[b-greek] The Kingdom of God is entos humwn (or, in your midst)

From: Michael Morris (michael@jehovah.to)
Date: Thu Mar 08 2001 - 12:36:38 EST


Thank you for the help! I reformatted and eliminated assertions from the
final paragraph. I hope that this is better.

I noticed that there was a discussion about the importance of
distinguishing singular and plural "You". Luke 17:21 is among the foremost
of such verses that are frequently misunderstood.

Some feel that the Kingdom is in our heart because of the way Luke 17:21
has been rendered by certain Bible translators. According to the New
International Version, Jesus there said: "The kingdom of God is within
you." (humwn)

In this regard The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible states: "Although
frequently cited as an example of Jesus' 'mysticism' or 'inwardness,'this
interpretation rests chiefly upon the old translation, 'within you,' . . .
understood in the unfortunate modern sense of 'you' as singular; the 'you'
. . . is plural (Jesus is addressing the Pharisees.) . . . The theory that
the kingdom of God is an inner state of mind, or of personal salvation,
runs counter to the context of this verse, and also to the whole NT
presentation of the idea."

A footnote to Luke 17:21 in the New International Version shows that
Jesus' words could be rendered: "The kingdom of God is among you." Other
Bible translations read: "The kingdom of God is among you" or "is in the
midst of you." (The New English Bible; The Jerusalem Bible; Revised
Standard Version) According to the New World Translation of the Holy
Scriptures, Jesus said: "The kingdom of God is in your midst. "

A possible meaning that this presents for Luke 17:21 is that Jesus meant
that he, God’s royal representative, the one anointed by God for the
kingship, was right there among them, or in their midst.

Michael Morris
michael@jehovah.to
http://www.jehovah.to/exegesis/tools.htm


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