Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary

Adam Clarke Commentary

It as easier for a camel - Instead of καμηλον, a camel, S, and four other MSS., read καμιλον, a cable. See the same reading noticed on the parallel place, Matthew 19:24; (note).

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible

For it is easier for a camel to enter in through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

The sheer impossibility of a camel going through the eye of a needle forces the deduction that this is a hyperbole, employed to stress the difficulty of a rich man's being saved.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

For it is easier for a camel,.... These words were spoken to the disciples again, and were a second address to them, after they had shown astonishment at the former; See Gill on Matthew 19:24 and See Gill on Mark 10:24.

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

easier for a camel, etc. — a proverbial expression denoting literally a thing impossible, but figuratively, very difficult.

Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament

Through a needle‘s eye (δια τρηματος βελονης — dia trēmatos belonēs). Both words are old. Τρημα — Trēma means a perforation or hole or eye and in the N.T. only here and Matthew 19:24. ελονη — Belonē means originally the point of a spear and then a surgeon‘s needle. Here only in the N.T. Mark 10:25; Matthew 19:24 have ραπιδος — rhaphidos for needle. This is probably a current proverb for the impossible. The Talmud twice speaks of an elephant passing through the eye of a needle as being impossible.

Vincent's Word Studies

Camel

See on Matthew 19:24.

To go through the eye of a needle ( διὰ τρήματος βελόνης εἰσελθεῖν )

Rev., more literally, to enter in through a needle's eye. Both Matthew and Mark use another word for needle ( ῥαφίς ); see on Mark 10:25. Luke alone has βελόνη , which, besides being an older term, is the peculiar word for the surgical needle. The other word is condemned by the Greek grammarians as barbarous.

The Fourfold Gospel

1. For it is easier for a camel to enter in through a needle's eye,
2. than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. See .

John Trapp Complete Commentary

25 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Ver. 25. It is easier for a camel] Caveant ergo divites (saith an interpreter) et solicite; mane, vesperi, interdiu, noctu, secum de periculosa vitae suae ratione commententur. Let rich men therefore weigh their danger, and beware.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

See Poole on "Luke 18:18"

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

“For it is easier for a camel to enter in through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingly Rule of God.”

Then Jesus spoke the immortal words known to Christians world over. ‘It is easier for a camel to enter in through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingly Rule of God.’ There is no reason for us to take these words as having any other than their natural meaning. All could imagine the eye of a needle. All could visualise a camel coming to a rather abrupt halt as it faced it, and baying, ‘Don’t be ridiculous’. It was simply stating the extremeness of the impossibility. And there is no real evidence of any such thing as a ‘needle gate’ in Jerusalem at that time, nor a need to turn to an obscure word which might mean hawser. Jesus really was thinking of a camel and a rather large needle.

Why then did Jesus use this illustration of a camel? Apart from displaying a sense of humour and giving a picture really worth remembering, the whole point was that the camel viewed the eye of the needle like a rich man viewed the challenge of life without riches, as not worth taking trouble over because it was impossible. It took one look at the eye of the needle and then turned languidly away, just as the rich man, when he was inspired by better thoughts, would take one look at the problems that might arise, and then give up. He was safely settled down in his own comforts. He did not need to alter anything. But the result was that unless he removed all dependence on them his urges towards goodness would always end up with his lying back and relaxing again, putting it off until another day. Like the camel he would turn away from the open door because going through it demanded too much from him. It would all be far too difficult and far too demanding. And then like the rich man in the parable he would die with his position unresolved.

So if we have not learned the lesson about riches from the unrighteous estate manager, and from the rich man and Lazarus, let us now learn it from the real life example of this rich ruler. Let us learn that our wealth and our security of life and whatever else it is that we consider important to us can be a curse to us and not a blessing. For they can prevent our being thrown upon God. What we too must do is thrust aside whatever it is that is holding us back, and then we too will be able to ‘inherit eternal life’.

The Expositor's Greek Testament

Luke 18:25_{. : each evangelist has his own expression here.— from , (or ), to pierce, bore through; hence , penetrating, clear; , the point of a spear.}

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

camel. See note on Matthew 19:24. Greek. dia. App-104. Luke 18:1.

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged

For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God - a proverbial expression, denoting literally a thing impossible, but figuratively a thing very difficult.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(25) Through a needle’s eye.—The Greek word for “needle” in the better MSS. differs from that in St. Matthew and St. Mark, and is a more classical word. That which the others use was unknown to Attic writers. The fact, small as it is, takes its place among the signs of St. Luke’s culture.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

a camel

Some render a cable; but it may justly be doubted whether [ ()] ever was so translated before, for the word for a cable, as the scholiast on Aristophanes expressly affirms, is written [kamilos] not with an "e" [eta], but with an "i" [iota.] Some few MSS., it is true, have got the word [kamilos] into the text, but it is evidently an attempted improvement.

Matthew 23:24