δυσκόλως

From the study of Matthew 19:23

Range of meaning

'With difficulty, hardly.' It is the adverb of duskolos, which originally meant 'hard to please' (a fussy eater, per LSJ), then generally 'difficult, troublesome, hard to deal with'. In the New Testament the adverb occurs only in this saying and its parallels (Mark 10:23; Luke 18:24), and the adjective only at Mark 10:24.

Against the English

BSB/NIV/NASB 'it is hard for' and ESV 'only with difficulty will' are accurate. KJV/YLT 'hardly' was accurate in 1611 ('with hardness, with difficulty'), but a modern reader hears 'scarcely' or 'barely' (see drift). NLT's 'very hard' adds a little intensity.

How it drifted

Only the English has shifted: 'hardly' moved from 'with difficulty' toward 'scarcely, almost not'.

Used elsewhere in the period

Common in classical and later Greek. Menander's comedy Dyskolos ('The Grouch') uses the adjective for a cantankerous man. Writers of the period apply it to things that are troublesome or hard to manage.

From the study of Luke 18:24

Range of meaning

Adverb from δύσκολος. Lexicons such as LSJ trace that word to a root meaning 'hard to please about food', which came to mean 'peevish, hard to deal with' and then simply 'difficult'. The adverb means 'with difficulty, hardly, laboriously'.

Against the English

KJV/YLT 'how hardly', i.e. 'with what difficulty'. Modern versions: 'how hard it is'. The modern versions are accurate. The KJV's wording has drifted (see drift).

How it drifted

In older English 'hardly' meant 'with hardship, with difficulty'. Today it means 'scarcely, barely', which makes the KJV sound as if the rich barely make it in.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the NT this adverb appears only in this saying (Matt 19:23; Mark 10:23; Luke 18:24). The adjective appears in Mark 10:24. Common in classical and Hellenistic Greek for tasks or people that are hard to handle (BDAG, LSJ).

From the study of Mark 10:23

Range of meaning

With difficulty, hardly, only with great effort. The related adjective δύσκολος first meant 'hard to please, peevish, fussy' (in classical Greek, often about people who are fussy about food or hard to get along with), and later came to mean 'difficult' about tasks and things.

Against the English

KJV/YLT 'hardly' meant 'with difficulty' in 1611. Today 'hardly' means 'scarcely, almost not', which can make KJV readers hear 'they will scarcely enter at all'. Modern 'how hard it is' (BSB) and 'how difficult' (WEB) give the right sense.

How it drifted

The English adverb 'hardly' changed meaning. Its older sense 'with hardness/difficulty' gave way to 'barely, scarcely' in modern usage.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the New Testament the adverb appears only in this saying and its parallels (Matt 19:23; Luke 18:24), and the adjective only at Mark 10:24. Classical writers such as Aristophanes and Plato use δύσκολος for difficult or ill-tempered people. Later Greek, including the papyri, uses it for difficult circumstances (LSJ, BDAG).