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Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24
#1
THE NEEDLE AND THE ROPE

???And again I say unto you, 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.??? Matt. 19 : 24.

The Aramaic word gamla means camel, a large rope and a beam. The meaning of the word is determined by its context, If the word riding or burden occurs then gamla means a camel, but when the eye of a needle is mentioned gamla more correctly means a rope, There is no connection anywhere in Aramaic speech or literature between camel and needle, but there is a definite connection between rope and needle. Eastern women when purchasing thread often say, ???It is a rope, I cannot use it???, which means it is too thick. Then again, there are ropes in every Eastern home, used to tie up burdens on the backs of men and of animals. When not used, the rope is hung on the wall or laid in a corner of the house.

The discussion about the rich man probably took place in the house. Jesus pointed to the rope in the house to illustrate what he was saying in condemning the greed of Eastern rich men, who had acquired their wealth unjustly. He said, ???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.??? Then again there are different kinds of needles in use in the East: the tiny needle for fine embroidery, the common needle for sewing which is larger, and the big needle about five or seven inches long, which working men often carry fastened to their garments or attached to the rope. A good sized cord could easily be passed through this needle, which is used chiefly for sewing large bags, rugs and tents woven of goat???s hair.

Biblical students have suggested that when Jesus referred to ???needle eye??? he meant the little gate on the wall. As there is no such gate in any oriental city called ???needle eye??? where camels could pass through, this interpretation is incorrect. Some of the ancient walled cities in the east still remain the same as in the ancient days. They have several large entrances at various parts of the wall known as ???gates.??? Men, camels , and all animals enter and leave through them. They are the only possible place a camel could enter. The Gospel says nothing of such a gate and plainly refers to the eye of a needle. Dadlil lgamla lmeal bakhrora damgata au atira dneaol lmacootha dalaha means ???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.???

The word gamla is also used in Matthew 23 : 24, but here it means camel because Jesus was talking about baka, gnat, and contrasting it with camel. In this case, both objects were alive and the hyperbole was justified, as it would not have been in Matt. 19 : 24 which would have made no sense. Everybody in the Orient knows that a camel could never pass through a needle???s eye, but that a rope might at least be forced through the eye of a large needle.

Such expressions as rope and needle, camel and gnat, are common in Eastern usage, but the comparison or contrast must have some connection, otherwise the illustration would be meaningless. The repetition of some Aramaic words in widely different contexts is largely due to a limited vocabulary. Aramaic is an ancient language, and the Gospels were written at a time when languages did not require a large vocabulary and new ideas were not prevalent. The art of writing was practically recent and printing was invented in Europe fourteen centuries later. Mark 10 : 25; Luke 18 : 25.

Gospel Light, George M. Lamsa, pp, 115-116, A.J. Holman Company, Philadelphia, 1935,
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Messages In This Thread
Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by ograabe - 06-26-2008, 11:30 PM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by gbausc - 07-02-2008, 08:40 PM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by yaaqubyl - 07-02-2008, 09:56 PM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by gbausc - 07-02-2008, 11:50 PM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by *Albion* - 07-03-2008, 12:12 AM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by gbausc - 07-03-2008, 12:58 PM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by yaaqubyl - 07-03-2008, 10:12 PM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by ograabe - 07-05-2008, 12:31 AM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by gbausc - 07-08-2008, 09:42 PM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by gbausc - 07-21-2008, 08:50 PM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by gbausc - 07-22-2008, 01:47 PM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by gbausc - 07-22-2008, 07:37 PM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by gbausc - 07-23-2008, 04:19 PM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by gbausc - 07-23-2008, 07:15 PM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by gbausc - 07-24-2008, 06:58 PM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by gbausc - 07-25-2008, 12:13 AM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by gbausc - 07-25-2008, 01:30 PM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by ograabe - 07-26-2008, 06:39 PM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by ograabe - 07-26-2008, 10:18 PM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by gbausc - 07-26-2008, 11:16 PM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by Paul Younan - 07-27-2008, 02:13 AM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by Paul Younan - 07-27-2008, 03:34 AM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by Paul Younan - 07-27-2008, 04:59 AM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by gbausc - 07-27-2008, 04:03 PM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by Paul Younan - 07-27-2008, 06:33 PM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by ograabe - 07-27-2008, 08:20 PM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by gbausc - 07-27-2008, 08:34 PM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by Paul Younan - 07-27-2008, 08:52 PM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by gbausc - 07-27-2008, 11:30 PM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by Amatsyah - 07-27-2008, 11:43 PM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by *Albion* - 07-28-2008, 04:39 AM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by gbausc - 07-28-2008, 02:21 PM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by konway87 - 05-19-2010, 12:15 AM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by konway87 - 05-19-2010, 04:34 PM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by Jerry - 05-22-2010, 05:03 PM
Re: Camel or Rope? Matt: 19:24 - by distazo - 05-23-2010, 06:58 AM

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