Mark 10:25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye...

Spoken to
Apostles

Jesus says that those with riches will enter the sky realm with nothing and that the kingdom is hard to enter.

KJV

Mark 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.

NIV

Mark 10:25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.

LISTENERS HEARD

It is easier:  a camel to enter through a hole of a needle than a rich person to enter into the realm of the Divine.

LOST IN TRANSLATION

This verse carried forward the light-hearted but ironic tone of the previous few verses only with a comical image. Greek sources differ on the word translated as "go through" in both this verse and the parallel in Matthew 19:24. In some, it is the same as the word "enter" into the realm of the Divine. In others, it is the same root, with the word meaning "through" as its prefix instead of the word meaning "into."

The explanation of this verse that first with Jesus has been saying is that it is a reference to a camel going through a narrow gate in Jerusalem, where it had to be unloaded first and get on its knees. This is perfectly consistent with the correct translation of Mark 10:23, that the rich must enter the realm of the Divine with nothing.  And of the previous verse, that entering the realm is unpleasant. This is all consistent with Jesus's references to entering by "the narrow gate" in Matthew 7:13, Matthew 7:14, and Luke 13:24. All these verses use the same verb for "enter" that is mistranslated here.

The word translated as "eye" here is means "hole," not "eye."  It is only used twice, once here and in the parallel verse in Luke 18:25.

MY TAKE

Getting into the realm is always a tight squeeze.

GREEK ORDER

 

εὐκοπώτερόν ἐστιν   κάμηλον    διὰ           τρυμαλιᾶς       ῥαφίδος       διελθεῖν     
easier             It is      a camel     through  a hole             of a needle  to enter

          πλούσιον     εἰς   τὴν βασιλείαν      τοῦ θεοῦ      εἰσελθεῖν.
than a rich one       into the realm        of the Divine.  to enter

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES
6
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "and" should be something more like "but" or "however."
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "for" doesn't exist in the source.
  • CW --Confusing Word -- This is not the common word usually translated as "man."
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "eye" is not the common word usually translated as "eye."
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "the" before "eye" doesn't exist in the source.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" is not shown in the English translation.
# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES
6
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "but" is not shown in the English translation.
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "for" doesn't exist in the source.
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "eye" is not the common word usually translated as "eye."
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "the" before "eye" doesn't exist in the source.
  • IP - Inserted Phrase-- The phrase "for someone who is" doesn't exist in the source.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" is not shown in the English translation.
EACH WORD of KJV

It -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the verb.

is - The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics.

easier  -- The word translated as "easier" is a compound word. It means "easy" and "easy work." It is an uncommon word, appearing only seven times in the NT and only five times in the rest of ancient Greek literature. The prefix here means "good" or "better" because the word is comparative. The base word primarily means "beating" or "fatigue". So the sense is "better fatigue", which has the sense of "less tiring".

for -- (IW) The expected word form here is either the dative or the genitive, both of which require a preposition to express in English. The genitive is usually used in a comparison.

a -- There is no indefinite article in Greek, but when a word doesn't have a definite article, the indefinite article can be added in English translation.

camel  - "A camel" is translated from a Greek word that means "camel." It is in the form of an object of the verb translated as "to go." However, in Aramaic, a similar word means both "camel" and "rope." In Greek, they are slightly different. There is also the idea that this could be a reference to the "needle" gate in Jerusalem.  Here is a current list of articles discussing these ideas.The form of this word makes its subject of the "to go" clause because in Greek an infinitive takes an accusative object

to -- This "to" is added because the infinitive form of the verb requires a "to" in English.

go  -  - "Go through" is a Greek verb that means "to go through," "arrive," and "to pass through." It does not mean "walk."  It has a number of special meanings such as "pass" when applied to time. Its prefix is the same as the following preposition meaning "through." 

through - This completes the meaning of the verb. It is from the prefix.

the -- (IW) There is nothing in the Greek that can be translated as "the" in the Greek source.

eye  - (CW) "Eye" is translated from a Greek word that generally means a "hole" or "opening." This word

of -- This word "of"  comes from the genitive case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English.  The most common is the "of" of possession.

a -- There is no indefinite article in Greek, but when a word doesn't have a definite article, the indefinite article can be added in English translation.

needle,  - "Needle" is translated from a Greek word that means "needle." A different word for the needle is used in Luke 18:25 but the same word is used in Mark.

than  - The word translated as "than" usually means "or" but when used in a comparative, as here, means "than."

