GREEK · G4476
ῥαφίς
rhaphis — needle
ῥαφίς, -ίδος, ἡ (ῥάπτω, to sew), a needle: Mat.19:24, Mrk.10:25 (cf. βελόνη).† (AS)
2 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →BIBLE DICTIONARY + WORD STUDY
Needle
Original Hebrew / Aramaic / Greek connected to this term
How to read this: there is rarely one magic “true meaning” hidden behind an English word. A lexicon records a word’s semantic range. The intended meaning is narrowed by grammar, sentence, author, historical usage and context.
GREEK · G6011
βελόνη
belonē — needle
βελόνη, -ῆς, ἡ (βέλος), 1. a sharp point, as of a spear. 2. a needle: Luk.18:25 (Rec. ῥαφίς, which see). † (AS)
1 tagged verse occurrence · see every occurrence →GREEK · G5168
τρυμαλιά
trumalia — hole
τρυμαλιά, -ᾶς, ἡ (τρύω, to wear away), [in LXX: Jer.13:4 (נָקִיק), etc. ;] = τρύμη, a hole: τ. ῥαφίδος, eye of a needle, Mrk.10:25.† SYN.: τρῆμα, τρύπημα (AS)
1 tagged verse occurrence · see every occurrence →GREEK · G5169
τρύπημα
trupēma — hole
τρύπημα, -τος, τό (τρυπάω, to bore) a hole: τ. ῥαφιδος, eye of a needle, Mat.19:24 (WH, txt., τρῆμα).† SYN.: τρῆμα, τρυμαλιά (AS)
1 tagged verse occurrence · see every occurrence →GREEK · G6768
γραφίς
graphis — a pen
1. a stile for writing on waxen tablets, (Plato Philosophus), etc.: a needle for embroidering , [variant datesAnthology Palantina 2. embroidery , [variant datesAnthology Palantina (ML)
0 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →GREEK · G9012
ῥαπτός
rhaptos — strung together
1. stitched, patched , (Odyssey by Homer) 2. metaphorically strung together, continuous , of verses, (Pindar) 3. worked with the needle : ῥαπτόν, οῦ, an embroidered carpet , (Xenophon Historicus); ῥαπτὴ σφαῖρα a stitched ball, of divers colours, [variant datesAnthology Palantina (ML)
0 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →GREEK · G9722
χηλή
chēlē — a claw
1. a horse's hoof , (Hesiod):—;also, a cloven hoof , (Euripides) 2. in plural, of the talons of a bird, [variant datesTragica Adespota; of a wolf's claws , (Theocritus Poeta Bucolicus) 3. a sea-bank, breakwater , formed of stones laid at the base of a sea-wall, to break the force of the waves (so called because it projected like a hoof) , Lat. crepido, (Thucydides) 4. the spur of a mountain or ridge of rocks answering a like purpose, (Thucydides) 5. a cloven implement , such as a netting-needle;—; compare χηλεύω. (ML)
0 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →Historical dictionary entry
Used only in the proverb, “to pass through a needle’s eye” (Matt. 19:24; Mark 10:25; Luke 18:25). Some interpret the expression as referring to the side gate, close to the principal gate, usually called the “eye of a needle” in the East; but it is rather to be taken literally. The Hebrew females were skilled in the use of the needle (Ex. 28:39; 26:36; Judg. 5:30).
Scripture references
Source: Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897). Historical dictionary wording reflects the scholarship and language of its era.