Strain at

The phrase "strain at a gnat" in Matthew 23:24 (AV) — "Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel" — is actually a misprint or mistranslation in the 1611 King James Version. The correct rendering, as the Revised Version restores, is "strain out a gnat" (diulizontes = straining or filtering out). The image is of the Pharisees' meticulous practice of filtering wine through cloth to avoid accidentally swallowing an insect, which was ritually unclean — while metaphorically swallowing a camel, the largest of unclean animals.

Jesus's point is the absurdity of scrupulous attention to minor ritual details (straining out gnats) while ignoring the weightier matters of the law — justice, mercy, and faithfulness (Matt. 23:23). The proverb became proverbial in English speech via the KJV's familiar text, though the correct rendering is "strain out" rather than "strain at."