An endoscopic suturing machine is provided with a housing, with a housing upper part (2, 4) for accommodating drives (20, 50, 60 and 80) for the stitch-forming tools (11, 12), with a housing shaft (3) adjoining same for accommodating a device for transmitting the movements generated by the drives (20, 50, 60 and 80) to the stitch-forming tools (11, 12). The forming tools include at least a needle (11) and a shuttle (12), which cooperates with the needle. The shuttle or looper can be moved after grasping the thread loop along a multidimensional path of movement from its position which is located under the material being sewn and grasps the thread loop into a position which is located above the material being sewn and in which the thread triangle formed by the thread loop led onto the upper side of the material being sewn surrounds the projection of the path of the needle (FIG. 5).
