John 12 · Verse 23

John 12:23

And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.
John 12:23, King James Version

John 12:23 in other translations

BSBBut Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
WEBJesus answered them, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
ASVAnd Jesus answereth them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.
YLTAnd Jesus responded to them, saying, ‘The hour hath come that the Son of Man may be glorified;
DARBYBut Jesus answered them saying, The hour is come that the Son of man should be glorified.
BBEAnd Jesus said to them in answer, The hour of the glory of the Son of man has come.
WebsterAnd Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.

What does John 12:23 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on John 12:23-26
23-26. Jesus answered them, The hour is come that the Son of man should be glorified--that is, They would see Jesus, would they? Yet a little moment, and they shall see Him so as now they dream not of. The middle wall of partition that keeps them out from the commonwealth of Israel is on the eve of breaking down, "and I, if I be lifted up from the earth, shall draw all men unto Me"; I see them "flying as a cloud, and as doves to their cotes"--a glorious event that will be for the Son of man, by which this is to be brought about. It is His death He thus sublimely and delicately alluded to. Lost in the scenes of triumph which this desire of the Greeks to see Him called up before His view, He gives no direct answer to their petition for an interview, but sees the cross which was to bring them gilded with glory.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verse 21. The hour is come. The time is come. The word hour commonly means a definite part or a division of a day; but it also is used to denote a brief period, and a fixed, definite, determined time. It is used in this sense here. The appointed, fixed time is come--that is, is so near at hand that it may be said to be come.

The Son of man. This is the favourite title which Jesus gives to himself, denoting his union with man, and the interest he felt in his welfare. The title is used here rather than "The Son of God," because as a man he had been humble, poor, and despised; but the time had come when, as a man, he was to receive the appropriate honours of the Messiah.

Be glorified. Be honoured in an appropriate way--that is, by the testimony which God would give to him at his death, by his resurrection, and by his ascension to glory. See Jn 7:39.

(v) "The hour is come" Jn 13:32, 17:1

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 23 The hour is come, that the Son of man, etc. - The time is just at hand in which the Gospel shall be preached to all nations, the middle wall of partition broken down, and Jews and Gentiles united in one fold. But this could not be till after his death and resurrection, as the succeeding verse teaches. The disciples were the first fruits of the Jews; these Greeks, the first fruits of the Gentiles.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on John 12:20-26

In attendance upon holy ordinances, particularly the gospel passover, the great desire of our souls should be to see Jesus; to see him as ours, to keep up communion with him, and derive grace from him. The calling of the Gentiles magnified the Redeemer. A corn of wheat yields no increase unless it is cast into the ground. Thus Christ might have possessed his heavenly glory alone, without becoming man. Or, after he…

Read the full comment on John 12:20-26 →

John 12:23 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ὁho<the>G3588
δὲdeAndG1161
ἸησοῦςIēsousJesusG2424
ἀποκρίνεταιapokrinetaiansweredG611
αὐτοῖςautoisto themG846
λέγων·legōnsaying;G3004
ἐλήλυθενelēluthenHas comeG2064
ἡhētheG3588
ὥραhōrahourG5610
ἵναinathatG2443
δοξασθῇdoxasthēamay be glorifiedG1392
ὁhotheG3588
υἱὸςhuiosSonG5207
τοῦtou<the>G3588
ἀνθρώπου.anthrōpouof Man.G444

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for John 12:23

  • John 13:31-32

    Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him.

  • John 17:1-5

    These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. …

  • Mark 14:41

    And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

  • 1 Peter 2:9-10

    But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

  • Isaiah 49:5-6

    And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength. And 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.

  • Isaiah 60:9

    Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the Lord thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.

  • Isaiah 55:5

    Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.

  • Isaiah 53:10-12

    Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

  • Matthew 25:31

    When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

  • John 17:9-10

    I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.

  • John 12:16

    These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
The hour.
13:31,32; 17:1-5,9,10; Isa 49:5,6; 53:10-12; 55:5; 60:9; Mt 25:31
1Pe 2:9,10

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • John 12:22

    Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.

  • John 12:23

    And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.

  • John 12:24

    Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

Read all of John 12

John 12:23 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Entonces Jesús les respondió, diciendo: La hora viene en que el Hijo del hombre ha de ser glorificado.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et Jésus leur répondit, disant: L’heure est venue pour que le fils de l’homme soit glorifié.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Jesus aber antwortete ihnen und sprach: Die Stunde ist gekommen, daß der Sohn des Menschen verherrlicht werde.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Jesus autem respondit eis, dicens: Venit hora, ut clarificetur Filius hominis.