Already Thor's billy goats were called Gnasher and Grinder, and the Bible mentions a lot "gnashing of teeth", especially in conjunction with wailing (screaming in pain like a banshee; do not confuse with whaling, although I have to admit that whaling is something even more gruesome) when it comes to the punishment of the sinners in hell (AKA the lake of fire, the fiery furnace, the Gehenna, the underworld... many expressions to mean "hell" are used throughout the Good Book).
It already struck me as a kid that there was so much gnashing of teeth in the Abrahamic Hell. As stated in, for instance, the Gospel of Matthew's parables of the weeds and of the fishing net.
The picture painted in these parables is pretty descriptive; the Judge placing the righteous on his right and the sinners on his left (or sinister, to continue with the puns), and casting the latter into the lake of fire or fiery furnace, where there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Now the original Greek word used by Matthew (if this Matthew was really the author) for gnashing of teeth (ὁ βρυγμὸς τῶν ὀδόντων) happens to be the same root (as in tooth root, get another pun?) as our scientific term bruxism:
βρυγμος noun - nominative singular masculine
brugmos broog-mos': a grating (of the teeth) -- gnashing.
Right, that was all I had to say. On how Thor's goats and the Gospels prove that bruxism is an issue as old as time (and maybe older, as seen when other apes gnash their teeth to intimidate! Even though we people are apes, we became apes that cook and still eat most of their food cooked, which led in turn to shrinking lower jaws and such TMJ issues as ill-fitting wisdom teeth and bruxism becoming a threat). I struggle with this problem (daytime bruxism, due to anger), and thus, I am having my left wisdom teeth taken out. Only those on the left, mind: that makes two.
PS. I also had my right wisdom teeth taken out in autumn of the same year (2017) - ie all four wisdom teeth taken out.
In Wikipedia:
... gnashing of teeth
The phrase "(there shall be) ... gnashing of teeth" (in the original Greek ... ὁ βρυγμὸς τῶν ὀδόντων - for βρυγμὸς, compare bruxism; ὀδόντων: teeth, compare dinosaur names like iguanodon) appears seven times in the New Testament as a description on the fate of the unrighteous ones at the conclusion of the age. It is thought to derive from a logion in the hypothetical Q source. The other five occurrences are all within the context of parables and are widely held to be redactional additions by Matthew. Others, however, believe redactional theories of the parables are speculative at best, and offer little explanation as to the meaning of this phrase, and only speculate as to why Matthew and Luke included this apparently familiar saying.
The phrase "gnash the teeth" is found in Acts, in the story of the stoning of Stephen. The phrase was an expression of anger of the Sanhedrin towards Stephan prior to the stoning.
The phrase is also found as an idiomatic expression in colloquial English
'Gnashing of teeth' is when one grinds one's teeth together. Or to have one's teeth set on edge, or to bite down in pain, anguish, or anger.
It’s intriguing that so many think of “gnashing of teeth” as a reference to physical torture. If you told me your friend was “grinding his-her teeth” I wouldn’t think, “Well s-he’s clearly being tortured.” More importantly, if we look in Acts 7, we see another reference to teeth gnashing.
When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him.
What’s most intriguing to me about this passage is that this particular language is used in reference to the religious elite and their response to the Gospel.
Why is this interesting?
Because virtually every time Jesus mentions “gnashing of teeth”, he is talking to or about the religious elite.
In Matt 8, Jesus sees the faith of the centurion and says many will come to sit at the table with Israel’s revered fathers in the kingdom of heaven, but the “sons of the kingdom,” ie Pharisees, will be cast into darkness, where they will ... gnash their teeth.
But to the Pharisees, the religious elite, He tells them they cannot escape Gehenna and offers parable after parable warning of gnashing of teeth. And what’s more, they knew definitely that Jesus was talking to them.
He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be ... gnashing of teeth.
He means on that day:
There will be many very angry people gnashing their teeth ... It is they who will probably be cursing ... (i.e. gnashing their teeth) all the way to their last breath before being destroyed.
A simple review of a few of the texts which have this phrase will clearly show that the traditional way of thinking of it as a statement of pain and suffering will be unwarranted. Our language and idioms simply are not the same as the biblical ones. Case in point:
Job 16:9-He teareth me in his wrath, who hateth me: he gnasheth upon me with his teeth; mine enemy sharpeneth his eyes upon me.
The one doing the “gnashing of teeth” has great anger towards the other.
Psalm 37:12-The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
The wicked are angry with the just and are “gnashing” their teeth at them.
Lament 2:16-All thine enemies have opened their mouth against thee: they hiss and gnash the teeth: they say, We have swallowed her up.
Israel’s enemies are angry and have attacked Israel. They are “gnashing” their teeth at Israel.
Acts 7:54-When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.
Stephen’s accusers were angry with Stephen and have attacked him. They are “gnashing” their teeth at him in anger.
So from the hermeneutical principle that “scripture interprets scripture,” we can see very clearly that when Jesus (Yeshua) says:
“There shall be ... gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom ..., and you yourselves thrust out.” Luke 13:28
He means on that day:
There will be many very angry people gnashing their teeth ... It is they who will probably be cursing ... (i.e. gnashing their teeth) all the way to their last breath before being destroyed.
There is nothing more than “anger” that is being said in this ancient phrase “gnashing of teeth” which has been misinterpreted by tradition.
So "gnashing of teeth" in the New Testament is used to refer to anger. A primary emotion that is also found in all the other vertebrates:
A rain frog puffing up and squeaking to intimidate.
A frilled lizard also emoting anger.
When it comes to our kin's way of showing our opponents that we are not to be trifled with, however, apes gnash their teeth to intimidate! Even though we people are apes, we became apes that cook and still eat most of their food cooked, which led in turn to shrinking lower jaws and such TMJ issues as ill-fitting wisdom teeth and bruxism becoming a threat.
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