κάμηλος

κάμηλος, ου, ὁ and ἡ (of Semitic origin, cp. Hebr. גָּמָל; Aeschyl., Hdt.; ins, pap, LXX, TestSol, TestJob, Philo; Jos., Ant. 1, 252; 8, 167 al.; Ath., R. 12 p. 61, 11) camel τρίχες καμήλου camel’s hair Mt 3:4; Mk 1:6; GEb 13, 79 (here there is naturally no thought of the soft τρίχες καμήλου from which the garments of distinguished people are made acc. to Ctesias [IV B.C.]: 688 Fgm. 10 Jac.). Proverbially εὐκοπώτερόν ἐστιν κάμηλον διὰ τρυπήματος [vv.ll. τρήματος, τρυμαλίας] ῥαφίδος διελθεῖν it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye of someth. impossible, w. the contrast emphasized greatly, perh. also with a humorous twist because of the hump involved (for a proverb comparing someth. very small w. someth. very large, cp. Lucian, Ep. Sat. 1, 19 μύρμηξ ἢ κάμηλος): the largest animal and the smallest opening Mt 19:24; w. variations Mk 10:25 and Lk 18:25 (s. κάμιλος; GAicher, Kamel u. Nadelöhr 1908; ERostan, Les Paradoxes de Jésus 1908, 11ff; WBleibtreu [s. μισέω 2] 17f; RLehmann u. KLSchmidt, ThBl 11, ’32, 336–40; EBöklen, Deutsches Pfarrerblatt 37, ’33, 162–65; CLattey, Verb. Dom. 31, ’53, 291f; EBest, ET 82, ’70, 83–89; JDerrett, NTS 32, ’86, 465–70). To strain out a gnat τὴν δὲ κ. καταπίνειν but swallow a camel=be over-zealous in small matters and careless in important ones Mt 23:24 (s. κώνωψ.—The camel is contrasted w. the elephant in Phalaris, Ep. 86; Ps.-Libanius, Ep. 1597, 1 ed. F. XI p. 593, 1.—Artem. 4 p. 199, 9 explains that camel and elephant would have the same mng. in figurative interpretation).—JSauer, in Studies in the History and Archeology of Jordan V ’95, 39–48.—BHHW II 923; Pauly-W. X 2, 1824–32; B. 189f. OEANE I 406–8. EDNT. DELG. M-M. TW.