A Word Study

[John Reece]

• Luke 17
  
  20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, 21 nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you ([greek]entoV umwn[/greek])." (ESV)

The phrase in Luke 17:21, [greek]entoV humwn[/greek], which the ESV and RSV render in the midst of you, is rendered by the TEV, NIV, and NKJV within you, and is rendered by J. B. Phillips inside you. Other versions render the phrase in your midst (NASB), or among you (NJB, NEB, and NRSV).

Versions that do not render the phrase within you or inside you do so render the phrase in the margin or in a footnote.

A complete survey of all the other occurrences of the word [greek]entoV[/greek] in the Greek texts of the Bible (Septuagint/LXX and New Testament) may help to determine which of the translations cited above is likely to be the more accurate of the options for rendering the Greek word [greek]entoV[/greek] in Luke 17:21.

• Psalm 39:3 (38:4 in LXX). ...my heart became hot within ([greek]entoV[/greek]) me (NRSV).
  
  Psalm 103:1 (102:1 in LXX). Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within ([greek]entoV[/greek]) me, bless his holy name (NRSV).
  
  Psalm 109:22 (108:22 in LXX). For I am poor and needy, and my heart is pierced within ([greek]entoV[/greek]) me (NRSV).
  
  Song of Solomon 3:10. He made its posts of silver, its back of gold, its seat of purple; its interior ([greek]entoV[/greek]) was inlaid with love (NRSV).
  
  Isaiah 16:11. My heart laments for Moab like a harp, my inmost being ([greek]entoV[/greek]) for Kir Hareseth (NIV).
  
  Daniel 10:16 (Theodotion). Lord, at the sight of you my inmost being ([greek]entoV[/greek]) is changed in me and I have no strength (= my more-literal-than-the-versions translation -JR).
  
  I Maccabees 4:48. They rebuilt the sanctuary and the interior ([greek]entoV[/greek]) of the temple. (NRSV). Brenton's translation of this verse is ...”and made up the sanctuary, and the things that were within ([greek]entoV[/greek]) the temple... (Sir Lancelot C. L. Brenton, The Septuagint with Apocrypha: Greek and English).
  
  Sirach 19:26. There is the villain bowed down in mourning, but inwardly ([greek]entoV[/greek]) he is full of deceit (NRSV).
  
  Matthew 23:26. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside ([greek]entoV[/greek]) of the cup, so that the outside ([greek]ektoV[/greek]) also may become clean (NRSV).

The standard classical Greek lexicon in the English-speaking world is that of Liddell and Scott, edited by Jones (LSJ). This massive lexicon was first published by Oxford in 1838. From 1838 to 1968 nine successive editions plus 13 reprintings were published. During those 130 years there was not a single reference in the LSJ article on [greek]entoV[/greek] to any occurrence of the word in the sense of "among" or "in the midst of". The definition given for [greek]entoV[/greek] in Luke 17:21 was "in your hearts". In 1968 a supplement was added as an appendix in the back of that year's reprinting of LSJ, and in the supplement was this entry: [greek]entoV[/greek] I.1, line 7, after "hearts" add "among you" or "in your midst".

Luke 17:20-21 consists of teaching by Jesus about perhaps the most controversial subject in the Bible: the nature and time frame of the Kingdom of God. A question therefore arises as to whether or not the anomalous construing of the sense of [greek]entoV[/greek] as "among" or "in the midst of" in Luke 17:21 has its origin in theological presuppositions about the Kingdom of God, rather than in an objective assessment of the sense of the word [greek]entoV[/greek] in the context of Luke 21 and in the larger context of the Bible.

To assess the worth of this novel construing of [greek]entoV[/greek] to mean "among" or "in the midst" in Luke 17:21, on March 4, 1998, a request was posted on the Internet for an expert opinion from a professional scholar of Greek literature regarding the meaning of [greek]entoV[/greek] in classical as well as biblical writings when [greek]entoV[/greek] is related to a plural number of entities in the genitive case (as is the case in Luke 17:21). This is the response:

• I just did a check of the Perseus LSJ on [greek]entoV[/greek] and find it regularly used with a partitive genitive of the boundaries within which X is located, including in particular [greek]teicewn[/greek] (calculations,) [greek]umwn[/greek] (our Lucan passage), [greek]maqhmatwn[/greek] (learning), [greek]grammatwn[/greek] (literature). Most of these are not instances of a group of persons, so that I don't know that it would be the normal way to say "among", but to be very precise about the sense of a partitive genitive, I'd think it is not so terribly different from [greek]epi[/greek] + genitive = "somewhere within the boundaries of X" -- so [greek]entoV[/greek] + genitive = "at some point within the boundaries of X" - Carl W. Conrad, Department of Classics, Washington University, St. Louis, MO.

Note two things in Professor Conrad's response: (1) the consistent sense of "within" in the definition of [greek]entoV[/greek]; (2) the question of the normal way to say "among". The latter gives us a clue as to how to investigate further the anomaly of how modern scholars have construed [greek]entoV[/greek] in Luke 17:21. We will do a thorough analysis of the normal way to say "among" and "in the midst" in the Greek New Testament.

The Eerdmans Analytical Concordance to the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, compiled by Richard E. Whitaker, is an exhaustive concordance which lists every occurrence of every word in the RSV, and identifies the Hebrew, Greek, or Latin words which are rendered by the English words in each verse of the RSV. The word "among" occurs 188 times in the RSV New Testament to render 15 different Greek words or phrases. The Greek word [greek]entoV[/greek] does not occur in the list of 15 Greek words or phrases rendered "among" in the RSV NT. The concordance shows that the most frequently occurring normal way to say "among" in the Greek New Testament is by means of the Greek preposition [greek]en[/greek] + dative, which accounts for 116 of the 188 occurrences of "among" in the RSV NT. Since [greek]entoV[/greek] accounts for not a single one of the 188 occurrences of "among" in the RSV NT, it cannot be considered a normal way to say "among" in the Greek NT. The word "midst" occurs 18 times in the RSV NT. In 16 of the 18 occurrences, the Greek word [greek]mesoV[/greek] is rendered "midst"; in 1 occurrence the Greek phrase [greek]ana meson[/greek] ([greek]meson[/greek] = [greek]mesoV[/greek] with accusative case ending) is rendered "midst". And the RSV and ESV anomalously render [greek]entoV[/greek] as "midst" in Luke 17:21.

