Matthew 23:24 Commentary: Straining Gnats, Swallowing Camels

The Jewish practice referenced here arises from purity laws in Leviticus 11, which lists insects and larger animals as unclean. To avoid accidentally drinking an unclean insect, the stricter Jews strained their wine through linen or gauze. Gill cites the Mishnah and rabbinic sources: one who ate a whole fly or gnat was considered an apostate and subject to beating. This careful straining became a mark of piety.

At the same time, Jewish teachers debated whether the “weightier matters” of the law, justice, mercy, and faithfulness, could be set aside while meticulously tithing garden herbs like mint, dill, and cumin (Matthew 23:23). Jesus draws this contrast sharply. The gnat and the camel are the smallest and largest unclean animals known to the audience, making the hyperbole unmistakable. Vincent's Word Studies notes that Aristotle used the Greek word for “gnat” (kōnōps) for a worm found in sour wine sediment, so the insect was literally something a drinker might need to strain out.

Calvin calls this a “proverbial saying,” and Barnes adds that the camel's size makes the image deliberately ridiculous: someone straining out a tiny gnat yet swallowing an entire camel exhibits not devotion but blindness. The leaders' fixation on detailed rules, like Corban oaths (Matthew 15:6) or hand-washing traditions (Matthew 15:2), left them blind to God's call for justice and mercy. Jesus' words here are part of a larger denunciation (Matthew 23:13, 36) that unmasks hypocrisy by naming its symptoms.

The primary textual issue is the English rendering. The Greek verb diulizontes means “straining through” or “filtering out.” The King James Version reads “strain at a gnat,” which Clarke, Wesley, Barnes, and the English Revised Version regard as a misprint. Early English versions from Wycliffe (1380: “clensenge a gnat”) to Tyndale (1534: “strayne out a gnat”) to the Geneva Bible (1557: “straine out a gnat”) uniformly read “strain out.” The Cambridge Bible suggests that “strain at” might have meant “strain the wine on the occurrence of a gnat,” but notes the older reading was standard. No significant Greek manuscript variation affects this verse.

Early church fathers used this verse to warn against an overly scrupulous piety that neglected charity. Jerome and Chrysostom both cited the gnat-and-camel image as a picture of hypocrisy that could infect any believer, not just Pharisees. During the Reformation, commentators like Calvin and Geneva Bible notes applied the proverb to what they saw as the church’s focus on human traditions over God’s commands. In more recent centuries, the verse has been invoked in social justice movements to challenge Christians who emphasize personal morality while ignoring systemic oppression. The phrase “strain at a gnat” entered everyday English as a saying for fussing over details, though often without the original bite about swallowing a camel. Across traditions, the verse remains a sharp mirror for religious self-deception.

Three-point outline

1. The absurd disproportion. Jesus chooses the smallest and largest unclean animals to highlight how misplaced religious energy can become. The leaders panic over a gnat but show no alarm about a camel.
2. The root blindness. The address “blind guides” (v. 24) ties back to Matthew 23:16. They have lost the ability to see what matters to God: justice, mercy, and faith (v. 23).
3. The corrective. Jesus does not dismiss small acts of devotion (“these you ought to have done,” v. 23). He insists that the weightier come first. Proper priorities flow from a heart set on God.

Five-point outline

1. Calling out the guides (v. 24a): “You blind guides.”
2. The small strain (v. 24b): straining out a gnat, meticulous rule-keeping.
3. The large gulp (v. 24c): swallowing a camel, ignoring massive moral failure.
4. The connection to tithing (v. 23): the same leaders who tithe mint neglect weightier matters.
5. The invitation to see: Jesus exposes so that repentance can begin.

Illustration hooks

• A person who insists on a specific translation of a verse yet treats a neighbor with contempt. The gnat is the word; the camel is the relationship.
• A church that fights over carpet color or worship style while ignoring poverty in its own zip code. The strainer is busy; the camel is walking past.
• Parents who enforce screen-time rules with precision yet rarely talk about honesty or kindness. The gnat is the timer; the camel is the heart.

Questions your congregation is asking

• “Does Jesus mean we should not care about small sins?” (No, he says “these you ought to have done,” meaning small obedience matters, but never at the expense of the weightier.)
• “What are the camels I might be swallowing without realizing it?”
• “How do I know if I am straining gnats and missing the big picture?”

This passage is both uncomfortable and clarifying. Jesus uses humor, almost cartoonish exaggeration, to help us see our own blind spots. In a small group, the goal is not to point fingers at others but to let the Spirit shine a light on what we prioritize.

Discussion questions

1. Read Matthew 23:23, 24. Why do you think Jesus mentions tithing herbs right before the gnat and camel?
2. What does the image of “straining out a gnat” tell you about the Pharisees’ approach to religion? Is there anything admirable in it?
3. The camel was also unclean. What does it mean to “swallow” it rather than strain it out?
4. Jesus calls the religious leaders “blind guides.” In what ways can sincere religious people still be blind today?
5. How does this proverb connect to the other “woes” in Matthew 23, like cleaning the outside of the cup (v. 25) or being like whitewashed tombs (v. 27)?
6. Think of a “gnat” you have strained over recently. Now think of a “camel” you might be ignoring. What makes it hard to see the camel?
7. What would it look like for your community to practice justice, mercy, and faithfulness as the priority without neglecting smaller acts of devotion?