Gnat

The gnat is mentioned in two significant biblical contexts. (1.) In the plagues of Egypt, the third plague was an infestation of gnats or lice (Hebrew kinnim), produced when Aaron struck the dust of the earth at God's command (Ex. 8:16–19). The Egyptian magicians could not replicate this plague and declared, "This is the finger of God." (2.) Jesus uses the gnat as an image of meticulous fastidiousness in his rebuke of the Pharisees: "Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel" (Matt. 23:24) — condemning their scrupulous tithing of kitchen herbs while neglecting the weightier matters of justice, mercy, and faithfulness. The gnat was among the smallest of creatures; the contrast with the camel (the largest land animal in Palestine) makes the hypocrisy vivid.