But if I am casting out demons by the power of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you.
Parallel translations
- WEB But if I by God’s finger cast out demons, then God’s Kingdom has come to you.
- KJV But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.
- BSB But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, 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.
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 to Pharaoh, “This is God’s finger:” and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he didn’t listen to them; as Yahweh had spoken.
- Matt 12:28But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then God’s Kingdom has come upon you.
- Luke 10:9Heal the sick who are therein, and tell them, ‘God’s Kingdom has come near to you.’
- Matt 3:2“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!”
- Dan 2:44In the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall its sovereignty be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
- 2 Th 1:5This is an obvious sign of the righteous judgment of God, to the end that you may be counted worthy of God’s Kingdom, for which you also suffer.
- Luke 10:11‘Even the dust from your city that clings to us, we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that God’s Kingdom has come near to you.’
- Acts 20:25“Now, behold, I know that you all, among whom I went about preaching God’s Kingdom, will see my face no more.
- Acts 28:23–28When they had appointed him a day, many people came to him at his lodging. He explained to them, testifying about God’s Kingdom, and persuading them concerning Jesus, both from the law of Moses and from the prophets, from morning until 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.