Matius 12:18

12:18 “Here is ¹  my servant whom I have chosen,

the one I love, in whom I take great delight. ² 

I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.

Matius 12:28

12:28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God ³  has already overtaken ⁴  you.

[12:18]  ¹ tn Grk “Behold my servant.”

[12:18]  ² tn Grk “in whom my soul is well pleased.”

[12:28]  ³ sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong.

[12:28]  ⁴ tn The phrase ἔφθασεν ἐφ᾿ ὑμᾶς (efqasen ef’ Juma") is quite important. Does it mean merely “approach” (which would be reflected in a translation like “has come near to you”) or actually “come upon” (as in the translation given above, “has already overtaken you,” which has the added connotation of suddenness)? Is the arrival of the kingdom merely anticipated or already in process? Two factors favor arrival over anticipation here. First, the prepositional phrase ἐφ᾿ ὑμᾶς (ef’ Jumas, “upon you”) in the Greek text suggests arrival (Dan 4:24, 28 Theodotion). Second, the following illustration in v. 29 looks at the healing as portraying Satan being overrun. So the presence of God’s authority has arrived. See also L&N 13.123 for the translation of φθάνω (fqanw) as “to happen to already, to come upon, to come upon already.”