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OET (OET-LV) And furthermore I_am_telling to_you_all, it_is easier for_a_camel to_pass_through through the_eye of_a_needle than a_rich one to_come_in into the kingdom of_ the _god.
OET (OET-RV) In fact, it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a wealthy person to enter God’s kingdom.”
In this section, a young man asked Jesus what he must do to get eternal life. Jesus gave him a standard answer, which was to obey God’s commands.
The young man apparently felt that this was not enough and asked what else he should do (19:20). Then Jesus told him to sell his possessions, give the money to the poor, and follow him. The young man was rich, and he was not willing to sell his things. So he left.
Jesus then used the rich young man as an example. He explained that riches make it difficult to enter the kingdom (19:23–24). The saying of a camel going through the eye of a needle was probably a well-known proverb about something impossible to do. Without God making it possible, neither a rich person nor anyone else is able to enter the kingdom (19:26).
Jesus also gave a promise that those whom he asked to leave their possessions and family behind to serve him would receive great rewards (19:29).
Here are some other possible headings for this section:
The Rich Young Man (NIV)
A rich young man’s questions
There are parallel passages for this section in Mark 10:17–31 and Luke 18:18–30.
Again I tell you,
I say to you again,
To say it another way,
Again I tell you: The Greek words that the BSB here translates as I tell you are the same words that the BSB translates as “I tell you” in 19:23a. These words together with the word Again emphasize a second time how difficult it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Here are some other ways to translate these words:
Furthermore
To say it another way
I’ll say it again (NLT)
In 19:24b–c, Jesus compared two things. He compared a difficult thing (a rich man entering the kingdom of God) to an impossible thing (a camel going through the eye of a needle). This comparison shows that it is also impossible for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
It may be more natural in your language to translate the comparison in another way. For example:
The difficulty for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God surpasses the difficulty for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.
It is not possible for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. But the difficulty for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God surpasses even that.
It is difficult for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. It is even more difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
a camel can go through the hole in a needle more easily
it is hard/difficult for a very large animal to go/pass through a tiny hole.
a camel: A camel is a large animal that carries people and cargo in desert areas. It was the largest animal that lived in the land of the Jews.
Here are some other ways to translate the word camel:
Use the current word for camel in your language.
Spell the word camel (or the major language word for camel) as a speaker of your language will say it. Use a picture with a camel and a person in it to show how large a camel is. Or you may want a footnote to explain. A sample footnote is:
A camel is a large animal that carries people and cargo. It generally lives in desert areas. It was the largest animal that lived in the land of the Jews.
Spell the word camel (or the major language word for camel) as a speaker of your language will say it and add a descriptive phrase. For example:
a large domesticated animal called a camel
Use a descriptive phrase instead of the word camel. For example:
a large domesticated animal
the eye of a needle: The Greek word that the BSB translates as needle is a thin, sharp piece of metal, wood or bone that is used to sew cloth or animal skins. It has a small hole at one end for thread to go through and be held during stitching. That hole is called the eye of the needle. It was the smallest hole that the Jews knew.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
the hole of a needle
a sewing needle hole
than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
than a rich person can enter into God’s kingdom.”
It is even more difficult for a rich person to become a citizen of the kingdom of God!”
a rich man: This is the same term as in 19:23b. Translate it the same way here as there.
to enter the kingdom of God: The verb enter also occurs in 19:23b. Translate it the same way here as there.
Matthew rarely used the kingdom of God. More frequently he used “kingdom of heaven.” In these two verses, he used both phrases in the same context. This shows that they mean the same thing.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
to become a citizen of the kingdom of God
to become one of those who are in God’s kingdom
to be added to the people over whom God rules
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases
πάλιν δὲ
furthermore (Some words not found in SR-GNT: πάλιν Δέ λέγω ὑμῖν εὐκοπώτερον ἐστίν κάμηλον διά τρήματος ῥαφίδος διελθεῖν ἤ πλούσιον εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τήν Βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ)
The phrase And again introduces a restatement of what Jesus said in the previous verse. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces a restatement, or you could leave And again untranslated. Alternate translation: [To repeat:] or [Indeed,]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / hyperbole
εὐκοπώτερόν ἐστιν κάμηλον διὰ τρήματος ῥαφίδος διελθεῖν ἢ πλούσιον εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν Βασιλείαν Θεοῦ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: πάλιν Δέ λέγω ὑμῖν εὐκοπώτερον ἐστίν κάμηλον διά τρήματος ῥαφίδος διελθεῖν ἤ πλούσιον εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τήν Βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ)
Jesus compares a rich person entering the kingdom of the heavens with something that is impossible: a camel passing through an eye of a needle. Jesus does this to emphasize how hard it is for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of God. As [19:26](../19/26.md) shows, Jesus does not think that this is completely impossible, however. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea here in such a way that it does not sound as if it is totally impossible for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of God. Alternate translation: [consider how difficult it is for a camel to pass through an eye of a needle. That illustrates how difficult it is for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of God]
Note 3 topic: translate-unknown
τρήματος ῥαφίδος
˓the˒_eye ˱of˲_˓a˒_needle
The phrase an eye of a needle refers to the small hole at the end of a sewing needle through which the thread passes. If your readers would not be familiar with this type of tool or the tiny hole in it, you could use the name of something similar in your area or you could use a more general term for a small opening. Alternate translation: [the small hole at the end of a needle] or [a very small hole]
19:24 easier for a camel: This analogy reinforces the difficulty that wealthy people face in entering the Kingdom. A few manuscripts have a Greek word meaning rope (Greek kamilos) instead of camel (Greek kamēlos), a difference of only one letter.
• to go through the eye of a needle: The image makes the wealthy entering the Kingdom an impossibility. The situation is not utterly hopeless, however (19:26-27). See study note on Mark 10:25.
OET (OET-LV) And furthermore I_am_telling to_you_all, it_is easier for_a_camel to_pass_through through the_eye of_a_needle than a_rich one to_come_in into the kingdom of_ the _god.
OET (OET-RV) In fact, it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a wealthy person to enter God’s kingdom.”
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.