Luke 18:25

τρήματος אBD, La[315] Ti[316] for τρυμαλιᾶς (AEFG) or τρυπήματος. βελόνης אBDL. ῥαφίδος is from the parallels.

[315] La. Lachmann.
[316] Ti. Tischendorf.

25. κάμηλον. To soften the apparent harshness of this expression, some have conjectured κάμιλον, ‘a rope;’ and some have explained ‘the needle’s eye’ of the small side gate for passengers (at the side of the large city gates), through which a camel might press its way, if it were first unladen. But (i) the conjecture κάμιλον is wholly without authority. (ii) The name of ‘the needle’s eye’ applied to small gates is probably a modern one which has actually originated from an attempt to soften this verse:—at any rate there is no ancient trace of it. (iii) The Rabbinic parallels are decisive to prove that a camel is meant because the Babylonian Jews using the same proverb substitute ‘an elephant’ for ‘a camel.’ (iv) It is the object of the proverb to express human impossibility. In the human sphere—apart from the special grace of God—it would be certain that those who have riches would be led to trust in them, and so would fail to enter into the kingdom of God, which requires absolute humility, ungrudging liberality, and constant self-denial.