John 12:34

Law. Gr. nomos, here used of the OT generally as in ch. 10:34 (see comment there).

Christ abideth for ever. The speakers may have referred to such passages as Ps. 89:36; 110:4; Isa. 9:6; Dan. 7:13, 14. The apocalyptic literature of the period clearly envisioned the reign of the Messiah to be eternal. For example, the pseudepigraphal book of Enoch (see p. 87) declares concerning the Elect One, “For wisdom is poured out like water, and glory faileth not before him for evermore” (49:1). “And the Lord of Spirits will abide over them, and with that Son of Man shall they eat and lie down and rise up for ever and ever” (62:14).

The Son of man. See on Matt. 1:1; Mark 2:10.

Must be lifted up. The questioners could not harmonize Jesus’ reference to His death with what they believed the Scriptures to teach concerning the eternal reign of the Messiah. If by the term “Son of man,” Jesus meant the Messiah, as the Jews evidently understood Him to mean (see Enoch 62:14, quoted above under “Christ abideth for ever”; see also p. 87), then what was this reference to His death? The question shows that the people understood the term “lifted up” to refer to death.