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Matthew 23:24
Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat,
A long condemnation of the religious leaders of the time. their focusing on small things, not big ones.
Matthew 23:24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
Matthew 23:24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
Blind guides, filtering for that gnat, that, however, camel? Drinking it down.
Greek
Greek Word Order
ὁδηγοὶ τυφλοί, διυλίζοντες τὸν κώνωπα τὴν δὲ κάμηλον καταπίνοντες.
guides Blind , filtering for that gnat, that, however, camel? Drinking it down.
Don't worry about small mistakes. Avoid the big ones.
Lost in Translation
This verse, clearly humorous, may seem out of place in what the KJV translates as an angry diatribe, but it fits perfectly into the entertaining arguments that Jesus actually was making when correctly translated. This is the second time that he uses the name, "blind guides," in this section. Three of the words, "gnat," "strain," and "swallow," are only used by Jesus here. The "gnat" and "camel" both representing violations of the law, but contrasting their size.
The issue here is that Jewish law forbids eating most flying insects, except those like grasshoppers and crickets. According to Jewish law, camels are prohibited as food just like flying insects. As we saw in Matthew 19:24, the camel is Jesus's go-to image for describing a large size.
The language is straightforward, but the word translated as "swallow" literally means "drink down." This makes the joke more clear since no one drinks a camel.
Vocabulary (Greek word by word)
ὁδηγοὶ [3 verses](noun pl masc voc/nom) "Guides" is hodegos, which means "guide" and "pilot."
τυφλοὶ [15 verses](adj pl masc voc/nom) "Blind" is typhlos, which means "blind," "lacking vision of the future," [of things]"dim," "obscure," "dark," [of passages] "blind," "enclosed," "with no outlet," and is a metaphor for lacking sense."
διυλίζοντες [1 verse] (part pl pres act masc nom) "Strain" is from diylizo, which means "strain," and "filter thoroughly."
τὸν [821 verses](article sg masc acc) "Untranslated is the Greek definite article, "the."
κώνωπα [1 verse] (noun sg masc acc) "Gnat" is konops, which means "gnat," and "mosquito."
τὴν Untranslated is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." Here it is separated from the noun by a conjunction.
δὲ [446 verses](conj)"And" is from de which means "but" and "on the other hand." It is the particle that joins sentences in an adversarial way but can also be an explanation of cause ("so").
κάμηλον [4 verses] (noun sg masc acc) "Camel" is from kamelos, which means "camel."
καταπίνοντες. [1 verse](part pl pres act masc nom) "Swallow" is from katapino, which means "gulp," "swallow down," "absorb," "consume," "spend," and "waste in tippling."
KJV — word by word
Ye e - This is from the vocative form of the noun, "blind guides," that means it names the person being talked to.
blind - "Blind" is a word that means both physically and mentally blind. It also means all things that are obscure. It is also a metaphor for disabilities of the other senses.
guides, - "Guides" is from a noun, which means "guide" and "pilot" in the sense of the person that guides a ship through dangerous waters.
which - -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "which" in the Greek source. It was added because the next verb was translated as active rather than a participle.
strain - (WF) The word translated as "strain" means "strain" and "filter thoroughly." It is not an active verb, but in the form of an adjective, a participle, "filtering." This is an uncommon word in Greek generally, but probably more common among the Jews because of their dietary rules.
at -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "at" in the Greek source. The prefix of the verb means "for" with an accusative object.
a -- (WW) The word translated as "a" is the Greek definite article, "the," without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more.
gnat, - The word for "gnat" means a gnat or mosquito. The issue here is that Jewish law prohibits eating insects.
and -- (WW) The Greek word translated as "and" means "but," "however," and "on the other hand." It joins phrases in an adversarial way. Since it always falls in the second position, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better.
swallow - (WF) The word for "swallow" means "gulp," and "swallow down." It is a form of the word meaning "drink" (literally, "drink down"). Again, it is not in the form of an active verb, but an adjective, "gulping."
a -- (WW) The word translated as "a" is the Greek definite article, "the," without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more.
camel. -- The word translated a "camel" means "camel."
NIV — word by word
You - This is from the vocative form of the noun, "blind guides," that means it names the person being talked to.
blind - "Blind" is a word that means both physically and mentally blind. It also means all things that are obscure. It is also a metaphor for disabilities of the other senses.
guides, - "Guides" is from a noun, which means "guide" and "pilot" in the sense of the person that guides a ship through dangerous waters.
You -- - (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "you" in the Greek source.
strain - (WF) The word translated as "strain" means "strain" and "filter thoroughly." It is not an active verb, but in the form of an adjective, a participle, "filtering." This is an uncommon word in Greek generally, but probably more common among the Jews because of their dietary rules.
out -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "out" in the Greek source. The prefix of the verb means "for" with an accusative object.
a -- (WW) The word translated as "a" is the Greek definite article, "the," without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more.
gnat, - The word for "gnat" means a gnat or mosquito. The issue here is that Jewish law prohibits eating insects.
but -- The Greek word translated as "but" means "but," "however," and "on the other hand." It joins phrases in an adversarial way. Since it always falls in the second position, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better.
swallow - (WF) The word for "swallow" means "gulp," and "swallow down." It is a form of the word meaning "drink" (literally, "drink down"). Again, it is not in the form of an active verb, but an adjective, "gulping."
a -- (WW) The word translated as "a" is the Greek definite article, "the," without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more.
camel. -- The word translated a "camel" means "camel."