A small winged stinging insect, a mosquito, spoken of in the proverbial expression, Matthew 23:24 , "Ye strain at a gnat, and swallow in a camel," which should read, as it did in the first English translations, "Ye strain out a gnat," etc. The expression alludes to the Jewish custom of filtering wine, for fear of swallowing any insect forbidden by the law as unclean, Leviticus 11:23; and is applied to those who are superstitiously anxious in avoiding small faults, yet do not scruple to commit great sins.
Although written in 1859 by William Rand, this dictionary of the Bible from the American Tract Society is still relevant today.Wikipedia
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