Let's look at how Luke communicated the sense of "among" and "midst" in the rest of the Gospel of Luke and Acts. The words "among" and "midst" occur 69 times in the RSV of Luke and Acts, with the only occurrence of [greek]entoV[/greek] being in Luke 17:21. The way Luke most often communicated the meaning "among" was by use of the Greek preposition [greek]en[/greek] + dative. The way he communicated the meaning "midst" was by use of the Greek word [greek]mesoV[/greek]. Examples: Luke 7:16 - A great prophet has arisen among us! ([greek]en[/greek] + dative). Acts 2:22 Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst ([greek]mesoV[/greek]).

One of the presuppositions that intrude into the interpretation of [greek]entoV[/greek] in Luke 17:21 is the thought that "surely Jesus would not say to the Pharisees that the Kingdom of God was in their hearts". A Greek grammarian of an earlier generation countered that objection with this comment: '21. "Within you" ([greek]entoV umwn[/greek]). This is the obvious, and, I think, the necessary meaning of [greek]entoV[/greek]. The examples cited of the use of [greek]entoV[/greek] in Xenophon and Plato where [greek]entoV[/greek] means "among" do not bear out when investigated. Field (Ot. Norv.) "contends that there is no clear instance of [greek]entoV[/greek] in the sense of among" (Bruce), and rightly so. What Jesus says to the Pharisees is that they, as others, are to look for the kingdom of God within themselves, not in outward displays and supernatural manifestations. It is not a localized display "Here" or "There." It is in this sense that in Luke 11:20 Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God as "come upon you"..., speaking to the Pharisees. The only other instance of [greek]entoV[/greek] in the N.T. (Matthew 23:26) necessarily means "within" ("the inside of the cup"). There is, beside, the use of [greek]entoV[/greek] meaning "within" in the Oxyrhynchus Papyrus saying of Jesus of the Third Century (Deismann, Light from the Ancient East, p. 426) which is interesting: "The kingdom of heaven is within you" ([greek]entoV umwn[/greek]) as here in Luke 17:21.' - A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament.

In the 19th century there was a scholar in France who produced commentaries on books of the Greek New Testament that were of such quality as to be deemed worthy of translation into English, and then to be reprinted many times in succeeding decades. His comment on [greek]entoV[/greek] in Luke 17:21 dispels the cloud of confusion that has arisen over the word in this verse: "The words [greek]entoV umwn[/greek] are explained by almost all modern interpreters in the sense of in the midst of you. Philologically this meaning is possible; it may be harmonized with [greek]gar[/greek] [= "for" -JR]. But the verb [greek]estin[/greek] [= "is" -JR] would in this case necessarily require it to be put before the regimen; for this verb is would have the emphasis, 'it is really present.' The idea “among you” would be secondary. If the regimen [greek]entoV umwn[/greek] has the emphasis (and its place proves it has), it can only be because these words contain the reason introduced by for. They should therefore serve to prove that the kingdom of God may have come without it's coming being remarked; and this is what follows from its internal, spiritual nature. The meaning of this regimen is therefore within you. Besides, the prep. [greek]entoV[/greek], within, always includes a contrast to the idea without. If, therefore, we give to it here the meaning of among, we must still suppose an understood contrast, that between the Jews as people within, and the Gentiles as people without. There is nothing in the context giving rise to such an antithesis. In giving to [greek]entoV[/greek] the meaning within, we are led back to the idea expressed in the answer of Jesus to Nicodemus: 'Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God,' which confirms our explanation." - Frederick Louis Godet, Commentary on the Gospel of Luke.

[rhutchin]

• Luke 17
  
  20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, 21 nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you (ἐντὸς ὑμῶν)." (ESV)

The phrase in Luke 17:21, ἐντὸς ὑμῶν, which the ESV and RSV render in the midst of you, is rendered by the TEV, NIV, and NKJV within you, and is rendered by J. B. Phillips inside you. Other versions render the phrase in your midst (NASB), or among you (NJB, NEB, and NRSV).

Versions that do not render the phrase within you or inside you do so render the phrase in the margin or in a footnote. ...

There are several outstanding issues to be resolved.

A. Let's grant that the meaning is "within you" as Robertson and Godet tell us. Do we then understand this:

(1) Per Robertson, "What Jesus says to the Pharisees is that they, as others, are to look for the kingdom of God within themselves, not in outward displays and supernatural manifestations." or
(2) Per others that Jesus says to the Pharisees that the kingdom of heaven is actually within them at that point in time.

B. There is the issue of the translation of the combination, ἐντὸς + plural (noun/pronoun). As this combination appears nowhere else in the Scriptures except here in Luke, it is not possible to compare this to other Biblical contexts.

There are two instances of the combination ἐντὸς + plural (noun/pronoun) that are found in non Biblical sources. Both refer to "within the walls" but each case contained the article that served to clarify the meaning as, I think, you noted in one of your comments in another thread. As the article is missing in Luke (This does not seem to be a situation were the article would be used.), it is more challenging to determine what ἐντὸς + plural (noun/pronoun) means.

C. Could the meaning be "within you Pharisees who surround me"? If it could, then we have Jesus telling the Pharisees that the kingdom of heaven in within their midst because He is within their midst. That would be consistent with other similar statements made by Christ, "But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you." (Matthew 12)

[themuzicman]

I think the remainder of the verse gives us a clue:

Luke 17

20Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, 21nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you."

Notice that Jesus appears to be saying that the Kingdom of God isn't something that is identified externally. It is not here, nor is it to be sought by traveling to there.

Thus, having eliminated the external, the logical conclusion is that the Kingdom of God is internal, it is "within you."

I don't think Jesus is saying that they are presently members of the kingdom, but rather should they wish to discover the kingdom of God, they need to discover it inside themselves, in their hearts.

So, I think "within you" is acceptable, when we consider what the Pharisees wanted, namely to discover and enter the kingdom of God.

Michael

[RonC]

I think the remainder of the verse gives us a clue:

Luke 17

20Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, 21nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you."

Notice that Jesus appears to be saying that the Kingdom of God isn't something that is identified externally. It is not here, nor is it to be sought by traveling to there.

Thus, having eliminated the external, the logical conclusion is that the Kingdom of God is internal, it is "within you."

I don't think Jesus is saying that they are presently members of the kingdom, but rather should they wish to discover the kingdom of God, they need to discover it inside themselves, in their hearts.

