Bible Dictionaries
Gnat
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Only in Matthew 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 out the gnat;" the words in the Authorized Version, "strain at a gnat," being a mere typographical error, which has been corrected in the Revised Version. The custom of filtering wine for this purpose was common among the Jews. It was founded on Leviticus 11:23 . It is supposed that the "lice," Exodus 8:16 (marg. RSV, "sand-flies"), were a species of gnat. Copyright Statement
These dictionary topics are from M.G. Easton M.A., D.D., Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by Thomas Nelson, 1897. Public Domain.
Bibliography Information
Easton, Matthew George. Entry for 'Gnat'. Easton's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ebd/g/gnat.html. 1897.