The Greek adverb dyskolōs (δυσκόλως) derives from dyskolos meaning 'hard to please' or 'difficult' (from dys-, a prefix of difficulty). It appears three times in the Synoptic Gospels — Matthew 19:23, Mark 10:23, and Luke 18:24 — as Jesus' word for how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God.
Jesus' use of dyskolōs — 'with great difficulty' — is immediately followed by one of Scripture's most shocking metaphors: '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' (Matthew 19:24). The disciples, who assumed wealth was a sign of God's blessing, were greatly astonished. Jesus' point is not that wealth is evil but that it creates a powerful rival attachment that must be surrendered to enter the Kingdom. The disciples' response — 'Who then can be saved?' — is exactly right, and Jesus answers: 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'