Mar 10:25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye...
Mar 10:25 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.
Alternative: It is happier work for a rope to go through the eye of a needle than for the opulent to enter into divine rule.
For the first part of this phrase, there is a number of explanations offered here. The two most popular ideas are that it refers to a camel going through a narrow gate in Jerusalem or that the word for "camel" also means "rope" in Aramaic. In any case, the idea of something too large going into something small is the same, an idea consistent with Christ's teaching the the entrance to divine rule is narrow.
In the last part of the phrase, Christ advances his description of the wealthy. While in two previous verses, Christ talked about "men with property" and then "men persuaded by property," here those people are described as the opulent, plousios, those who are abundantly supplied with wealth. These three repetitions follow three aspects of our temporal life. Men with property represent the physical aspect. Men persuaded by property is the mental aspect. The display of the opulent is the relationship/emotional aspect.
The overall message is consistent with the idea that those who have too much invested in the temporal world cannot find their way in the spiritual world. If any of the three aspects of our our temporal life dominate us, we cannot escape from them into the spiritual.
"Easier" is from eukopos (eukopo), which means "easy." The word is used primarily in the New Testament. It is a compound eu, the word for "well," "thoroughly," "competently," "fortunately," and "happily," and kopos, which means "striking," "beating," "toil and trouble," "fatigue," and "work."
"Camel" is from kamêlos (kamelos), which means "camel." It is originally of Hebrew or Aramaic origin (gamal).
"To go" is from eiserchomai, which means both "to go into," "to come in," "to enter," "to enter an office," "to enter a charge," (as in court) and "to come into one's mind."
"Through" is from dia (dia) which means "through," "in the midst of," "in a line (movement)," "throughout (time)," "by," "among," and "between."
"Eye" is from trymalia (trymalia), which means "hole."
"Needle" is from rhaphis (rhaphis), which means "needle."
"Rich man" is from plousios (plousios), which means "rich," and "opulent." It very much has the sense of ostentatiously rich.
"Kingdom" is from basileia (basileia), which means "kingdom," "dominion," "hereditary monarchy," "kingly office," (passive) "being ruled by a king," and "reign."
