But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.
Parallel translations
- WEB But if I by God’s finger cast out demons, then God’s Kingdom has come to you.
- BSB But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
- ESV But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
- NKJV But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.
- NASB But if I cast out the demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
- NLT But if I am casting out demons by the power of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
If Jesus casts out demons by the finger of God, then God's Kingdom has come upon them. His exorcisms signal the Kingdom's arrival.
Overview
The 'finger of God' echoes God's power in the Exodus and points to divine, not demonic, agency. Jesus' victory over demons is proof that God's reign is breaking in through him. This declares the dawning of the Kingdom in the person and work of Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Exod 8:19Then 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.
- Matt 12:28But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
- Luke 10:9And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
- Matt 3:2And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
- Dan 2:44And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
- 2 Th 1:5Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:
- Luke 10:11Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
- Acts 20:25And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.
- Acts 28:23–28And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 11:20 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.