Texts in Conversation
The phrase “finger of God” appears only in select passages, including Exodus 8:19 and 31:18, where it refers to divine power in both the plagues and the writing of the commandments. This rare phrase does not occur in all narrative strands, suggesting it may belong to a specific source behind the Torah.
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Exodus 8:19
Hebrew Bible
18 When the magicians attempted to bring forth gnats by their secret arts, they could not. So there were gnats on people and on animals. 19 The magicians said to Pharaoh, “It is the finger of God!” But Pharaoh’s heart remained hard, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted. 20 The Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and position yourself before Pharaoh as he goes out to the water, and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord has said, “Release my people that they may serve me!
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Exodus 31:18
Hebrew Bible
16 The Israelites must keep the Sabbath by observing the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between me and the Israelites forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’” 18 He gave Moses two tablets of testimony when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, tablets of stone written by the finger of God.
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... The phrase “finger of God” occurs in another P passage (Exodus 8:19) but never in J or E. The reference to the “testimony” also is characteristic of P. Further, the mountain is referred to as Sinai, which occurs only in P and J, never in E or D. This passage connects to the next P passage, Exodus 34:29 ..."
Friedman, Richard Elliott
The Bible with Sources Revealed: A New View Into the Five Books of Moses
(p. 173) Harper San Francisco, 2005
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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