SEV Biblia, Chapter 12:32
Y yo, si fuere levantado de la tierra, a todos traer a mí mismo.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - John 12:32
Verse 32. I-will draw all men unto me.] After I shall have died and risen again, by the preaching of my word and the influence of my Spirit, I shall attract and illuminate both Jews and Gentiles. It was one of the peculiar characteristics of the Messiah, that unto him should the gathering of the people be, Genesis xlix. 10. And probably our Lord refers to the prophecy, Isaiah xi. 10, which peculiarly belonged to the Gentiles: "There shall be a root of Jesse which shall stand for an ENSIGN of the people, to it shall the GENTILES seek, and his rest shall be glorious." There is an allusion here to the ensigns or colours of commanders of regiments, elevated on high places, on long poles, that the people might see where the pavilion of their general was, and so flock to his standard. Instead of pantav, the Codex Bezae, another, several versions, and many of the fathers, read panta, all men, or all things: so the Anglo-Saxon, (Anglo-Saxon), I will draw all things to myself. But panta may be here the accusative singular, and signify all men.
The ancients fabled that Jupiter had a chain of gold, which he could at any time let down from heaven, and by it draw the earth and all its inhabitants to himself. See a fine passage to this effect in Homer, Iliad viii. ver. 18-27.
eid age peirhsasqe qeoi, ina eidete pantev, seirhn cruseihn ex ouranoqen kremasantev pantev d exaptesqe qeoi, pasai te qeainai. k. t. l.
"Now prove me: let ye down the golden chain From heaven, and pull at its inferior links, Both goddesses and gods: but me your king, Supreme in wisdom, ye shall never draw To earth from heaven, strive with me as ye may.
But I, if willing to exert my power, The earth itself, itself the sea, and you, Will lift with ease together, and will wind The chain around the spiry summit sharp Of the Olympian, that all things upheaved Shall hang in the mid heaven. So much am I, Alone, superior both to gods and men. COWPER.
By this chain the poets pointed out the union between heaven and earth; or, in other words, the government of the universe by the extensive chain of causes and effects. It was termed golden, to point out, not only the beneficence of the Divine Providence, but also that infinite philanthropy of God by which he influences and by which he attracts all mankind to himself. It was possibly in allusion to this that our Lord spoke the above words. Should it be objected that it is inconsistent with the gravity of the subject, and the dignity of our Lord, to allude to the fable of a heathen poet, I answer: 1. The moral is excellent, and, applied to this purpose, expresses beautifully our Lord's gracious design in dying for the world, viz. That men might be united to himself, and drawn up into heaven. 2. It is no more inconsistent with the gravity of the subject, and his dignity, for our blessed Lord to allude to Homer, than it was for St. Paul to quote Aratus and Cleanthes, Acts xvii. 28, and Epimenides, Tit. i. 12; for he spoke by the same Spirit.
So justice was sometimes represented under the emblem of a golden chain, and in some cases such a chain was constructed, one end attached to the emperor's apartment, and the other hanging within reach; that if any person were oppressed he might come and lay hold on the chain, and by shaking it give the king notice that he was oppressed, and thus claim protection from the fountain of justice and power. In the Jehangeer Nameh, a curious account of this kind is given, which is as follows. The first order which Jehangeer issued on his accession to the throne (which was A.H. 1014, answering to A.D. 1605) was for the construction of the GOLDEN CHAIN of Justice. It was made of pure gold, and measured thirty yards in length, consisting of sixty links, and weighing, in the whole, four Hindostany maunds (about four hundred pounds avoirdupois.) One end of the chain was suspended from the royal bastion of the fortress of Agra, and the other fastened in the ground near the side of the river. The intention of this was, that if the officers of the courts of law were partial in their decisions, or dilatory in the administration of justice, the injured parties might come themselves to this chain, and, making a noise by shaking the links of it, give notice that they were waiting to represent their grievances to his majesty. Hist. of Hindostan, p. 96, Calcutta, 1788. Such a communication, prayer and faith establish between the most just and most merciful GOD, and the wretched and oppressed children of men. "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come! Psa. lxv. 2.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 32. