Bible Strands
Exodus 8:19
“This is the finger of God,” the magicians said to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The magicians speak to Pharaoh immediately after failing to reproduce the plague of gnats. This exchange occurs during the escalating confrontations between Moses and the Egyptian court.
The words — The phrase אֶצְבַּע־אֱלֹהִים ('etz.Ba-'E.lo.Him) translates literally to "finger of God." The verb וַ/יֶּחֱזַק (va/i.ye.che.Zak) states that Pharaoh's heart became strong or hardened.
The thread — The expression appears in Luke 11:20 where Jesus references the "finger of God" to mark the arrival of the kingdom. The imagery of divine fingers also appears in Psalms 8:3 describing the creation of the heavens.
Why it lands — The text records the magicians' admission of divine power followed by Pharaoh's deliberate refusal to heed it. It requires the reader to recognize that repeated resistance to established authority confirms the authority's final outcome.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- Luke 11:20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
- Psalms 8:3 When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place—
- Exodus 7:5 And the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out My hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out from among them.”
- Matthew 12:28 But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
- Acts 4:16 “What shall we do with these men?” they asked. “It is clear to everyone living in Jerusalem that a remarkable miracle has occurred through them, and we cannot deny it.
- Exodus 10:7 Pharaoh’s officials asked him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the LORD their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt lies in ruins?”
- 1 Samuel 6:3 They replied, “If you return the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it away empty, but by all means return it to Him with a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and you will understand why His hand has not been lifted from you.”
- 1 Samuel 6:9 but keep watching it. If it goes up the road to its homeland, toward Beth-shemesh, it is the LORD who has brought on us this great disaster. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not His hand that punished us and that it happened by chance.”
- Daniel 2:10 The astrologers answered the king, “No one on earth can do what the king requests! No king, however great and powerful, has ever asked anything like this of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer.
- Daniel 2:19 During the night, the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision, and he blessed the God of heaven