Camel as a Symbol in Matthew 23 and 19
The camel appears in two distinct, vivid metaphors within the Gospel of Matthew, highlighting Jesus' teachings on hypocrisy and the difficulty of wealth in relation to the kingdom of God.
In Matthew 23:24, Jesus critiques the Pharisees, stating, "Blind guides! Straining out the gnat, but, the camel, swallowing" (Rotherham) [1]. This verse is part of a larger discourse in Matthew 23 where Jesus pronounces woes upon the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy and legalism. He condemns them for meticulously observing minor details of the law while neglecting its more significant aspects, such as justice, mercy, and faithfulness. The imagery of straining out a gnat, a tiny, ritually unclean insect, while swallowing a camel, a much larger unclean animal, serves as a hyperbole to emphasize their misplaced priorities [1]. The camel, from the Hebrew gamal, is described as a ruminant without horns, with a divided upper lip, and horny soles on its feet [2]. In Aramaic, the language Jesus likely spoke, there is a pun between "gnat" (qalma) and "camel" (gamla), which would have made the saying even more striking to his audience [3]. Rabbinic tradition also notes that camels were considered difficult to ride and had a symbolic duality of purity and impurity, chewing their cud but lacking split hooves [5]. This metaphor underscores the Pharisees' fastidious adherence to trivial regulations while overlooking grave moral failings [1].
The second significant mention of the camel is in Matthew 19:24, where Jesus declares, "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" (ESV). This statement follows a rich young man's inability to part with his possessions to follow Jesus. The disciples are astonished by this teaching, asking, "Who then can be saved?" (Matthew 19:25 ESV). Jesus responds by saying, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26 ESV). The image of a camel passing through the eye of a needle is a powerful hyperbole, illustrating the extreme difficulty, if not impossibility, of a wealthy individual entering God's kingdom based on their own efforts or attachment to riches. Some interpretations have suggested that the "eye of a needle" refers to a small gate in Jerusalem that camels could only pass through with great difficulty, often after being unloaded. However, this interpretation lacks strong historical evidence and the more common understanding is that Jesus intended a literal, impossible image to emphasize the spiritual challenge [6]. Origen, a patristic commentator, often spiritualized difficult biblical passages, suggesting that literal interpretations could present "very difficult and unlikely features" [4]. However, the plain sense of the text in Matthew 19:24 points to an absolute impossibility without divine intervention.
Both instances of the camel metaphor in Matthew serve to highlight core aspects of Jesus' teaching. In Matthew 23, the camel represents the enormous, overlooked transgressions of the hypocritical religious leaders, contrasting sharply with their meticulous attention to minor details [1, 3]. In Matthew 19, the camel symbolizes the immense obstacle that wealth can pose to spiritual salvation, emphasizing the need for divine grace to overcome human limitations [6]. These metaphors, rooted in the common experiences and language of Jesus' audience, powerfully convey his critiques and teachings.
Sources
- Matthew “Matthew 23:24 (Rotherham) — Blind guides! Straining out the gnat, but, the camel, swallowing.”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Camel — From the Hebrew gamal, "to repay" or "requite," as the camel does the care of its master. There are two distinct species of camels, having, however, the common characteristics of being "ruminants without horns, without muzzle, with nostrils forming oblique slits, the upper lip divided and separately movable and extensile, the soles of the feet horny, with two toes covered by claws, the limbs long, the abdomen drawn up, while the neck, long and slender, is bent up and down, the reverse of that of a horse, which is arched." (1.) The Bactrian camel is distinguis”
- Matthew (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Matthew 23:24: 23:24 gnat . . . camel: These words form a pun in Aramaic (qalma . . . gamla), the language Jesus probably spoke.”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 9: Gospel of Peter, Diatessaron, Origen's Commentaries — 16.THE STORY OF THE PURGING OF THE TEMPLE SPIRITUALIZED. TAKEN LITERALLY, IT PRESENTS SOME VERY DIFFICULT AND UNLIKELY FEATURES. (part 3): the kingdom of God being taken away from the Jews(1) and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits of it. But it may also be the case that the natural temple is the soul skilled in reason, which, because of its inborn reason, is higher than the body; to which Jesus ascends from Capernaum, the lower-lying place of less dignity, and in which, before Jesus' discipline is applied to it, are foun”
- Midrash Rabbah (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Midrash Rabbah, Bereishit Rabbah 60:14: “Rebecca and her maids rose, and rode upon the camels, and followed the man. The servant took Rebecca and went” (Genesis 24:61). “Rebecca and her maids rose, [and rode upon the camels]…” [Why did they ride on camels?] 47 Camels are difficult to ride. Rabbi Levi said: It is the nature of camels that they grow in the East. 48 So Rebecca and her maids were used to riding them. The Rabbis say: [Camels were used for a symbolic reason.] Just as a camel has one sign of purity 49 It chews its cud. and one sign of impurity, 50 It does not have split hooves. so Re”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 9: Gospel of Peter, Diatessaron, Origen's Commentaries — 17. MATTHEW'S STORY OF THE ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM. DIFFICULTIES INVOLVED IN IT FOR THOSE WHO TAKE IT LITERALLY. (part 2): the village over against Bethphage, to find an ass tied and its colt with it and to loose them and bring them? And how did it deserve to be recorded that He sat upon the ass and the foal and entered into the city? And how does Zechariah prophesy about Christ when he says,(2) "Rejoice greatly, thou daughter of Zion, proclaim it, thou daughter of Jerusalem. Behold thy king cometh unto thee, just is He and bringing”