The phrase “gnashing of teeth” appears several times in the Bible, usually in reference to the final judgment and those who are excluded from God’s kingdom. Understanding the imagery behind this phrase can help us better comprehend the biblical warnings about hell and the urgency of putting our faith in Christ.
Old Testament Background
In the Old Testament, “gnashing of teeth” is associated with anger, rage and despair. Job 16:9 says, “His anger tears me and gnashes its teeth at me.” Psalm 112:10 warns, “The wicked man will see and be grieved, he will gnash his teeth and waste away.” In these verses, gnashing of teeth depicts strong emotions of anger and frustration.
Literal and Figurative Usages
In the New Testament, the phrase is used both literally and figuratively. When Jesus heals the demon-possessed boy in Mark 9:14-29, the boy is described as falling down and “grinding his teeth.” This appears to be a literal grinding or gnashing due to the boy’s affliction.
But other uses of “gnashing of teeth” refer to anguish, regret and punishment in the afterlife. These are likely metaphorical usages, as spirits won’t have physical teeth in hell. The gnashing implies intense suffering, anger and despair of being excluded from God’s salvation and kingdom.
Who is “Gnashing Their Teeth”?
When Jesus uses the phrase “gnashing of teeth,” he typically does so in reference to those who are not part of God’s people or kingdom. He warns that many who assume they are saved will be horrified when they are in fact shut out of the kingdom.
For example, in Matthew 8:5-12, Jesus heals the servant of a Roman centurion and says many Gentiles will be welcomed into the kingdom while disobedient Jews will be excluded. He then says, “While the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 8:12).
This pattern is seen throughout Matthew’s gospel. Those who fail to respond rightly to Jesus and live out genuine faith will someday face agony and anger over their exclusion from salvation and paradise:
Matthew 13:41-42 – The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 13:49-50 – So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 22:11-13 – But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Matthew 24:48-51 – But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
So in Jesus’ teaching, “gnashing of teeth” refers to the excruciating regret and anger of those who did not repent and follow Him. Now they are excluded from God’s kingdom and salvation, while others feast in paradise.
Descriptions of Misery
What makes the phrase more vivid is that Jesus uses it alongside other images of misery like “weeping and mourning,” “wailing and lamenting” and being “cast into outer darkness.” The gnashing of teeth demonstrates that those in hell are suffering but also filled with impotent rage:
Matthew 13:42 – And throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 13:50 – And throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 22:13 – And cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 25:30 – And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Luke 13:28 – In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out.
The darkness, fire and anguish all communicate that hell is a place of severe distress and judgment. The gnashing of teeth conveys there is no relief or escape from this eternal punishment.
A Warning for Today
Though the imagery is grim, Jesus’ purpose in using it was not solely to disturb his hearers. His descriptions of hell reminded them of the absolute necessity to pursue salvation through him:
Matthew 5:29-30 – If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
The warnings about a fiery hell and gnashing of teeth are meant to shake people out of complacency and self-reliance. Without Christ’s atoning work on our behalf, we face God’s eternal wrath and judgment for sin. These graphic warnings prompt us to turn to Jesus, placing our faith in Him alone to save us.
The biblical doctrine of hell should make the desperate urgency of following Jesus clear. As Paul said, “Knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others” (2 Corinthians 5:11). Hell demonstrates the magnitudes of evil and divine wrath, spurring us toward salvation in Christ.
Conclusion
The gnashing or grinding of teeth is a vivid symbol used by Jesus to convey the continuous, unbearable suffering of those condemned to hell. Their anger, despair and pain will have no relief “in that place” of judgment. This grim imagery is meant to rouse us to pursue salvation through repentance and faith in Christ alone. We must follow Jesus at any cost, turn from sin and trust Him as Lord – before it is too late and teeth are ground for eternity.