Men strain at gnats, and swallow camels!

The saying condemns misplaced moral scrutiny: someone objects intensely to a tiny fault while accepting a far greater wrong. Its image contrasts filtering out something minute with consuming something enormous.

It is used to expose hypocrisy, inconsistency, or distorted priorities. The contrast applies only where the “gnat” is genuinely trivial and the “camel” plainly more serious; it does not condemn ordinary care over small matters.

Use it as a sharp rebuke when a person or institution enforces minor rules or condemns small lapses yet ignores major misconduct. The religiously charged imagery can sound formal, emphatic, and accusatory, especially in direct address.