Luke 18:25-27

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Luke 18:25 sn The eye of a needle refers to a sewing needle, one of the smallest items one might deal with on a regular basis, in contrast to the biggest animal of the region. (Although the story of a small gate in Jerusalem known as “The Needle’s Eye” has been widely circulated and may go back as far as the middle ages, there is no evidence that such a gate ever existed.) Jesus is saying rhetorically that this is impossible, unless God (v. 27) intervenes.
2. Luke 18:26 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of thought.
3. Luke 18:26 sn The assumption is that the rich are blessed, so if they risk exclusion, who is left to be saved?
4. Luke 18:27 sn The term impossible is in the emphatic position in the Greek text. God makes the impossible possible.
5. Luke 18:27 tn The plural Greek term ἄνθρωποις (anthrōpois) is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women (cf. NASB 1995 update, “people”). Because of the contrast here between mere mortals and God (“impossible for men…possible for God”) the phrase “mere humans” has been used in the translation.