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NASB | Matthew 23:24 "You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 23:24 "You [spiritually] blind guides, who strain out a gnat [consuming yourselves with miniscule matters] and swallow a camel [ignoring and violating God's precepts]! [Lev 11:24; 27:30; Mic 6:8] |
Bible Question: What did Jesus mean by "filtering out a gnat and swalloing a camel"? (Amplified translation). |
Bible Answer: According to the Bible Background Commentary, the analogy is in reference to this: The hyperbole here is humorous and would certainly catch ancient hearers’ attention. Wanting to avoid the impurity caused by a dead insect in their drink, Pharisees would strain out an insect as small as a fly (and anything larger than a lentil) before it could die in order to preserve the fluid (cf. Leviticus 11:32, 34). Pharisees considered gnats, which were smaller than lentils, exempt from this impurity, but the scrupulous Pharisee of Jesus’ hyperbole would not have taken any chances. Yet Jesus charges hyperbolically that they would leave a camel (the largest land animal in Palestine and ritually unclean) in the cup and gulp it down. Their attention to the law’s details was fine, but they had missed the main point (Matthew 23:23). Jesus was pointing out that they were too caught up in some details of the law while neglecting the full meaning. This does not mean that one area is more important than the other, but equal attention must be given to all parts. For example, just because you tithe does not mean you can neglect showing justice, mercy and faithfulness. |
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Questions and/or Subjects for Matt 23:24 | Author | ||
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GRK | ||
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ekip | ||
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Dalila | ||
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christian7 | ||
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sis.love |