for -- (IW) There is nothing in the Greek that can be translated as "for" in the Greek source.

a -- There is no indefinite article in Greek, but when a word doesn't have a definite article, the indefinite article can be added in English translation.

rich  - "Rich" is from an adjective that means "rich," and "opulent." It very much has the sense of ostentatiously rich. Here, it is not used with an article as in the previous verse. It is the subject of an infinitive clause, like "camel" above.

man -- (CW) This is from the masculine of the previous adjective. However, the masculine form is used generically to refer to people of either gender. This is not the word usually translated as "man."

to -- This "to" is added because the infinitive form of the verb requires a "to" in English.

enter -- "Enter" is a word that means "enter," "go or come into" of an accuse "come into court," and has the double meaning of "coming into one's mind."

into -- The word translated as "unto" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, "in regards to" a subject, and "up to" limits in time and measure.

the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. 

kingdom  - The word translated as "kingdom" can be the region, the reign, the castle or the authority of a ruler. Christ does not seem to use it to mean a physical region, so its translation as "reign" or "realm" seems more appropriate. This is especially true because the "reign" of a king means the execution of his will.

of -- This word "of"  comes from the genitive case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English.  The most common is the "of" of possession.

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, "the." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more. 

God. -- The word for "God" or "the deity" is used here. This is a change from the previous verse which referenced the "realm of the skies."

EACH WORD of NIV

missing "but"  -- (MW) The untranslated word joins phrases in an adversarial way and is usually translated as "but." Since it always falls in the second position, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better.

Again  - "Again" is from a word that means "back," "backward," "contradiction," "again," "once more," and "in turn." It means "again," when someone repeats themselves and "contradiction" when it is something opposed, which is indicated by the word above.

I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the following verb.

tell -- The word translated as "say" is the most common word that means "to say," and "to speak," but it also means "to teach," which seems to be the way Christ uses it more frequently. It also has many ancillary meanings such as "to count" ("to number" or like we might say, "to recount" a story) or "to choose for yourself." Christ usually uses this word to refer to his own speaking or teaching.

you,  -- The Greek pronoun "you" here is plural and in the form of an indirect object, "to you," "for you," etc.

It -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the verb.

is - The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics.

easier  -- The word translated as "easier" is a compound word. It means "easy" and "easy work." It is an uncommon word, appearing only seven times in the NT and only five times in the rest of ancient Greek literature. The prefix here means "good" or "better" because the word is comparative. The base word primarily means "beating" or "fatigue". So the sense is "better fatigue", which has the sense of "less tiring".

for -- (IW) The expected word form here is either the dative or the genitive, both of which require a preposition to express in English. The genitive is usually used in a comparison.

a -- There is no indefinite article in Greek, but when a word doesn't have a definite article, the indefinite article can be added in English translation.

camel  - "A camel" is translated from a Greek word that means "camel." It is in the form of an object of the verb translated as "to go." However, in Aramaic, a similar word means both "camel" and "rope." In Greek, they are slightly different. There is also the idea that this could be a reference to the "needle" gate in Jerusalem. Here is a current list of articles discussing these ideas. The form of this word makes its subject of the "to go" clause because in Greek an infinitive takes an accusative object

to -- This "to" is added because the infinitive form of the verb requires a "to" in English.

go  -  - "Go through" is a Greek verb that means "to go through," "arrive," and "to pass through." It does not mean "walk."  It has a number of special meanings such as "pass" when applied to time. Its prefix is the same as the following preposition meaning "through." 

through - This completes the meaning of the verb. It is from the prefix.

the -- (IW) There is  nothing in the Greek that can be translated as "the" in the Greek source.

eye  - (CW) "Eye" is translated from a Greek word that generally means a "hole" or "opening."

of -- This word "of"  comes from the genitive case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English.  The most common is the "of" of possession.

a -- There is no indefinite article in Greek, but when a word doesn't have a definite article, the indefinite article can be added in English translation.

needle,  - "Needle" is translated from a Greek word that means "needle." A different word for the needle is used in Luke 18:25 but the same word is used in Mark.

than  - The word translated as "than" usually means "or" but when used in a comparative, as here, means "than."

for someone who is -- (IP) There is  nothing in the Greek that can be translated as "for someone who is" in the Greek source.

rich  - "Rich" is from an adjective that means "rich," and "opulent." It very much has the sense of ostentatiously rich. Here, it is not used with an article as in the previous verse. It is the subject of an infinitive clause, like "camel" above.

