Luke 18:23-25 New English Translation

²³But when the man^[a] heard this he became very sad,^[b] for he was extremely wealthy. ²⁴When Jesus noticed this,^[c] he said, “How hard^[d] it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!^[e] ²⁵In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle^[f] than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

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Footnotes

Luke 18:23 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 18:23 tn Or “very distressed” (L&N 25.277).
Luke 18:24 tc ‡ The phrase περίλυπον γενόμενον (perilupon genomenon, “[When Jesus saw him] becoming sad”) is found in the majority of mss (A [D] W Θ Ψ 078 ƒ¹³ 33^vid M latt sy), and it is not unknown in Lukan style to repeat a word or phrase in adjacent passages (TCGNT 143). However, the phrase is lacking in some significant mss (א B L ƒ¹ 579 1241 2542 co). The shorter reading is nevertheless difficult to explain if it is not autographic: It is possible that these witnesses omitted this phrase out of perceived redundancy from the preceding verse, although intentional omissions, especially by several and varied witnesses, are generally unlikely. NA²⁸ places the words in brackets, indicating doubts as to their authenticity.tn Grk “him.”
Luke 18:24 sn For the rich it is hard for wealth not to be the point of focus, as the contrast in vv. 28-30 will show, and for rich people to trust God. Wealth was not an automatic sign of blessing as far as Jesus was concerned.
Luke 18:24 sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus’ teaching. See the note on this phrase in v. 16.
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.

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