So, I think "within you" is acceptable, when we consider what the Pharisees wanted, namely to discover and enter the kingdom of God.

Michael

And it was there for them if they chose to embrace it. That is why the tense of the verb (ἐστιν) is present indicative. The kingdom is present within the Pharisees as Jesus is talking to them... but they are too busy with worldy things... to indoctrinated in their way of seeing existence to really have any idea what Jesus is talking about.

I was going to simply join Mr. Reece's "Amen", but I think your understanding is so important I can't not say anything! The kingdom is within all of us. It is the Father's good pleasure to have given and continue to give it to us... but "God don't row". God points the way, gives us the direction to head in, provides the sustenance... but we must row! Jesus gives us the paddles and the sextant... faith, love, understanding... but no one can row our boat but us.

I only quibble with the word "acceptable"... I think that the understanding that the kingdom is within each of us, saint or sinner, is vital to understanding much of what Jesus teaches.

Thank you.

[John Reece]

Could the meaning be "within you Pharisees who surround me"? If it could, then we have Jesus telling the Pharisees that the kingdom of heaven in within their midst because He is within their midst.

If that were the meaning Luke meant to convey, why would he not have used either of two other terms that mean exactly that in Greek —one or the other of which he invariably used when that was what he meant to say?

He had two ways of saying "in the midst of" or "among" unambiguously.

Why would he have used a term that in all other occurrences meant something different from "in the midst" or "among"?

Also, you have equated Jesus with the Kingdom of God by saying "the kingdom of heaven is within their midst because He is within their midst"; thus, you contradict what Jesus expressly said: the coming of the Kingdom of God is not visible. Jesus was visible.

[rhutchin]

C. Could the meaning be "within you Pharisees who surround me"? If it could, then we have Jesus telling the Pharisees that the kingdom of heaven in within their midst because He is within their midst. That would be consistent with other similar statements made by Christ, "But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you." (Matthew 12)

]If that were the meaning Luke meant to convey, why would he not have used either of two other terms that mean exactly that in Greek —one or the other of which he invariably used when that was what he meant to say?

He had two ways of saying "in the midst of" or "among" unambiguously.

Why would he have used a term that in all other occurrences meant something different from "in the midst" or "among"?

Luke may have had no choice in the matter as he may have quoted what Jesus actually said. It may be that Jesus intended to be ambiguous. There are no other occurrences of the combination ἐντὸς + a plural pronoun. Outside the Bible, a couple examples have come up that include ἐντὸς + article + a plural noun where the sense seems to be in the midst of. I will speculate that ἐντὸς used with a genitive plural of persons is used to indicate location in the midst of the group of persons rather than inside the individual persons. Maybe someone will will able to do the research to see if it holds up.

Also, you have equated Jesus with the Kingdom of God by saying "the kingdom of heaven is within their midst because He is within their midst"; thus, you contradict what Jesus expressly said: the coming of the Kingdom of God is not visible. Jesus was visible.

What do we do with Matthew 12 where Jesus said, "But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you." Whatever sense Jesus meant there should be applied here.

Paul says "the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power." (1 Corinth 4) This would fit the casting out of devils.

As Luke 17 occurs after the cleansing of the lepers, it may be that Christ had this demonstration of power in mind. So, it would not be Christ who is to be equated with the kingdom of God but the power He exercises. So, I will backtrack and state the meaning to be, " Jesus is telling the Pharisees that the kingdom of heaven in within their midst because His power (particularly to change them should they ask) is within their midst."

[John Reece]

What do we do with Matthew 12 where Jesus said, "But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you." Whatever sense Jesus meant there should be applied here.

Different saying, different context.

Paul says "the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power." (1 Corinth 4) This would fit the casting out of devils.

As Luke 17 occurs after the cleansing of the lepers, it may be that Christ had this demonstration of power in mind. So, it would not be Christ who is to be equated with the kingdom of God but the power He exercises.

Paul does not equate the kingdom of God with a demonstration of power. In fact, in Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus rejected and condemned people who reportedly had cast out demons in his name and did many wonderful works in his name.

So, I will backtrack and state the meaning to be, "Jesus is telling the Pharisees that the kingdom of heaven in within their midst because His power (particularly to change them should they ask) is within their midst."

The problem with that is, it's not what the texts says.

Outside the Bible, a couple examples have come up that include ἐντὸς + article + a plural noun where the sense seems to be in the midst of.

In Luke 17:21 we do not have ἐντὸς + article + a plural noun; furthermore, you have not cited the exact Greek words, which I would need to see in order to know if indeed the sense is "in the midst of." Most likely not, as that's not what the word means in any context cited in LSJ (more on that in another thread).

[rhutchin]

• Luke 17
  
  20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, 21 nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you ([greek]entoV umwn[/greek])." (ESV)

The phrase in Luke 17:21, [greek]entoV humwn[/greek], which the ESV and RSV render in the midst of you, is rendered by the TEV, NIV, and NKJV within you, and is rendered by J. B. Phillips inside you. Other versions render the phrase in your midst (NASB), or among you (NJB, NEB, and NRSV).

Versions that do not render the phrase within you or inside you do so render the phrase in the margin or in a footnote.

A complete survey of all the other occurrences of the word [greek]entoV[/greek] in the Greek texts of the Bible (Septuagint/LXX and New Testament) may help to determine which of the translations cited above is likely to be the more accurate of the options for rendering the Greek word [greek]entoV[/greek] in Luke 17:21.

• Psalm 39:3 (38:4 in LXX). ...my heart became hot within ([greek]entoV[/greek]) me (NRSV).
  
  Psalm 103:1 (102:1 in LXX). Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within ([greek]entoV[/greek]) me, bless his holy name (NRSV).
  
  Psalm 109:22 (108:22 in LXX). For I am poor and needy, and my heart is pierced within ([greek]entoV[/greek]) me (NRSV).
  
  Song of Solomon 3:10. He made its posts of silver, its back of gold, its seat of purple; its interior ([greek]entoV[/greek]) was inlaid with love (NRSV).
  
  Isaiah 16:11. My heart laments for Moab like a harp, my inmost being ([greek]entoV[/greek]) for Kir Hareseth (NIV).
  
  Daniel 10:16 (Theodotion). Lord, at the sight of you my inmost being ([greek]entoV[/greek]) is changed in me and I have no strength (= my more-literal-than-the-versions translation -JR).
  
