And this he said signifying by what death he was about to die; 34. the multitude answered him, 'We heard out of the law that the Christ doth remain, to the age; and how dost thou say, That it behoveth the Son of Man to be lifted up? who is this, the Son of Man?'" (John 12:30-34, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: John the Apostle (traditionally) / narrator + Jesus's direct teaching
Audience: later Christian audience (high-Christological emphasis; against early gnosticism)
Location: first-century Palestine (events); possibly Ephesus (composition)
Time period: events c. 26-33 AD (3-Passover chronology); composed c. AD 85-95

Theological reading

Key words

G3956 - pas, pas (Strong's G3956). Also appears in: Matthew 1, Matthew 2.1-6, Matthew 2.16.
G4314 - pros, pros (Strong's G4314). Also appears in: Matthew 3.13, Matthew 5.28, Matthew 11.28.

Quoted in

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.