4476. rhaphis
Lexical Summary
rhaphis: Needle

Original Word: ῥαφίς
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: rhaphis
Pronunciation: rah-FEES
Phonetic Spelling: (hraf-ece')
KJV: needle
NASB: needle
Word Origin: [from a primary rhapto "to sew" (perhaps rather akin to the base of G4474 (ῥαπίζω - slapped) through the idea of puncturing)]

1. a needle

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
needle.

From a primary rhapto (to sew; perhaps rather akin to the base of rhapizo through the idea of puncturing); a needle -- needle.

see GREEK rhapizo

HELPS Word-studies

4476 rhaphís – a sewing or surgical needle referred to in Mt 19:24 and Mk 10:25.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from rhaptó (to sew)
Definition
a needle
NASB Translation
needle (2).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 4476: ῤαφίς

ῤαφίς, ῤαφίδος, (ῤάπτω to sew), a needle: Matthew 19:24; Mark 10:25; Luke 18:25 Rec. ((cf. κάμηλος)). Class. Greek more common uses βελόνη (which see); see Lob. ad Phryn., p. 90; (Winer's Grammar, 25).

Topical Lexicon
Physical Object and Daily Use

A ῥαφίς was a small, pointed implement—normally bone, bronze, or iron—used for stitching cloth or leather in first-century Judea and the wider Greco-Roman world. Archaeological finds from Qumran, Jerusalem, and the Decapolis show needles under five centimeters long, pierced near the blunt end with an aperture scarcely wider than a thread of flax. Tailors, tentmakers, and homemakers kept such tools in household boxes or leather rolls. Because of their commonness and diminutive scale, they lent themselves naturally to teaching illustrations about minuteness or difficulty.

Biblical Occurrences

Matthew 19:24 and Mark 10:25 record Jesus saying, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God”. Both Evangelists preserve the same vivid comparison, placing it in the context of the rich young ruler’s departure and the ensuing dialogue with the disciples about wealth and salvation.

Rhetorical Function in Jesus’ Teaching

1. Hyperbolic Imagery: Pairing the largest animal native to the region—the camel—with the smallest aperture known to everyday life creates an absurdly impossible picture. The force of the analogy heightens the sense of utter human inability.
2. Shock and Clarification: The disciples’ astonishment (“Who then can be saved?” Matthew 19:25) shows the hyperbole achieved its purpose. Jesus immediately counters with, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26), shifting focus from human resource to divine grace.
3. Moral Inversion: Contemporary Jewish culture often viewed wealth as evidence of divine favor. By selecting the ῥαφίς, Jesus overturns that assumption, exposing how riches can tether the heart to earth and hinder wholehearted kingdom allegiance.

Historical Explanations Examined

• “Needle-Gate” Theory: A later medieval proposal suggested an after-hours gate in Jerusalem termed “the Needle’s Eye.” No early textual or archaeological evidence supports this claim; it undermines the intended impossibility of Jesus’ statement.
• Scribal Error Hypothesis: Some posit a confusion between κάμηλος (camel) and κάμιλος (“rope”). Manuscript tradition does not sustain this; extant Greek texts unanimously read “camel.” The weight of the teaching stands in keeping the extreme opposite elements.

Theological Significance

• Total Dependence on God: The ῥαφίς image underscores the monergistic nature of salvation—human merit and material security cannot pierce the barrier.
• Kingdom Ethics: Wealth is not inherently condemned, yet attachment to it is spiritually perilous. Discipleship demands open-handed stewardship and willingness to divest when the Master calls.
• Assurance of Sovereignty: The impossibility made possible in God prepares for the atoning work of Christ, where divine intervention provides the only opening into eternal life.

Implications for Ministry and Discipleship

• Preaching: The needle account offers a trenchant illustration for messages on covetousness, surrender, and divine grace.
• Counseling: It assists pastors in confronting idolatry of wealth, guiding seekers toward reliance on Christ.
• Mission Strategy: Reminds churches not to equate numerical or financial success with spiritual health; rather, the metric is obedience born of grace.

Related Imagery in Scripture

Proverbs 11:28 warns, “He who trusts in his riches will fall.”
1 Timothy 6:17 instructs the rich “not to be arrogant, nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain.”

The ῥαφίς metaphor harmonizes with these passages, reinforcing a consistent biblical call to trust the Lord, not mammon.

Summary

The ῥαφίς, though a minor tool of ancient households, becomes in Jesus’ mouth a piercing emblem of human impotence and divine omnipotence. It confronts every generation with the question: will we, like the rich young ruler, cling to possessions, or will we, by God’s enabling, thread the needle into the kingdom?

Forms and Transliterations
ραφιδος ραφίδος ῥαφίδος raphidos rhaphidos rhaphídos
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 19:24 N-GFS
GRK: διὰ τρυπήματος ῥαφίδος διελθεῖν ἢ
NAS: the eye of a needle, than
KJV: the eye of a needle, than
INT: through [the] eye of a needle to pass than

Mark 10:25 N-GFS
GRK: τρυμαλιᾶς τῆς ῥαφίδος διελθεῖν ἢ
NAS: the eye of a needle than
KJV: the eye of a needle, than
INT: eye [of] a needle to pass than [for]

Strong's Greek 4476
2 Occurrences


ῥαφίδος — 2 Occ.

4475
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