NEEDLE’S EYE

In an illustration pertaining to entry into the Kingdom, Jesus Christ said: “It is easier for a camel to get through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to get into the kingdom of God.” (Mt 19:24; Mr 10:25) Some have held the needle’s eye to be a small gate through which a camel, if relieved of its load, could pass with difficulty. However, the Greek word for “needle” found at Matthew 19:24 and Mark 10:25 (rha·phisʹ) is drawn from a verb meaning “sew.” Also, the Greek word appearing in the parallel passage of Luke 18:25 (be·loʹne) is used to refer to a literal surgical needle. Regarding these Greek terms Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words notes: “The idea of applying ‘the needle’s eye’ to small gates seems to be a modern one; there is no ancient trace of it. The Lord’s object in the statement is to express human impossibility and there is no need to endeavour to soften the difficulty by taking the needle to mean anything more than the ordinary instrument.”​—1981, Vol. 3, p. 106.

As a hyperbole, the illustration emphasized how difficult it would be for rich men not simply to begin serving God but actually to enter into the Kingdom.​—1Ti 6:17-19; Lu 13:24.