Exodus 31:18 declares that when God “finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two tablets of the testimony, stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God.” The term translated finger means “a finger, especially a forefinger; or a toe” (see 2 Sam. 21:20). Of course, God is a spirit, so this reference to His finger should not be understood as designating a physical finger. The metaphor helps us understand truth about God, however; the meaning is clearly that the thing performed was accomplished by God’s own, great power. Here are the only other places in the Old Testament where the phrase “finger of God” is used.
- With regard to the third plague, the Egyptian “magicians tried to produce gnats using their occult practices, but they could not. The gnats remained on man and beast. ‘This is the finger of God,’ the magicians said to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh’s heart hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said” (Ex. 8:18-19).
- In Deuteronomy 9:10, Moses declared to Israel, “On the day of the assembly the LORD gave me the two stone tablets, inscribed by God’s finger. The exact words were on them, which the LORD spoke to you from the fire on the mountain.”
- Although the specific phrase “finger of God” is not used in Psalm 8:3-4, the thrust and meaning are the same: “When I observe Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You set in place, what is man that You remember him, the son of man that You look after him?”
Interestingly, a Greek phrase with an equivalent meaning is used one time in the New Testament. Keep in mind the meaning—that what was performed was accomplished by God’s own power. Some of Jesus’ opponents were saying that Jesus was casting out demons with Satan’s power, and Jesus responded, “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and a house divided against itself falls. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say I drive out demons by Beelzebul. And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, who is it your sons drive them out by? For this reason they will be your judges. If I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you” (Luke 11:17-20). Especially against the backdrop of the scenarios in which the Hebrew phrase was used, Jesus’ use of this parallel phrase in the New Testament is especially significant, for He used it to affirm His deity.
Copyright © 2017 by B. Nathaniel Sullivan. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations in this article have been taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.