Mark 10:25 kjv
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.
Mark 10:25 nkjv
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."
Mark 10:25 niv
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."
Mark 10:25 esv
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God."
Mark 10:25 nlt
In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!"
Mark 10 25 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Mt 19:24 | Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. | Parallel passage, identical teaching. |
| Lk 18:25 | Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. | Parallel passage, identical teaching. |
| Mk 10:23 | And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” | Immediate context, setting the theme. |
| Mk 10:26-27 | They were greatly astonished and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” ... “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” | Disciples' astonishment and God's power. |
| Mt 6:24 | “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” | Wealth as a rival master to God. |
| 1 Tim 6:9-10 | But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare... For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. | Spiritual dangers of pursuing wealth. |
| Lk 12:16-21 | Parable of the rich fool, who planned earthly security but lost his soul. | Futility of earthly accumulation over God. |
| Lk 16:19-31 | Parable of Rich Man and Lazarus; material prosperity not equal to divine favor. | Misuse of wealth leads to judgment. |
| Prov 11:28 | Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf. | Peril of trusting in material wealth. |
| Jer 9:23-24 | Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, not the mighty man boast in his might, not the rich man boast in his riches... | Do not boast in earthly gains but in knowing God. |
| Jas 5:1-6 | Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. | Woe pronounced against the unrighteous rich. |
| Rev 3:17-18 | For you say, I am rich... But I tell you, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire... | Spiritual bankruptcy despite material wealth. |
| Deut 8:17-18 | Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’... | Warning against self-reliance in acquiring wealth. |
| Phil 3:7-8 | But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ... I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. | Superiority of Christ over worldly gains. |
| Mt 6:19-21 | Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth... but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven... | Prioritizing eternal heavenly treasures. |
| Lk 12:33-34 | Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail... | Detachment from earthly wealth for heavenly reward. |
| Eph 2:8-9 | For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works... | Salvation by grace, not human effort or wealth. |
| Jn 3:3-5 | Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God... Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. | Entry into Kingdom requires spiritual rebirth. |
| Pss 49:6-7 | Those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches, none of them can ever redeem another person... | Wealth offers no spiritual redemption. |
| Mk 8:36-37 | For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? | Valuing the soul over all worldly possessions. |
| Ps 73:12-14 | Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches. | Envy of wicked prosperity is a temptation. |
| Lk 9:23 | If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. | Discipleship demands self-denial, regardless of wealth. |
| Prov 28:20 | A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished. | Contrast between faithfulness and haste to get rich. |
Mark 10 verses
Mark 10 25 Meaning
Mark 10:25 strikingly illustrates the immense spiritual difficulty a person deeply entrenched in material wealth faces in entering the Kingdom of God. Using vivid hyperbole, Jesus compares this challenge to a physically impossible act: a camel attempting to pass through the eye of a literal sewing needle. The verse underscores that relying on earthly riches creates a significant spiritual barrier to salvation and a true relationship with God, emphasizing that humanly, such entry is impossible, thus necessitating divine enablement.
Mark 10 25 Context
Mark 10:25 is part of Jesus’ teaching immediately following His interaction with the rich young ruler (Mk 10:17-22). This man approached Jesus asking about eternal life but departed sorrowful when Jesus commanded him to sell all his great possessions, give to the poor, and follow Him. This personal failure of a well-intentioned, wealthy individual provided the direct impetus for Jesus' radical statement about wealth. Culturally, among many Jews, wealth was often considered a sign of divine blessing and favor, signifying righteousness or spiritual success. Jesus' pronouncement was therefore profoundly shocking to His disciples, challenging a deeply ingrained cultural assumption and emphasizing the profound spiritual cost of prioritizing material security over radical obedience and reliance on God.
Mark 10 25 Word analysis
It is easier for: This phrase introduces a comparative statement that sets up an extreme contrast, highlighting the profound difficulty of the following action.
a camel (κάμηλον, kamelon): Refers to the large, domesticated pack animal common in the Middle East. It represents the largest creature readily imagined to pass through a narrow opening. The established Greek text uses kamelon, referring to the animal, not kamilos (cable/rope), emphasizing the immense, bulky size of the animal in contrast to the minute opening.
to go through: Implies passage or entry from one side to another, an attempted physical feat.
the eye (τρύπηματος, trypēmatos or ὀπῆς, opēs): Refers to the small, aperture of a sewing needle. This is not an ancient gate but a literal, tiny hole, accentuating the impossible imagery.
of a needle (βελόνης, belones or ῥαφίδος, rhaphidos): A thin, sharp, small tool used for stitching. The small size reinforces the utter impossibility of the preceding image.
than for someone who is rich (πλούσιον, plousion): This directly addresses the demographic to whom the warning applies. The inherent danger for the rich is not merely possessing wealth but trusting in it, allowing it to become an idol, fostering self-sufficiency, and obstructing wholehearted surrender to God.
to enter (εἰσελθεῖν, eiselthein): To gain admittance or access; to become a participant in.
the kingdom of God (τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ, tēn basileian tou theou): Represents God's active, sovereign rule and reign, both present and future. Entry signifies salvation, participation in God's redemptive work, receiving eternal life, and living under His divine authority.
Words-group analysis:
- "easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle": This phrase is a quintessential example of hyperbole in Jesus' teaching. It creates a stark and almost absurd image of an absolute physical impossibility. Jesus employs this vivid exaggeration not to state that rich people are eternally barred from the Kingdom, but to underscore the extreme, humanly insurmountable spiritual barrier that riches often pose to their salvation.
- "than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God": This declares the spiritual reality that wealth, if it is relied upon or becomes a master, inherently makes the necessary spiritual conditions for kingdom entry—such as humility, self-denial, radical trust in God, and complete obedience—extraordinarily challenging for a human being to achieve. The emphasis is on the inner disposition fostered by wealth, not merely its presence.
Mark 10 25 Bonus section
A popular yet historically unfounded interpretation of "the eye of a needle" suggests it refers to a small, low gate in a city wall. This theory claims that a camel could only pass through such a gate by kneeling and being stripped of its burden. However, there is no historical or archaeological evidence supporting the existence of such a gate by this name in Jerusalem or anywhere else in ancient Palestine during Jesus' time. Biblical scholars universally reject this idea as a fanciful attempt to dilute the literal and hyperbolic force of Jesus' teaching. Jesus often used extreme figures of speech to emphasize a point (e.g., plucking out an eye or cutting off a hand for the sake of avoiding sin, Mt 5:29-30). Therefore, the "camel through the eye of a needle" is a clear hyperbole meant to convey human impossibility, forcing the listener to recognize that divine intervention is necessary for anyone to enter the Kingdom of God, especially those who struggle with the temptations of wealth.
Mark 10 25 Commentary
Mark 10:25 delivers a profound and challenging spiritual truth. Jesus' hyperbole, portraying the impossible passage of a camel through a needle's eye, powerfully conveys the immense human difficulty for those captivated by wealth to enter the Kingdom of God. The issue is not wealth itself but the love of it, the trust placed in it, and the self-reliance it fosters, which tragically obstruct the surrender, humility, and absolute dependence on God required for salvation. This verse does not mean no rich person can be saved, but rather highlights that, humanly speaking, the grip of riches is so strong it seems an insurmountable barrier. It emphasizes that salvation, particularly for those entangled in worldly attachments, is ultimately an act of God's sovereign grace and power, not achievable through human will or financial standing (Mk 10:27). The message compels a critical self-examination: Where is one's ultimate trust placed, and what holds supreme allegiance in the heart?