  I Maccabees 4:48. They rebuilt the sanctuary and the interior ([greek]entoV[/greek]) of the temple. (NRSV). Brenton's translation of this verse is ...”and made up the sanctuary, and the things that were within ([greek]entoV[/greek]) the temple... (Sir Lancelot C. L. Brenton, The Septuagint with Apocrypha: Greek and English).
  
  Sirach 19:26. There is the villain bowed down in mourning, but inwardly ([greek]entoV[/greek]) he is full of deceit (NRSV).
  
  Matthew 23:26. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside ([greek]entoV[/greek]) of the cup, so that the outside ([greek]ektoV[/greek]) also may become clean (NRSV).

The standard classical Greek lexicon in the English-speaking world is that of Liddell and Scott, edited by Jones (LSJ). This massive lexicon was first published by Oxford in 1838. From 1838 to 1968 nine successive editions plus 13 reprintings were published. During those 130 years there was not a single reference in the LSJ article on [greek]entoV[/greek] to any occurrence of the word in the sense of "among" or "in the midst of". The definition given for [greek]entoV[/greek] in Luke 17:21 was "in your hearts". In 1968 a supplement was added as an appendix in the back of that year's reprinting of LSJ, and in the supplement was this entry: [greek]entoV[/greek] I.1, line 7, after "hearts" add "among you" or "in your midst".

Luke 17:20-21 consists of teaching by Jesus about perhaps the most controversial subject in the Bible: the nature and time frame of the Kingdom of God. A question therefore arises as to whether or not the anomalous construing of the sense of [greek]entoV[/greek] as "among" or "in the midst of" in Luke 17:21 has its origin in theological presuppositions about the Kingdom of God, rather than in an objective assessment of the sense of the word [greek]entoV[/greek] in the context of Luke 21 and in the larger context of the Bible.

To assess the worth of this novel construing of [greek]entoV[/greek] to mean "among" or "in the midst" in Luke 17:21, on March 4, 1998, a request was posted on the Internet for an expert opinion from a professional scholar of Greek literature regarding the meaning of [greek]entoV[/greek] in classical as well as biblical writings when [greek]entoV[/greek] is related to a plural number of entities in the genitive case (as is the case in Luke 17:21). This is the response:

• I just did a check of the Perseus LSJ on [greek]entoV[/greek] and find it regularly used with a partitive genitive of the boundaries within which X is located, including in particular [greek]teicewn[/greek] (calculations,) [greek]umwn[/greek] (our Lucan passage), [greek]maqhmatwn[/greek] (learning), [greek]grammatwn[/greek] (literature). Most of these are not instances of a group of persons, so that I don't know that it would be the normal way to say "among", but to be very precise about the sense of a partitive genitive, I'd think it is not so terribly different from [greek]epi[/greek] + genitive = "somewhere within the boundaries of X" -- so [greek]entoV[/greek] + genitive = "at some point within the boundaries of X" - Carl W. Conrad, Department of Classics, Washington University, St. Louis, MO.

Note two things in Professor Conrad's response: (1) the consistent sense of "within" in the definition of [greek]entoV[/greek]; (2) the question of the normal way to say "among". The latter gives us a clue as to how to investigate further the anomaly of how modern scholars have construed [greek]entoV[/greek] in Luke 17:21. We will do a thorough analysis of the normal way to say "among" and "in the midst" in the Greek New Testament.

The Eerdmans Analytical Concordance to the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, compiled by Richard E. Whitaker, is an exhaustive concordance which lists every occurrence of every word in the RSV, and identifies the Hebrew, Greek, or Latin words which are rendered by the English words in each verse of the RSV. The word "among" occurs 188 times in the RSV New Testament to render 15 different Greek words or phrases. The Greek word [greek]entoV[/greek] does not occur in the list of 15 Greek words or phrases rendered "among" in the RSV NT. The concordance shows that the most frequently occurring normal way to say "among" in the Greek New Testament is by means of the Greek preposition [greek]en[/greek] + dative, which accounts for 116 of the 188 occurrences of "among" in the RSV NT. Since [greek]entoV[/greek] accounts for not a single one of the 188 occurrences of "among" in the RSV NT, it cannot be considered a normal way to say "among" in the Greek NT. The word "midst" occurs 18 times in the RSV NT. In 16 of the 18 occurrences, the Greek word [greek]mesoV[/greek] is rendered "midst"; in 1 occurrence the Greek phrase [greek]ana meson[/greek] ([greek]meson[/greek] = [greek]mesoV[/greek] with accusative case ending) is rendered "midst". And the RSV and ESV anomalously render [greek]entoV[/greek] as "midst" in Luke 17:21.

Let's look at how Luke communicated the sense of "among" and "midst" in the rest of the Gospel of Luke and Acts. The words "among" and "midst" occur 69 times in the RSV of Luke and Acts, with the only occurrence of [greek]entoV[/greek] being in Luke 17:21. The way Luke most often communicated the meaning "among" was by use of the Greek preposition [greek]en[/greek] + dative. The way he communicated the meaning "midst" was by use of the Greek word [greek]mesoV[/greek]. Examples: Luke 7:16 - A great prophet has arisen among us! ([greek]en[/greek] + dative). Acts 2:22 Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst ([greek]mesoV[/greek]).

One of the presuppositions that intrude into the interpretation of [greek]entoV[/greek] in Luke 17:21 is the thought that "surely Jesus would not say to the Pharisees that the Kingdom of God was in their hearts". A Greek grammarian of an earlier generation countered that objection with this comment: '21. "Within you" ([greek]entoV umwn[/greek]). This is the obvious, and, I think, the necessary meaning of [greek]entoV[/greek]. The examples cited of the use of [greek]entoV[/greek] in Xenophon and Plato where [greek]entoV[/greek] means "among" do not bear out when investigated. Field (Ot. Norv.) "contends that there is no clear instance of [greek]entoV[/greek] in the sense of among" (Bruce), and rightly so. What Jesus says to the Pharisees is that they, as others, are to look for the kingdom of God within themselves, not in outward displays and supernatural manifestations. It is not a localized display "Here" or "There." It is in this sense that in Luke 11:20 Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God as "come upon you"..., speaking to the Pharisees. The only other instance of [greek]entoV[/greek] in the N.T. (Matthew 23:26) necessarily means "within" ("the inside of the cup"). There is, beside, the use of [greek]entoV[/greek] meaning "within" in the Oxyrhynchus Papyrus saying of Jesus of the Third Century (Deismann, Light from the Ancient East, p. 426) which is interesting: "The kingdom of heaven is within you" ([greek]entoV umwn[/greek]) as here in Luke 17:21.' - A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament.

