Finger of God (Biblical phrase)

The "Finger of God" refers to the words which were written onto stone tablets that later were brought down Mount Sinai by Moses, also known as the Ten Commandments, but was also used once by Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Luke.[1]

Hebrew Bible

The first time the phrase "finger of God" appears is in the Hebrew Bible, in the eighth chapter, in the paragraph of verses sixteen through twenty of the Book of Exodus, which reads "And the LORD said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt. And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: so there were lice upon man, and upon beast. Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said."

The second time the phrase "finger of God" appears is at the last verse, verse eighteen of the thirty-first chapter of the same book, which reads "And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God."

The third time the phrase appears, and the last time in the Hebrew Bible, is a second reference to the tablets of the Ten Commandments, and is found in Deuteronomy 9:10, which says "And the LORD delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly."

New Testament

The phrase is also used once by Jesus in the Christian New Testament during his proof that he did not cast out demons by the power of Beelzebub, because he was questioned by nonbelievers for casting out demons. He said, "But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you." in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 11, verse 20.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Exodus 8:19, 31:18, Deuteronomy 9:10, Luke 11:20
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