science

Weeping and gnashing of teeth

Weeping and gnashing of teeth is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Weeping and gnashing of teeth rather than just read about it. In short: Gnashing (חרק) of teeth (שנים) appears several times in the Old Testament, including three mentions in Psalms, one in Job and one in Lamentations. Lamentations says, of the Babylonian occupiers of Jerusalem, "שָֽׁרְקוּ֙ וַיַּֽחַרְקוּ־שֵׁ֔ן," "They hiss (שרק can also mean to weep) and gnash their teeth".

Key takeaways

Weeping and gnashing of teeth belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Weeping and gnashing of teeth to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Weeping and gnashing of teeth from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Gnashing (חרק) of teeth (שנים) appears several times in the Old Testament, including three mentions in Psalms, one in Job and one in Lamentations. Lamentations says, of the Babylonian occupiers of Jerusalem, "שָֽׁרְקוּ֙ וַיַּֽחַרְקוּ־שֵׁ֔ן," "They hiss (שרק can also mean to weep) and gnash their teeth". In all Old Testament instances, except Psalms 112:10, the gnashing appears to be an act of persecution and not suffering. The phrase "(there shall be) weeping and gnashing of teeth" (in the Ancient Greek: ὁ κλαυθμὸς καὶ ὁ βρυγμὸς τῶν ὀδόντων) 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, which yielded Matthew 8:12 and Luke 13:28. The other five occurrences (Matthew 13:42, Matthew 13:50, Matthew 22:13, Matthew 24:51, and Matthew 25:30) are all within the context of parables and are widely held to be redactional additions by Matthew. Others, however, such as some Biblical literalists, 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 7:54, in the story of the stoning of Stephen. The phrase was an expression of anger of the Sanhedrin towards Stephen before the stoning. The pseudepigraphal book of 1 Enoch contains a similar, and earlier, use of the phrase in an eschatological context which is similar to its usage in the Gospel of Matthew. The phrase is also found as an idiomatic expression in colloquial English.

"Gnashing of teeth" means grinding one's teeth together, having one's teeth set on edge, or biting down in pain, anguish, or anger.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Weeping and gnashing of teeth

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Weeping and gnashing of teeth claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Weeping and gnashing of teeth before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Weeping and gnashing of teeth ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Weeping and gnashing of teeth

In research: Weeping and gnashing of teeth appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Weeping and gnashing of teeth in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Weeping and gnashing of teeth is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Biblical phrases, Crying, Hell (Christianity), so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Weeping and gnashing of teeth outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Weeping and gnashing of teeth” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Weeping and gnashing of teeth in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Weeping and gnashing of teeth means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Weeping and gnashing of teeth out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Weeping and gnashing of teeth in simple terms?

Why does Weeping and gnashing of teeth matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Weeping and gnashing of teeth?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Weeping and gnashing of teeth.