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth , etc.] The death of Christ is here signified by his being lifted up from the earth, in allusion to the lifting up of the brazen serpent on the pole; and shows, that his death would not be natural, but violent, and would be public, and not private; and fitly expresses his mediation between God, and men, being lifted up between the heavens and the earth; and points out the death of the cross, as is intimated in the next verse: and the if here does not suppose that his death, and the manner of it, were uncertain, for it was determined by God, agreed to by himself, predicted in the Scriptures, signified by types, and foretold by himself, and was necessary for the salvation of his people; but it designs the time of his drawing persons to himself, which is afterwards expressed, and may be rendered, when I am lifted up, as it is by the Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions: now when this will be, Christ says, I will draw all men to me ; which is not to be understood of the concourse of people about him, when on the cross, some for him, and others against him, some to bewail him, and others to reproach him; but rather of the gathering of the elect to him, and in him, as their head and representative, when he was crucified for them; or of the collection of them, through the ministry of the apostles, and of their being brought to believe on him for eternal life and salvation: and this drawing of them to him, in consequence of his death, supposes distance from him, want of power, and will, to came to him, and the efficacious grace of God to bring them, though without any force and compulsion; and this is to be understood not of every individual of human nature; for all are not drawn to Christ, or enabled to come to him, and believe in him. There were many of the Jews who would not, and did not come to him for life; and who instead of being drawn to him in this sense, when lifted up on the cross, vilified and reproached him; moreover, in the preceding verse, a world is spoken of, whose judgment, or condemnation, was now come; and besides, there was at this time a multitude of souls in hell, who could not, nor never will be, drawn to Christ; and a greater number still there will be at the last day, who, instead of drawing to him in this gracious way and manner, will be bid to depart from him, as having been workers of iniquity. Christ died indeed for all men who are drawn unto him; but this is not true of all men, that are, were, or shall be in the world. Add to this, that the word men is not in the text, it is only pantav , all: Bezas most ancient copy, and some others, and the Vulgate Latin version read panta , all things; and by all are meant, all the elect of God, all the children of God, that were scattered abroad; the Persic version reads, I will draw my friends to me; it designs some of all sorts of men, of every state, condition, age, sex, and nation, Gentiles as well as Jews, and especially the former; which agrees with the ancient prophecy, ( Genesis 49:10), and with the context, and the occasion of the words, which was the desire of the Greeks, that were come to the feast, to see Jesus; and which was a specimen of the large numbers of them, that should be drawn to Christ, through the preaching of the Gospel, after his death: the Jews say, that in the time to come, or in the days of the Messiah, all the proselytes shall be yrwrg , drawn, shall freely become proselytes f560 . The allusion here, is to the setting up of a standard or ensign, to gather persons together. Christs cross is the standard, his love is the banner, and he himself is the ensign, which draw souls to himself, and engage them to enlist themselves under him, and become his volunteers in the day his power; (see Isaiah 11:10).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 27-33 - The sin of our souls was the troubled of Christ's soul, when he undertook to redeem and save us, and to make his soul an offering for our sin. Christ was willing to suffer, yet prayed to be saved from suffering. Prayer against trouble may well agree with patience unde it, and submission to the will of God in it. Our Lord Jesus undertoo to satisfy God's injured honour, and he did it by humbling himself. The voice of the Father from heaven, which had declared him to be his beloved Son, at his baptism, and when he was transfigured, was hear proclaiming that He had both glorified his name, and would glorify it Christ, reconciling the world to God by the merit of his death, brok the power of death, and cast out Satan as a destroyer. Christ, bringin the world to God by the doctrine of his cross, broke the power of sin and cast out Satan as a deceiver. The soul that was at a distance from Christ, is brought to love him and trust him. Jesus was now going to heaven, and he would draw men's hearts to him thither. There is powe in the death of Christ to draw souls to him. We have heard from the gospel that which exalts free grace, and we have heard also that whic enjoins duty; we must from the heart embrace both, and not separat them.
Greek Textus Receptus
καγω 2504 P-1NS-C εαν 1437 COND υψωθω 5312 5686 V-APS-1S εκ 1537 PREP της 3588 T-GSF γης 1093 N-GSF παντας 3956 A-APM ελκυσω 1670 5692 V-FAI-1S προς 4314 PREP εμαυτον 1683 F-1ASM
Vincent's NT Word Studies
32. Be lifted up (uywqw). See on iii. 14. The primary reference is to the cross, but there is included a reference to the resurrection and ascension. Bengel says: "In the very cross there was already something tending towards glory." Wyc., enhanced.From the earth (ek thv ghv). Literally, out of the earth.
Will draw (elkusw). See on vi. 44.
All men (pantav). Some high authorities read panta, all things.
Unto Me (prov emauton). Rev., rightly, unto myself: in contrast with the prince of this world.
