John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - John 12:33
This he said ,.... These are the words of the evangelist, interpreting the design of Christ in the above words, thereby signifying what death he should die ; the phrase of being lifted up from the earth, not only signified his death, but the kind, or manner of it, that it should be by crucifixion; a person crucified being stretched forth upon a cross, and that erected, was lifted up between earth and heaven. read more
John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - John 12:32
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth ,.... 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... read more