11:20a
But: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But introduces a contrast. The contrast is between the untrue statement in 11:19a (“I drive out demons by Beelzebul”) and the true statement in 11:20a (“I drive out demons by the finger of God”).
Most English versions translate this conjunction here as But. It is also possible to use a separate negative phrase. For example:
No, it is rather by means of God’s power (Good News Translation)
Use a natural way in your language to contrast these two statements.
if I drive out demons by the finger of God: In this context, the word if introduces something that is true. Another way to translate this is:
since I cast out demons by the finger of God
the finger of God: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as the finger of God is a figure of speech. It refers to God’s power. In many languages it will be necessary to translate the direct meaning of this figure. For example:
the power of God (New Century Version)
11:20b
then: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as then introduces a logical conclusion. It is not a time word. Since what Jesus was saying in 11:20a was true, what he says in 11:20b must be true also. For example:
it proves that… (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
then it shows that…
-or-
then that means that…
the kingdom of God has come upon you: The phrase the kingdom of God refers to God’s rule in people’s lives. Jesus was saying that God had already begun to rule among the people to whom he was speaking. God was exercising his authority and power through Jesus. This is why Jesus was able to cast demons out of people.
Some ways to translate this are:
the Kingdom of God has arrived among you (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
you are now experiencing God’s power to rule
-or-
God has begun to rule among you
The phrase kingdom of God also occurs in 9:2.
© 2009, 2010, 2013 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.