"at a gnat"

From a message by a Curious Questioner--
>CQ> Subj: KJV (1611)

>CQ> There are demonstratible errors in the AV.

(No, but there's demonstrable erata in some messages here. :)

>>QU> I'd be most curious how you "prove" or "demonstrate" the errors in the AV - which manuscripts are you going to use to "demonstrate" this?

>CQ> As an example, Matt 23:24 in the AV says "strain at a gnat" instead of "strain out a gnat". Admittedly this is a printer's error, since the translators knew better than this. But for some reason it has never been corrected.

Possibly the people that strain at such things don't realize that when you pour a liquid through a filter, the liquid goes through and any substantial substance stops at the filter. The greek "dia" can mean through or "at", but is never translated "out." (The expression "enter ye in at" is correct; "enter ye in out" is not correct. :)

The LORD provided us with an out-standing example of straining at a gnat last (1995) summer: A small "bird" standing out in our yard on a rock wall, launched itself upward flapping its wings furiously, expending a great quantity of energy as it STRAINED upward wildly gyrating, trying to catch a gnat in mid-flight. It then fluttered WEEKLY back down to REST a bit, and then several times repeated its exhausting attempts to strain at a gnat. What little nourishment it could obtain from such a tiny morsel was far out-weighed by the strain.

(As the strain wears it OUT, does it wonder, "Where's it AT?" :)

Before the AT gets you stressed-out as you STRAIN at such a little gnat as the goodly word "at"; consider the cost of such fluttering and compare it with the benefit, if any, of such vain criticism.

(Wouldn't you rather snack on a camel-shaped animal cracker? :)

Remember that Jesus is the Lord and receive the word of God as it is in truth, the word of God, and not the word of men. Grace be to them that receive the love of the truth for Jesus' sake. Amen. --Richard