In the 19th century there was a scholar in France who produced commentaries on books of the Greek New Testament that were of such quality as to be deemed worthy of translation into English, and then to be reprinted many times in succeeding decades. His comment on [greek]entoV[/greek] in Luke 17:21 dispels the cloud of confusion that has arisen over the word in this verse: "The words [greek]entoV umwn[/greek] are explained by almost all modern interpreters in the sense of in the midst of you. Philologically this meaning is possible; it may be harmonized with [greek]gar[/greek] [= "for" -JR]. But the verb [greek]estin[/greek] [= "is" -JR] would in this case necessarily require it to be put before the regimen; for this verb is would have the emphasis, 'it is really present.' The idea “among you” would be secondary. If the regimen [greek]entoV umwn[/greek] has the emphasis (and its place proves it has), it can only be because these words contain the reason introduced by for. They should therefore serve to prove that the kingdom of God may have come without it's coming being remarked; and this is what follows from its internal, spiritual nature. The meaning of this regimen is therefore within you. Besides, the prep. [greek]entoV[/greek], within, always includes a contrast to the idea without. If, therefore, we give to it here the meaning of among, we must still suppose an understood contrast, that between the Jews as people within, and the Gentiles as people without. There is nothing in the context giving rise to such an antithesis. In giving to [greek]entoV[/greek] the meaning within, we are led back to the idea expressed in the answer of Jesus to Nicodemus: 'Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God,' which confirms our explanation." - Frederick Louis Godet, Commentary on the Gospel of Luke.

Here are sources I was provided from outside the Bible that use the term, ἐντὸς. It uses a transliteration scheme tied to the English alphabet.

Xenophon Hist., Anabasis (0032: 006)
?Xenophontis opera omnia, vol. 3?, Ed. Marchant, E.C.
Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1904, Repr. 1961.
Book 1, chapter 10, section 3

hH DE MILHSIA hH NEWTERA LHFQEISA hUPO TWN AMFI BASILEA
EKFEUGEI GUMNH PROS TWN hELLHNWN hOI ETUCON EN TOIS SKEUO-
FOROIS hOPLA ECONTES KAI ANTITACQENTES POLLOUS MEN TWN
hARPAZONTWN APEKTEINAN, hOI DE KAI AUTWN APEQANON? OU MHN
EFUGON GE, ALLA KAI TAUTHN ESWSAN KAI TA)LLA, hOPOSA
ENTOS AUTWN KAI CRHMATA KAI ANQRWPOI EGENONTO, PANTA
ESWSAN.
.
Thucydides Hist., Historiae (0003: 001)
?Thucydidis historiae, 2 vols.?, Ed. Jones, H.S., Powell, J.E.
Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1:1942 (1st edn. rev.); 2:1942 (2nd edn.
rev.), Repr. 1:1970; 2:1967.
Book 7, chapter 5, section 3
.
KAI NIKHQENTWN TWN SURAKOSIWN
KAI TWN XUMMACWN KAI NEKROUS hUPOSPONDOUS ANELOMENWN KAI
TWN AQHNAIWN TROPAION STHSANTWN, hO GULIPPOS XUGKALESAS
TO STRATEUMA OUK EFH TO hAMARTHMA EKEINWN, ALL' hEAUTOU
GENESQAI? THS GAR hIPPOU KAI TWN AKONTISTWN THN WFELIAN
THi TAXEI ENTOS LIAN TWN TEICWN POIHSAS AFELESQAI
.
Plato Phil., Leges (0059: 034)
?Platonis opera, vol. 5?, Ed. Burnet, J.
Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907, Repr. 1967.
Stephanus page 789, section a, line 7

{KL.} TI DHT', W XENE; H TOIS ARTI GEGONOSI KAI NEWTATOIS PONOUS
PLEISTOUS PROSTAXOMEN;
.
{AQ.} OUDAMWS GE, ALL' ETI KAI PROTERON TOIS ENTOS TWN hAUTWN MHTERWN TREFOMENOIS.
.

Also the evidence from the LXX and Aquila
.
EX. 17:7 KAI EPWNOMASEN TO ONOMA TOU TOPOU EKEINOU PEIRASMOS KAI
LOIDORHSIS DIA THN LOIDORIAN TWN hUIWN ISRAHL KAI DIA TO PEIRAZEIN
KURION LEGONTAS EI ESTIN KURIOS EN hHMIN H OU

Note where Exodus 17:7 hebrew is rendered in the LXX (old greek) by EN hHMIN where Aquila has ENTOS hEMON and Symmachus EN MESO hEMON.

I am not sure where this leaves us.

[rhutchin]

• Luke 17
  
  20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, 21 nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you ([greek]entoV umwn[/greek])." (ESV)

The phrase in Luke 17:21, [greek]entoV humwn[/greek], which the ESV and RSV render in the midst of you, is rendered by the TEV, NIV, and NKJV within you, and is rendered by J. B. Phillips inside you. Other versions render the phrase in your midst (NASB), or among you (NJB, NEB, and NRSV).

Versions that do not render the phrase within you or inside you do so render the phrase in the margin or in a footnote. ...

The following was sent to me and is attributed to:
Life of Jesus
Lecture Questions
Part Two
Professor Barry D. Smith
Atlantic Baptist University

Apparently, they are class notes. Copying the material resulted in "?" in various places and I did not know what to do with them.

Luke 17: 20-21

5. Kingdom of God as Inseparable from Jesus

Jesus sees the Kingdom of God as inseparable from himself. In his
presence, the Kingdom of God is present to his contemporaries, and
rejection of him is the rejection of the Kingdom.

5.1. The Kingdom of God in Your Midst (Luke 17:20-21)

Luke contains a saying in which Jesus describes the nature of the
appearance of the Kingdom of God; in it he connects the Kingdom with
himself.

