opaque (as if smoky) · adjective — vocative plural masculine
guides
ὁδηγοὶhodēgoi
G3595
a conductor (literally or figuratively (teacher)) · noun — vocative plural masculine
which strain at
διϋλίζοντεςdiulizontes
G1368
to strain out · verb — present active participle, vocative plural masculine
a gnat
κώνωπα,kōnōpa
G2971
a mosquito (from its stinging proboscis) · noun — accusative singular masculine
and
δὲde
G1161
but · conjunction
swallow
καταπίνοντες.¶katapinontes
G2666
to drink down · verb — present active participle, vocative plural masculine
a camel
κάμηλονkamēlon
G2574
a "camel" · noun — accusative singular feminine
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Matthew 19:24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Matthew 27:6-8 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood…
Matthew 15:2-6 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
Luke 6:7-10 And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him.
Matthew 23:16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the t…
John 18:28 Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest the…
Matthew 7:4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
John 18:40 Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Matthew 23:24
Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat--The proper rendering--as in the older English translations, and perhaps our own as it came from the translators' hands--evidently is, "strain out." It was the custom, says TRENCH, of the stricter Jews to strain their wine, vinegar, and other potables through linen or gauze, lest unawares they should drink down some little unclean insect therein and thus transgress (Lev 11:20, Lev 11:23, Lev 11:41-42) --just as the Buddhists do now in Ceylon and Hindustan--and to this custom of theirs our Lord here refers.
and swallow a camel--the largest animal the Jews knew, as the "gnat" was the smallest; both were by the law unclean.
John Gill on Matthew 23:24
Ye blind guides,.... As in Matthew 23:16.
who strain at a gnat and swallow a camel: the Syriac and Persic versions read the words in the plural number, gnats and camels. The Jews had a law, which forbid them the eating of any creeping thing,
Leviticus 11:41 and of this they were strictly observant, and would not be guilty of the breach of it for ever so much,
"One that eats a flea, or a gnat; they say (p) is "an apostate";
one that has changed his religion, and is no more to be reckoned as one of them. Hence they very carefully strained their liquors, lest they should transgress the above command, and incur the character of an apostate; and at least, the penalty of being beaten with for…
Matthew 23:23-28
Matthew 23:23-28
Luke 11:42, 44
23. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you pay tithe of mint, and anise, and cumin and have omitted the more important points of the law, judgment, and mercy, and faith. The latter you ought to have done, and not to have omitted the former. 24. Blind guides, who strain out the gnat, but swallow the camel. 25. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you cleanse the outer part of the cup and of the dish, but within they are full of extortion and intemperance. 26. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first what is within the cup and dish, that the outer parts of them also may be made clean. 27. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,…
(Verse 24) Blind leaders, straining out a gnat but swallowing a camel. I believe the camel refers to the understanding of the present situation, the magnitude of the teachings, judgment, mercy, and faith. The gnat, on the other hand, represents the tithing of mint, dill, cumin, and other cheap herbs. We devour and neglect these great commandments of God, while showing diligence in matters of religion that bring profit and have little importance.
Or, straining out a gnat, that is, putting from them small sins; swallowing a camel, that is, committing great sins, which He calls camels, from the size and distorted shape of that animal. Morally, The Scribes are those who think nothing else contained in Scripture than the bare letter exhibits; the Pharisees are all those who esteem themselves righteous, and separate themselves from others, saying, 'Come not nigh me, for I am clean.' Mint, anise, and cummin, are the seasoning, not the substantial part of food; as in our life and conversation there are some things necessary to justification, as judgment, mercy, and faith; and others which are like the seasoning of our actions, giving them a flavour and sweetness, as abstinence from laughter, fasting, bending the knee, and such like. How shall they not be judged blind who see not that it is of little avail to be a careful dispenser in the least things, if things of chief moment are neglected? These His present discourse overthrows; not forbidding to observe the little things, but bidding to keep more carefully the chief things.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Camel — From the Hebrew gamal, “to repay” or “requite,” as the camel does the care of its master. There are two distinct species of camels, having, however, the common characteristics of being “ruminants…
Drink — The drinks of the Hebrews were water, wine, “strong drink,” and vinegar. Their drinking vessels were the cup, goblet or “basin,” the “cruse” or pitcher, and the saucer. To drink water by measure…
Gnat — Only in Matt. 23:24, a small two-winged stinging fly of the genus Culex, which includes mosquitoes. Our Lord alludes here to the gnat in a proverbial expression probably in common use, “who strain…
Scribes — Anciently held various important offices in the public affairs of the nation. The Hebrew word so rendered (sopher) is first used to designate the holder of some military office (Judg. 5:14; A.V.,…
Strain at — Simply a misprint for “strain out” (Matt. 23:24).
Blindness, Spiritual · Exemplified: Scribes and Pharisees — Exemplified: Scribes and Pharisees
Camel, The · Referred to in illustrations by Christ — Referred to in illustrations by Christ
Ecclesiasticism · Jewish, rebuked by Jesus — Jewish, rebuked by Jesus
Hypocrisy · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Hypocrites · Described as: Exact in minor, but neglecting important duties — Described as: Exact in minor, but neglecting important duties
Insects · Mentioned in scripture: Gnat — Mentioned in scripture: Gnat
Pharisees
Tyndale Open Study Notes on Matthew 23:24
gnat . . . camel: These words form a pun in Aramaic (qalma . . . gamla), the language Jesus probably spoke.
Pharisees, The · Christ: Denounced woes against — Christ: Denounced woes against
Satire · Of Jesus against hypocrites — Of Jesus against hypocrites
Teachers · .Admonition against — .Admonition against
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
