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H677 · Hebrew · Old Testament
אֶצְבַּע
Etsba
Noun, feminine
Finger / Toe

Definition

The Hebrew word etsba (אֶצְבַּע) means finger or toe. It appears in both literal and figurative contexts. Literally, it refers to the digits of the hand or foot. Figuratively, the 'finger of God' (etsba Elohim) became a powerful expression of divine power and direct divine action.

Usage & Theological Significance

The 'finger of God' is one of Scripture's most vivid divine metaphors. When the Egyptian magicians witnessed the plagues they confessed 'This is the finger of God!' The Ten Commandments were written by God's own finger. Jesus declared that He cast out demons 'by the finger of God,' signaling the arrival of the Kingdom. The etsba of God thus represents the direct, unmistakable intervention of the divine — impossible to misattribute to human power.

Key Bible Verses

Exodus 8:19 The magicians said to Pharaoh, 'This is the finger of God.' But Pharaoh's heart was hard and he would not listen.
Exodus 31:18 When the LORD finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the covenant law, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.
Psalm 8:3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place...
Daniel 5:5 Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace.
Luke 11:20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

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