Markus 1:15

1:15 He ¹  said, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God ²  is near. Repent and believe the gospel!”

Markus 10:25

10:25 It is easier for a camel ³  to go through the eye of a needle ⁴  than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

[1:15]  ¹ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:15]  ² sn The kingdom of God is a reference to the sovereign activity of God as he rules over his creation and brings his plans to realization.

[10:25]  ³ tc A few witnesses (˹³ 28 579 pc) read κάμιλον (kamilon, “rope”) for κάμηλον (kamhlon, “camel”), either through accidental misreading of the text or intentionally so as to soften Jesus’ words.

[10:25]  ⁴ sn The referent of the eye of a needle is a sewing needle. (The gate in Jerusalem known as “The Needle’s Eye” was built during the middle ages and was not in existence in Jesus’ day.) Jesus was speaking rhetorically to point out that apart from God’s intervention, salvation is impossible (v. 27).