Did Jesus Really Say "Camel"? A Critical Review of Luke 18:25

Did Jesus Really Say “Camel”? A Critical Review of Luke 18:25

“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.”
(Luke 18:25)

This verse, often cited as one of Jesus’ most radical teachings, has traditionally been understood as an extreme hyperbole: the impossibility of fitting a camel through the eye of a needle symbolizes how difficult it is for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. But upon closer examination of the historical context, the language, and Jesus’ practical teaching style, this interpretation deserves to be reconsidered.

������ Camels in Galilee?

Camels were known in the biblical world, but they were not commonly used in daily life by Galileans or Judeans in the first century. Most of the population—farmers, artisans, and fishermen—used donkeys, oxen, horses, and mules for labor and transport. Camels were more associated with desert regions or distant caravans (cf. Genesis 24:10; 1 Kings 10:2).

Jesus spoke to common people, using examples from their everyday lives. He used agricultural, fishing, and domestic imagery to explain spiritual truths. Why then would He use an animal foreign to His audience’s immediate environment to illustrate such a crucial lesson?

������ The Rope That Can Pass Through the Eye of a Needle

Some ancient Greek manuscripts suggest a different reading: instead of kámēlos (κάμηλος, camel), the word may have been kámilos (κάμιλος), meaning thick rope or cable. These words are nearly identical in Koine Greek, and a copyist error could have easily swapped one for the other. [1]

A thick rope cannot pass through the eye of a needle—unless it is unraveled, separated into individual strands. Then, with patience and humility, it can be threaded one strand at a time.

This concept carries a powerful spiritual message: a rich man, burdened with possessions, power, and pride, cannot enter the Kingdom of God in that state. But if he lets go, sheds his pride, and becomes humble like a single thread, then he can enter (cf. Matthew 5:3).

������ The Disciples Were Fishermen: They Knew Ropes, Not Camels

Many of Jesus’ disciples were fishermen (cf. Matthew 4:18–22). They knew perfectly well how to mend nets, thread needles, separate fibers, and work with ropes. For them, an image involving a rope and a needle was neither strange nor absurd—it was practical and deeply meaningful.

Jesus taught using illustrations drawn from daily life, not with improbable or ridiculous images. If the original image was that of a thick rope, the message becomes clear: you must be unraveled to enter.

������ The Talmud’s Elephant: A Possible Anti-Messianic Reaction

The Babylonian Talmud (3rd–5th centuries CE) contains a similar phrase: “to insert an elephant through the eye of a needle” (cf. Berakhot 55b; Bava Metzia 38b). This phrase is used to symbolize something absurd or logically impossible. However, it bears no connection to the daily life of Jews in Judea and may have emerged as a later hyperbole, possibly inspired by or crafted in response to Jesus’ teaching.

Given that many rabbis rejected Jesus as the Messiah, it’s not unreasonable to think that some sayings were constructed to indirectly discredit Him. Attributing exaggerated or ridiculous sayings to Jesus was one way to challenge His authority.

✨ Conclusion: Unravel to Enter

If we accept that the original word was rope rather than camel, Jesus’ message becomes more coherent, practical, and spiritually profound:

·        A rich person cannot enter the Kingdom of God while entangled in possessions and pride.

·        But if he becomes unraveled, humbled, and simple, like a thread that can pass through a needle’s eye, God can bring him in.

·        It’s not a condemnation, but an invitation to transformation (cf. Luke 18:27).

This passage should not be read as an absurd hyperbole or a fatalistic statement, but as a wise, deep image adapted to the understanding of humble people. It calls each soul to let go of excess, become humble, and allow themselves to be threaded by God into the fabric of His Kingdom.

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Notes

[1] Cf. George M. Lamsa, Gospel Light (Harper & Brothers, 1936), p. 119. Lamsa argues that in Aramaic, the word used could have meant “rope” and not “camel,” and that the Greek translation may have confused the terms.

[2] Cf. Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (IVP Academic, 1993), p. 247. Keener mentions the possibility of a textual tradition that originally used “rope.”

[3] Cf. Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 55b; Bava Metzia 38b. The expression about the elephant through the needle’s eye is used to refer to logical impossibility.

[4] Cf. Joachim Jeremias, Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus (Fortress Press, 1969), p. 122. Jeremias discusses the economic and social context of Galileans and how it relates to Jesus’ language.

[5] Cf. Bruce M. Metzger, The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration (Oxford University Press, 1992), p. 202. Metzger analyzes textual variants arising from copyist errors due to visual similarities in Greek.