to -- This "to" is added because the infinitive form of the verb requires a "to" in English.

enter -- There is nothing in the Greek that can be translated as "to9 enter" in the source we use today but it does exist in the source that the KJV translators used.

missing "into"  -- (MW) The untranslated word "into" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, "in regards to" a subject, and "up to" limits in time and measure.

the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. 

kingdom  - The word translated as "kingdom" can be the region, the reign, the castle or the authority of a ruler. Christ does not seem to use it to mean a physical region, so its translation as "reign" or "realm" seems more appropriate. This is especially true because the "reign" of a king means the execution of his will.

of -- This word "of"  comes from the genitive case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English.  The most common is the "of" of possession.

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, "the." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more. 

God. -- The word for "God" or "the deity" is used here. This is a change from the previous verse which referenced the "realm of the skies."

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV

εὐκοπώτερόν  [7 verses](adj sg neut nom comp) "Easier" is eukopo, which means "easy" and "easy work." 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."

ἐστίν.[614 verses] (verb 3rd sg pres ind act) "It is" is eimi, which means "to be," "to exist," "to be the case," of circumstance and events "to happen,"  and "is possible." With the genitive object, the sense is "belongs to." With the dative, it means "have" where the subject and object are reversed. With the preposition,  eis, , the sense is "consist of."

κάμηλον [4 verses] (noun sg masc acc) "Camel" is kamelos, which means "camel." However, in Aramaic (gamal), the word means both "camel" and "rope." In Greek, they are slightly different, kamelos and kamilos. There is also the idea that this could be a reference to the "needle" gate in Jerusalem. Here is a current list of articles discussing these ideas.

διὰ  [88 verses](prep) "Through" is dia, which means with the genitive "through," "in the midst of," "in a line (movement)," "throughout (time)," "by (causal)," "for (causal)," "among," and "between." With the accusative, it can also be "thanks to," "because of,"  "by reasons of," and "for the sake of."

τρυμαλιᾶς [1 verses](noun sg fem gen) "Eye" is trymalia, which means "hole," and "mesh." This is the female form of the neutral noun used in Matthew and Luke. 

ῥαφίδος [2 verses](noun sg fem gen) "Needle" is rhaphis, which means "needle." It is more of a surgeon's needle than a sewing needle.

διελθεῖν [68 verses]( verb aor inf act ) "Go through" is from dierchomai, which means "to go through", "complete", "shoot through" (of pain), "pass through and reach", "traverse," "arrive at", "go through in detail", "recount," of Time, "pass", "elapse," and "to pass through." It is the same base word as exerchomai above but with the prefix dia, which means "through", "throughout," and "in the midst of" and is used to describe passage through both time and space.

[92 verses](conj/adv)  "Or" is e, which is a particle used as a disjunctive, "either," "or," , or as a comparative, "than" or "rather than." It is (explam) also an exclamation, "hi!" and an adverb,(adv)  meaning "in truth" and "of a surety." It is used with comparative forms of adjective or with positive adjective implying a comparison.

πλούσιον [11 verses](adj sg masc acc) "Rich man" is plousios, which means "rich," and "opulent." It very much has the sense of being ostentatiously rich.

εἰς [325 verses](prep) "Into" is eis, which means "into (of place)," "up to (of time)," "until (of time)," "in" (a position),  "as much as (of measure or limit)," "as far as (of measure or limit)," "towards (to express relation)," "in regard to (to express relation)," "of an end or limit," and "for (of purpose or object)."

τὴν [821 verses] (article sg fem acc) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").-- The word translated as "the" [The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.

βασιλείαν [98 verses](noun sg fem acc) "The kingdom" is basileia, which means "kingdom," "dominion," "hereditary monarchy," "kingly office," (passive) "being ruled by a king," and "reign."

τοῦ [821 verses](article sg masc gen))  Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the")

θεοῦ.[144 verses] (noun sg masc gen) "God" is theos, which means "God," "divine," and "Deity."

εἰσελθεῖν [68 verses](verb aor inf act) "To go" is 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."

 

Unimportant Opinions and Imaginings

The use of the infinitive clause "a camel to go through" here has me confused. Normally with a comparative like "easier," an article would appear before the infinitive to make it act like a verbal noun, which is a word entering in "-ing" in English rather than being introduced by the "to" of the English infinitive. "It is easier, a camel going through." Or an conjunction like hoste could introduce the phrase, giving it the "for" that English translation adds. However, nether the article or the conjunction appear here.

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