Some unconvincingly reject the authenticity of Luke 17:20b-21, viewing
the passage as Lukan redaction (Strobel, In dieser Nacht (Luk 17,34):
Zu einer "lteren Form der Erwartung in Luk 17,20-37," ZTK 58 (1961)
16-39 (26-27); id., "Zu Lk 17,20f.," BZ 7 (1963) 111-13; D.
Luehrmann,Redaktion, 72; Merkelin, Gottesherrschaft, 122). Luke is not
in the habit of creating sayings of Jesus (see Schlosser, Le Regne de
Dieu dans les Dits de Jesus, 1.181; Perrin, Rediscovering the Teaching
of Jesus, 68-74).

The Pharisees ask Jesus when the Kingdom of God will come in 17:20a.
(Although not particularly Lukan, Luke 17:20a may have been composed
by Luke, as is often suggested. If he did his goal was to provide a
context in which to understand the apophthegma saying that follows has
been suggested. But this does not mean that it is a historical
fabrication.) Jesus' response in 17:20b-21 is constructed in
antithetical parallelism. The negative member of Jesus' response
consists of two coordinating clauses joined by "nor" (oude), which
describe how the Kingdom of God does not come: "The Kingdom of God is
not coming with signs to be observed (meta paratereseos), nor will
they say, 'Look, here it is!' or, 'There it is!'"

Schlosser argues that the phrase meta paratereseos is Lukan redaction
(Le Regne de Dieu dans les Dits de Jesus, 1.196-201). He begins by
noting first the difficulty of finding a Semitic equivalent of the
phrase and second the fact that the word belongs to "la langue relev?e
et savante" (196). These data consistent with a Lukan origin. He then
observes that the construction meta + genitive is as much Lukan as it
is traditional, and, since it is a hapax in the New Testament, the
word parateresis can no more be attributable to the tradition as to
Lukan redaction (197). Yet he observes that the word is not part of
common speech but a literary word and so would more likely originate
with Luke than in the tradition. In fact, the verb paratereo occurs
six times in the New Testament and four of these are in Luke's
writings; this supports the hypothesis that the noun parateresis is
also Lukan (197). Against the argument that logion 113 in Gospel of
Thomas, which contains the clause "It will not come by watching for
it," is an independent translation of the original Aramaic, Schlosser
claims that the logion is literarily dependent on Luke 17:20-21. This
means that it cannot be used as evidence for the originality of the
phrase "with signs to be observed" in the saying. Schlosser also
argues that there is no evidence to conclude that 17:20b (without the
phrase "with signs to be observed" has been added to the tradition
either by Luke or the early church (199-200). In conclusion, he
reconstructs the original saying, which he considers to be basically
identical to what Jesus actually said, as: ouk erchetai ha basileia
tou theou idou (gar) ha basileia tou theou entos estin (17:20b+21b).
Schlosser's argument is an example of trying to prove too much with
too little: his reconstruction of the alleged original form of the
tradition is too speculative.

The first way in which the Kingdom does not come is "with signs
to be observed." In the context, the meaning of "signs to be observed"
probably describes empirically observable phenomena associated with
the inception of eschatological fulfillment. Jesus' questioners hold
the view that the coming of the Kingdom of God will be universally
recognizable by its accompanying manifestations, and they want to know
when Jesus believes these premonitory manifestations will begin to
occur, thereby heralding the Kingdom. (On this interpretation "come"
has a future meaning since it is referring to the future Kingdom of
God.) The second way in which the Kingdom of God does not come is in
such a way that someone could say 'Look, here it is!' or, 'There it
is!" The meaning seems to be the same as "with signs to be observed."
In other words, Jesus is saying that, contrary to their expectation,
the Kingdom of God will not come in such a way as to be universally
recognized as such. He rejects the presupposition behind the question,
namely that the Kingdom of God will all at once come as a publicly
observable event. In other words, the Kingdom will not come all at
once, as full-blown, so that no one could deny that it has come.
Rather, Jesus' conception of the Kingdom of God is that it begins
inconspicuously, so that it is possible to deny that it has come at
the earliest stages of its historical development.

In 1 Enoch, God's eschatological appearance is described three times.
In such cases, that this is time of the eschaton will be universally
known. First, in the introduction to the Book of Watchers, Enoch says
that what he expounds is revelation pertaining to the distant future
(1 En 1:2-3b). (There are parallels in vocabulary and form between 1
En 1:2-3b and the oracles of Balaam, especially Num 24:15-17.) Then
comes the description of the eschatological theophany: God will come
from his dwelling, identified later as "the heaven of heavens," to Mt.
Sinai in order to judge the whole world (1 En 1:3c-9). (For the
biblical sources of this theophany, see, in particular, Deut 33:1-3;
Jer 25:31; Micah 1:3-4.) God appears eschatologically as a warrior
accompanied by his angelic armies to bring judgment not only to all
human beings, but also to fallen angels known as the Watchers (1 En
1:5). As the author says in 1 En 1:9, "He comes with the myriads of
his holy ones to execute judgment on all." That the appearance is to
be upon Mt. Sinai is probably due to the fact that it was on this
mountain that God gave the Law to Moses; the implication is that God's
judgment will be on based on the Law. (In Deut 33:2, God appears from
Sinai, and it is not the place to which he descends.) The theophany is
accompanied by cosmic disturbances and upheaval, caused by God's
appearance (1 En 1:5-7) (see Exod 19:16-20; 20:18; Judg 5:4; Ps 68:7-
8; Mic 1:2-4; Nah 1:5; Hab 3:6). Second, later in the Book of
Watchers, on his journeys Enoch comes to a tall mountain, one of seven
mountains, situated in the center of the other six (1 En 24-25). The
archangel Michael explains to Enoch that on the summit of this
mountain is the throne upon which God will sit when he descends to
visit the earth in goodness (1 En 25:3). What is being described is
the eschatological theophany for the purpose of judgment, or, to use
the idiom, the time when God will "visit" the earth. Third, in the
Epistle of Enoch, Enoch explains that on the day of final judgment,
God will appear as a warrior and with the help of his angelic army
execute eschatological judgment (1 En 100:4; see 91:7). Finally, in
the discourse on eschatological judgment preserved in 4Q416 frg. 1 (=
4Q418 frg. 2), using biblical imagery, the author appears to depict
the time of eschatological judgment as a theophany, with the result
that all creation will respond in fear and trembling to the appearance
of God as righteous judge (4Q416 frg. 1.11-15) (see Isa 24:18; Ps
77:16-18).

