What is the "Eye of the Needle"?

[Richard Aberdeen]

The discipline of "philology" is applied by historians when attempting to understand the true intentions behind words spoken in a particular historical time-frame and context, rather than wrongly assuming that word definitions found in a modern dictionary necessarily apply.

For example, "deism" is often carelessly applied to the American founders without considering that most of them were not deists and, that deism was defined differently in the 17th and 18th centuries than it is today. The Declaration of Independence does not at all represent a God who doesn't interact with people, as deism is defined today.

Jesus talks about a rich man and the eye of a needle, which appears to have been a familiar scenario to the people of his time. Many if not most scholars agree this is apparently a reference to when travelers arrived at the gates of a large city like Jerusalem, they had to unload baggage off of their camels so the camel could squeeze through a small opening in the wall, This small opening was commonly known as the "eye of the needle", purposefully constructed for security reasons Mark 10:25.

Suffice it to say that Jesus says: "Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation Luke 6:24."

 

[Debp]

Jesus talks about a rich man and the eye of a needle, which appears to have been a familiar scenario to the people of his time. Many if not most scholars agree this is apparently a reference to when travelers arrived at the gates of a large city like Jerusalem, they had to unload baggage off of their camels so the camel could squeeze through a small opening in the wall, This small opening was commonly known as the "eye of the needle"

Yes that's what I heard...the eye of the needle referred to one of the gates to enter the city. And you couldn't get through with all of those burdens on the camel.

 

[markalan]

The discipline of "philology" is applied by historians when attempting to understand the true intentions behind words spoken in a particular historical time-frame and context, rather than wrongly assuming that word definitions found in a modern dictionary necessarily apply.

For example, "deism" is often carelessly applied to the American founders without considering that most of them were not deists and, that deism was defined differently in the 17th and 18th centuries than it is today. The Declaration of Independence does not at all represent a God who doesn't interact with people, as deism is defined today.

Jesus talks about a rich man and the eye of a needle, which appears to have been a familiar scenario to the people of his time. Many if not most scholars agree this is apparently a reference to when travelers arrived at the gates of a large city like Jerusalem, they had to unload baggage off of their camels so the camel could squeeze through a small opening in the wall, This small opening was commonly known as the "eye of the needle", purposefully constructed for security reasons Mark 10:25.

Suffice it to say that Jesus says: "Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation Luke 6:24."

There is another train of thought that says Jesus was using hyperbole ... something like the way He said pluck out your right eye.

However, it is interesting to use Google images to see photos of the "eye of the needle".

 

[quietthinker]

Yes that's what I heard...the eye of the needle referred to one of the gates to enter the city. And you couldn't get through with all of those burdens on the camel.

It's a myth. There was never such an entry by that name in Jerusalem.

 

[WHO ME]

It's a myth. There was never such an entry by that name in Jerusalem.

Agreed.....

You have the Greek word κάμηλος meaning camel.

You have the Greek word κάμιλος meaning rope.

So a rope going threw the eye of a needle I believe is correct

 

[CrowCross]

I'm going with camel...
Jesus simply pick a large animal...camel...and a small hole...needle.

Unfortunatly the word "rope" doesn't really appear in the NT under the spelling above.

 

[WHO ME]

From: hermeneutics.stackexchange


You have the Greek word κάμηλος meaning camel.

You have the Greek word κάμιλος meaning rope.

In the Talmud (BT 6, 601, 1. 16) we read that the people of Puimbedita deemed themselves so clever that they could put an elephant through a needle's eye…
Some later MSS read in Mark 10, 25 and the two parallel passages κάμιλος, cable, instead of κάμηλος, camel.
–– Paul Haupt: "Camel and Cable", American Journal of Philology 45, 3 (1924), pp. 238-259

The Armenian bible also prefers rope:

Դարձեալ ասեմ ձեզ. դիւրին է մալխոյ մտանել ընդ ծակ ասղան, քան մեծատան յարքայութիւն Աստուծոյ մտանել։

As does the Peschitta:

Matthew 19:24 - ܬܘܒ ܕܝܢ ܐܡܪܢܐ ܠܟܘܢ ܕܕܠܝܠ ܗܘ ܠܓܡܠܐ ܠܡܥܠ ܒܚܪܘܪܐ ܕܡܚܛܐ ܐܘ ܥܬܝܪܐ ܕܢܥܘܠ ܠܡܠܟܘܬܐ ܕܐܠܗܐ ܀ (analyze)

Matthew 19:24 - Again I say to you, It is easier for a rope to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
(Dr. George Lamsa's English Peshitta translation)

Matthew 19:24 - Opnieuw zeg ik jullie dat het voor een kabelzie Marcus 10:25 eenvoudiger is het oog van een naald binnen te gaan, dan voor een rijke om het koninkrijk van God binnen te gaan."
(Egbert Nierop's Dutch Peshitta translation)

Since these two are very old in their textual basis and the Byzantine tradition of Greek iotacism makes the pronunciation identical, it doesn't get much clearer.

And towards Aramaic:

Matthew 19:24 Some scholars of the Peshitta and the Greek New Testament claim that in Matthew 19:24 as the Aramaic word for 'camel' is written identically to the word for 'rope.' an error occurred due to the translator's limitations when the original scrolls were being transferred into Greek. This would mean Matthew 19:24 commonly translated as, 'It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.' Would read 'rope' instead of 'camel'. To support this they claim that rope, is much more in keeping with the imagery of a needle, and that it is probably what Jesus said, and what was originally recorded. Saint Cyril in his commentary on the Holy Gospel according to Luke (Luke 18:25) says that camel is the term used by those versed in navigation for a thick rope, thereby both stating that the term camel is the right one and that its meaning is that of a rope and not the animal. This suggests the Lamsa 'rope' translation is the more accurate "meaning" translation and 'camel' is the more accurate 1st century "slang" translation.

 

[Gottservant]

The discipline of "philology" is applied by historians when attempting to understand the true intentions behind words spoken in a particular historical time-frame and context, rather than wrongly assuming that word definitions found in a modern dictionary necessarily apply.

For example, "deism" is often carelessly applied to the American founders without considering that most of them were not deists and, that deism was defined differently in the 17th and 18th centuries than it is today. The Declaration of Independence does not at all represent a God who doesn't interact with people, as deism is defined today.

Jesus talks about a rich man and the eye of a needle, which appears to have been a familiar scenario to the people of his time. Many if not most scholars agree this is apparently a reference to when travelers arrived at the gates of a large city like Jerusalem, they had to unload baggage off of their camels so the camel could squeeze through a small opening in the wall, This small opening was commonly known as the "eye of the needle", purposefully constructed for security reasons Mark 10:25.

Suffice it to say that Jesus says: "Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation Luke 6:24."

This is exactly what I know that another believer tried to point out (what the 'eye of the needle' meant), but another believer again said "no, that's not right, it's about sailing" - how crazy!

What makes sense, that a rich man has to unload, or that a rich man has to try really hard? To me, its obvious (a rich man has to unload)!