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.
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.
Scripture References