The positive member of Jesus' response is the remarkable
statement that the Kingdom of God has already come: "For behold, the
kingdom of God is in your midst" (see Xenophon, Anab. 1.10.3;Hellen.
2.3.19; Herodotus, Hist. 7.100.3; Arrian, An. V, 22, 4. In its use in
this phrase, it is a synonym for en mesa). In Aquila Exod 17:7 the Heb
wnbrqb is translated as entos humin). Jesus' point is that the Kingdom
of God is in the midst of his questioners insofar as he is in their
midst, so inseparable is he from the Kingdom. Of course, the Kingdom
is in its initial phases and so is still only partially and even
ambiguously present. For this reason, the possibility exists to deny
that it is present at all, in which case Jesus would be seen as having
no salvation-historical significance at all. When it comes to
completion, the Kingdom of God will be undeniable, but until then a
person will be able to accept or reject Jesus' claim that the Kingdom
of God is already present insofar as he is present.

The prepositional phrase entos humin could also be translated as
"within you" (Dalman, Words of Jesus, 143-47; Dodd, Parables, 63 n 2
R. Sneed, "The Kingdom of God is within You" (Lk 17,21), CBQ 24 (1962)
363-82. Percy argues that the reason that Kingdom does not come with
signs to be observed is because the Kingdom is a purely inward
phenomenon (Die Botschaft Jesu, 216-23) Moreover, the linguistic
evidence may slightly favor such an interpretation (Moule, An Idiom
Book of the New Testament, 83-84; But the interpretation "in the midst
of you" better coheres with Jesus' understanding of the Kingdom of God
as already present in its incipient stages by virtue of his own
presence by virtue. In no other saying does Jesus internalize the
Kingdom as a spiritual reality within. Another interpretive
possibility is that Jesus is saying that the Kingdom of God is within
the reach, grasp or possession of his hearers in the sense of being
their disposal: "within your reach, grasp or possession" or "to take
it lies among your choices and within your power" (H.J. Cadbury, "The
Kingdom of God and Ourselves," Christian Century 67 [1950] 172-73;
C.H. Roberts, "The Kingdom of Heaven (Lk xvii. 21)," HTR 41 [1948]
1-8; A. Restow, "Entos hymon estin: Zur Deutung von Lukas 17.20-21,"
ZNW 51 [1960] 197-224). The context does not support this
interpretation because it must be in antithetical parallelism with
come with signs to be observed: already present but hidden.

[RonC]

Here are sources I was provided from outside the Bible that use the term, ἐντὸς. It uses a transliteration scheme tied to the English alphabet.

Xenophon Hist., Anabasis (0032: 006)
?Xenophontis opera omnia, vol. 3?, Ed. Marchant, E.C.
Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1904, Repr. 1961.
Book 1, chapter 10, section 3

hH DE MILHSIA hH NEWTERA LHFQEISA hUPO TWN AMFI BASILEA
EKFEUGEI GUMNH PROS TWN hELLHNWN hOI ETUCON EN TOIS SKEUO-
FOROIS hOPLA ECONTES KAI ANTITACQENTES POLLOUS MEN TWN
hARPAZONTWN APEKTEINAN, hOI DE KAI AUTWN APEQANON? OU MHN
EFUGON GE, ALLA KAI TAUTHN ESWSAN KAI TA)LLA, hOPOSA
ENTOS AUTWN KAI CRHMATA KAI ANQRWPOI EGENONTO, PANTA
ESWSAN.
.
Thucydides Hist., Historiae (0003: 001)
?Thucydidis historiae, 2 vols.?, Ed. Jones, H.S., Powell, J.E.
Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1:1942 (1st edn. rev.); 2:1942 (2nd edn.
rev.), Repr. 1:1970; 2:1967.
Book 7, chapter 5, section 3
.
KAI NIKHQENTWN TWN SURAKOSIWN
KAI TWN XUMMACWN KAI NEKROUS hUPOSPONDOUS ANELOMENWN KAI
TWN AQHNAIWN TROPAION STHSANTWN, hO GULIPPOS XUGKALESAS
TO STRATEUMA OUK EFH TO hAMARTHMA EKEINWN, ALL' hEAUTOU
GENESQAI? THS GAR hIPPOU KAI TWN AKONTISTWN THN WFELIAN
THi TAXEI ENTOS LIAN TWN TEICWN POIHSAS AFELESQAI

Your first citation from Xenophon, Anabasis supports the rendering of entos as within. The phrase is translated (in context) as “within their lines”. It is a military usage indicating that one has penetrated inside enemy lines (for instance) as opposed to still being outside (ektos) enemy lines. The clause which ends 1:10:1 [3] translates as: “whatever else came within their lines, whether persons or property, they saved all alike.”

Your second citation from Thucydides Histories (Peloponnesian War) also supports the meaning of within or inside. It translates: he had kept their lines too much within the works (entos lian tôn teichôn – teichôn meaning walls or “earthworks”), and had thus deprived them of the services of their cavalry and darters. They were too deep within their fortifications... not to deep among their fortification.

Plato Phil., Leges (0059: 034)
?Platonis opera, vol. 5?, Ed. Burnet, J.
Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907, Repr. 1967.
Stephanus page 789, section a, line 7

{KL.} TI DHT', W XENE; H TOIS ARTI GEGONOSI KAI NEWTATOIS PONOUS
PLEISTOUS PROSTAXOMEN;
.
{AQ.} OUDAMWS GE, ALL' ETI KAI PROTERON TOIS ENTOS TWN hAUTWN MHTERWN TREFOMENOIS.

As for Plato, it is even more supportive of Mr. Reece’s (and my) position.

Clinias: What is that, Stranger? Are we to prescribe most exercise for new-born babes and tiny infants?
Athenian: Nay, even earlier than that,--we shall prescribe it for those nourished inside the bodies of their mothers. (oudamôs ge, all' eti kai proteron tois [i]entos tôn hautôn mêterôn trephomenois.[/b])

Also the evidence from the LXX and Aquila
.
EX. 17:7 KAI EPWNOMASEN TO ONOMA TOU TOPOU EKEINOU PEIRASMOS KAI
LOIDORHSIS DIA THN LOIDORIAN TWN hUIWN ISRAHL KAI DIA TO PEIRAZEIN
KURION LEGONTAS EI ESTIN KURIOS EN hHMIN H OU

Note where Exodus 17:7 hebrew is rendered in the LXX (old greek) by EN hHMIN where Aquila has ENTOS hEMON and Symmachus EN MESO hEMON.

