Rhaphis denotes the needle named in the comparison of a camel passing through its eye.

The attested use names the needle whose eye forms the point of comparison in sayings about a camel and entry into the kingdom of God.

1. Needle in the camel comparison · dominant

   In Mark 10:25 and Matthew 19:24, the genitive singular feminine form occurs in the phrase describing a camel passing through or entering through the needle's opening; each verse contrasts that image with a rich person entering the kingdom of God. The APB renders the relevant phrase as “the hole of the needle” in Mark 10:25 and “the eye of a needle” in Matthew 19:24.

   Mark 10:25Matthew 19:24

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the term within the comparison as “the hole of the needle” in Mark 10:25 and “the eye of a needle” in Matthew 19:24. These are whole-verse translation renderings rather than definitions.