Luke 11:20

11:20 But if I cast out demons by the finger ¹  of God, then the kingdom of God ²  has already overtaken ³  you.

Luke 11:46

11:46 But Jesus ⁴  replied, ⁵  “Woe to you experts in religious law as well! ⁶  You load people ⁷  down with burdens difficult to bear, yet you yourselves refuse to touch ⁸  the burdens with even one of your fingers!

Luke 16:24

16:24 So ⁹  he called out, ¹⁰  ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus ¹¹  to dip the tip of his finger ¹²  in water and cool my tongue, because I am in anguish ¹³  in this fire.’ ¹⁴ 

[11:20]  ¹ sn The finger of God is a figurative reference to God’s power (L&N 76.3). This phrase was used of God’s activity during the Exodus (Exod 8:19).

[11:20]  ² sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.

[11:20]  ³ tn The phrase ἔφθασεν ἐφ᾿ ὑμᾶς (efqasen ef’ Juma") is important. Does it mean merely “approach” (which would be reflected in a translation like “has come near to you”) or actually “come upon” (as in the translation given above, “has already overtaken you,” which has the added connotation of suddenness)? The issue here is like the one in 10:9 (see note there on the phrase “come on”). Is the arrival of the kingdom merely anticipated or already in process? Two factors favor arrival over anticipation here. First, the prepositional phrase “upon you” suggests arrival (Dan 4:24, 28 Theodotion). Second, the following illustration in vv. 21-23 looks at the healing as portraying Satan being overrun. So the presence of God’s authority has arrived. See also L&N 13.123 for the translation of φθάνω (fqanw) as “to happen to already, to come upon, to come upon already.”

[11:46]  ⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:46]  ⁵ tn Grk “said.”

[11:46]  ⁶ tn Here “as well” is used to translate καί (kai) at the beginning of the statement.

[11:46]  ⁷ tn Grk “men.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females.

[11:46]  ⁸ tn Grk “you yourselves do not touch.” This could mean one of two things: (1) Either they make others do what they themselves do not (through various technical exceptions) or (2) they make no effort to help the others fulfill what they are required to do. Considering the care these religious figures are said to have given to the law, the second option is more likely (see L&N 18.11).

[16:24]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous actions in the narrative.

[16:24]  ⁸ tn Grk “calling out he said”; this is redundant in contemporary English style and has been simplified to “he called out.”

[16:24]  ⁹ sn The rich man had not helped Lazarus before, when he lay outside his gate (v. 2), but he knew him well enough to know his name. This is why the use of the name Lazarus in the parable is significant. (The rich man’s name, on the other hand, is not mentioned, because it is not significant for the point of the story.)

[16:24]  ¹⁰ sn The dipping of the tip of his finger in water is evocative of thirst. The thirsty are in need of God’s presence (Ps 42:1-2; Isa 5:13). The imagery suggests the rich man is now separated from the presence of God.

[16:24]  ¹¹ tn Or “in terrible pain” (L&N 24.92).

[16:24]  ¹² sn Fire in this context is OT imagery; see Isa 66:24.