“The finger of God”
Exodus 8:19
IdiomSettledThe magicians
This is the finger of God… But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them. (Exodus 8:19 BSB)
* An idiom for God's direct power; the same 'finger of God' later inscribes the tablets (31:18), and Jesus uses it for casting out demons (Luke 11:20).
What it sounds like today
A quaint way for the magicians to admit they were beaten.
The cultural key
'Finger of God' is an idiom for God acting directly and effortlessly; what a person does with a fingertip, God does to nations. The striking thing is who says it: Pharaoh's own magicians, who had matched the first signs but now concede they are outclassed by a power that is not Egyptian magic. The same phrase returns when God writes the commandments 'with the finger of God,' and Jesus invokes it to explain his exorcisms as the in-breaking rule of God.
Recovered meaning
Even Egypt's experts recognize they are no longer competing with a rival magician but standing against God Himself. The effortless 'finger' that humbles Pharaoh is the same power that writes the Law and, later, drives out demons.
Parallels: Exodus 31:18; Luke 11:20