Please cite your source. To my knowledge there are no extant copies of Aquila's rendering of Exodus.

I am not sure where this leaves us.

It leaves us exactly where Mr. Reece left us. entos indicates within or inside and all of the instances you cite above support the translation of entos as within or inside... except Aquila for which I believe there is no accurate verifiable source.

[RonC]

As for the source for this information… (misinformation?)…

(see Xenophon, Anab. 1.10.3; Hellen. 2.3.19; Herodotus, Hist. 7.100.3; Arrian, An. V, 22, 4. In its use in this phrase, it is a synonym for en mesa)

Xenophon, Anab. 1.10.3 was addressed previously.

Xenophon, Hellen. 2.3.19 reads: hôsper ton arithmon touton echonta tina anankên kalous kai agathous einai, kai out' exô toutôn spoudaious out' entos toutôn ponêrous hoion te eiê genesthai

The clause translates: as though this number must somehow be good men and true and there could neither be excellent men outside this body nor rascals within it (entos toutôn ponêrous).

I am tired of making the point which was made earlier that all of the attempts to show that entos connotes "among" or "in the midst" have been addressed and shown to be inaccurate…

But the interpretation "in the midst of you" better coheres with Jesus' understanding of the Kingdom of God…

These are not your words, but your source. “in the midst” better fits this source’s doctrinal need not the reality of Jesus' words and teachings. Note that he does not use the words “translation”.

Your source seems to be the one who made the claim about Aquila also… “In Aquila Exod 17:7 the Heb wnbrqb is translated as entos humin”… so maybe ask him/her to cite his/her source.

[John Reece]

It leaves us exactly where Mr. Reece left us. entos indicates within or inside and all of the instances you cite above support the translation of entos as within or inside... except Aquila for which I believe there is no accurate verifiable source.

Even if there were an extant copy of Aquila's translation of Exodus, it might not be all that reliable in terms of Greek usage. This is from the chapter entitled "History of the Septuagint Text" in the 2006 edition of the Rahlfs-Hanhart Septuaginta, 2nd Edition:

As a result, the Judaism of this period fashioned an entirely new Greek translation of the Old Testament. Aquila, a Greek proselyte and disciple of Akiba, rendered every detail of the sacred text as precisely as possible into Greek, and he did not shrink from perpetrating the most appalling outrages to the whole essence of the Greek language. (page xxxiii; emphasis added).

Regarding the question of whether or not there is an extant copy of Aquila's translation of Exodus, on pages xxxv-xxxvi, there is this comment:

Aquila's translation lost it authority, and consequently there came a time when all that remained of it were a number of rather meagre fragments.

The text of Exodus 17:7 in the Rahlfs-Hanhart Septuaginta has ἐν ἡμῖν for the phrase in question; that is ἐν + dative = the normal way to say "among" in the Greek Bible.

[RonC]

Even if there were an extant copy of Aquila's translation of Exodus, it might not be all that reliable in terms of Greek usage. This is from the chapter entitled "History of the Septuagint Text" in the 2006 edition of the Rahlfs-Hanhart Septuaginta, 2nd Edition:

As a result, the Judaism of this period fashioned an entirely new Greek translation of the Old Testament. Aquila, a Greek proselyte and disciple of Akiba, rendered every detail of the sacred text as precisely as possible into Greek, and he did not shrink from perpetrating the most appalling outrages to the whole essence of the Greek language. (page xxxiii; emphasis added).

Regarding the question of whether or not there is an extant copy of Aquila's translation of Exodus, on pages xxxv-xxxvi, there is this comment:

Aquila's translation lost it authority, and consequently there came a time when all that remained of it were a number of rather meagre fragments.

The text of Exodus 17:7 in the Rahlfs-Hanhart Septuaginta has ἐν ἡμῖν for the phrase in question; that is ἐν + dative = the normal way to say "among" in the Greek Bible.

You have added to the ever increasing number of books I must read!

[John Reece]

Quoting Professor Barry D. Smith: "In no other saying does Jesus internalize the Kingdom as a spiritual reality within."

Au contraire: The "Kingdom" of God is biblical language for the government of God; i.e., the sphere of his reign. The reality is not limited to the word rendered "Kingdom"; nor is the reality bound by presuppositions regarding the meaning of "Kingdom" in either the minds of the Pharisees of old, or in the minds scholars today.

The Gospel of John is replete with statements by Jesus indicating that the reign of God is an internal reality within human beings.

As a matter of fact, the first such statement does indeed use the term "the kingdom of God":

John 3:1-8 (ESV; emphasis added)

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him." Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

The same reality is referenced many more times by Jesus in the Gospel of John, albeit without use of the term 'kingdom of God'.

[rhutchin]

The following was sent to me and is attributed to:
Life of Jesus
Lecture Questions
Part Two
Professor Barry D. Smith
Atlantic Baptist University

...But the interpretation "in the midst
of you" better coheres with Jesus' understanding of the Kingdom of God
as already present in its incipient stages by virtue of his own
presence by virtue. In no other saying does Jesus internalize the
Kingdom as a spiritual reality within.

Au contraire: The "Kingdom" of God is biblical language for the government of God; i.e., the sphere of his reign. The reality is not limited to the word rendered "Kingdom"; nor is the reality bound by presuppositions regarding the meaning of "Kingdom" in either the minds of the Pharisees of old, or in the minds scholars today.

The Gospel of John is replete with statements by Jesus indicating that the reign of God is an internal reality within human beings.

As a matter of fact, the first such statement does indeed use the term "the kingdom of God":

John 3:1-8 (ESV; emphasis added)

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him." Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

The same reality is referenced many more times by Jesus in the Gospel of John, albeit without use of the term 'kingdom of God'.

I can't argue for Smith, but I suspect he would continue to argue his exegetical position. I don't think John 3 necessarily argues for the internalization of the kingdom of God. It would depend on what Jesus means by "seeing" the kingdom of God (e.g., Does one see it in the changed life of the individual or some other means?). Also, do we say that a person "enters" that which is internal to them?

Regardless, we have added more information to this subject area. Here in John, Jesus tells us that one cannot see the kingdom of heaven unless they are born again. It is no wonder then that the Pharisees could not see the kingdom of heaven even though they sought to find it by observation.