Bible Dictionary
Strain at
“Strain at” in Matthew 23:24 is an old translation and should read “strain out.” Jesus used the expression to expose religious hypocrisy: carefully avoiding a small impurity while overlooking greater matters.
Definition
“Strain at” in Matthew 23:24 is an old translation and is properly “strain out.” The phrase concerns filtering out a small impurity rather than the meaning suggested by the wording “strain at.”
Biblical Usage
Jesus used the expression in His rebuke of religious hypocrisy: people carefully strained out a gnat while swallowing a camel. The contrast exposes attention to a minor matter while overlooking something vastly greater.
Historical Background
The wording “strain at” is treated in the supplied material as a misprint or incorrect rendering in the Authorized Version, corrected to “strain out” in the Revised Version.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Simply a misprint for “strain out” (Matt. 23:24).
Smith's Bible Dictionary
(So translated in the Authorized Version, but in the Revised Version “strain out,” (Matthew 23:24) which is undoubtedly the true reading.—ED.)