A grating (of the teeth)
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The Greek noun brygmos means gnashing or grinding, especially the grinding of teeth. In the New Testament it appears in the repeated expression weeping and gnashing of teeth within Jesus' warnings about exclusion and judgment.
Reader summary
Full entry for βρυγμός (G1030) · Open the biblical lexicon
The Greek noun brygmos means gnashing or grinding, especially the grinding of teeth. In the New Testament it appears in the repeated expression weeping and gnashing of teeth within Jesus' warnings about exclusion and judgment.
The BSB source-word alignment has 7 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include gnashing (7).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 8:12. Its strongest book concentrations include Matthew (6), Luke (1).
The Greek noun brygmos means gnashing or grinding, especially the grinding of teeth. In the New Testament it appears in the repeated expression weeping and gnashing of teeth within Jesus' warnings about exclusion and judgment. Matthew uses the phrase across parables and sayings concerning the kingdom, accountability, readiness, and rejected presumption. Luke also places it in a warning about seeing the patriarchs and prophets in God's kingdom while some are cast out.
The noun describes an intense response, but the texts do not explain whether each feature should be reconstructed as a medical, psychological, or mechanically literal condition. The phrase should retain its severe eschatological force without becoming material for graphic speculation, entertainment, or threats aimed at a selected group. Responsible teaching follows each saying's audience, warning, and call to response.
It does not diagnose ordinary tooth grinding, anxiety, sleep bruxism, grief, anger, or disability as evidence of condemnation, and it never uses judgment imagery to terrorize children or control vulnerable people.
Brygmos occurs in Jesus' repeated warning phrase about weeping and gnashing of teeth, communicating severe exclusion and judgment within particular kingdom sayings and parables.
But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Jesus warns that presumed heirs may be cast into outer darkness amid weeping and gnashing of teeth.
And they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The explanation of the weeds describes final removal into a fiery furnace with weeping and gnashing.
And throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The net parable's conclusion repeats the furnace and gnashing warning in final separation imagery.
Then the king told the servants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
The wedding-banquet parable ends with an improperly clothed guest expelled into outer darkness.
Then he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The unfaithful servant receives judgment among hypocrites after abusing others and presuming on delay.
And throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
The unprofitable servant is cast into outer darkness at the conclusion of the entrusted-resources parable.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. Teeth grinding expressing anguish and rage, typically depicting judgment or exclusion in eschatological contexts.
Teeth grinding expressing anguish and rage, typically depicting judgment or exclusion in eschatological contexts.
(βρύχω), [in LXX: Pro.19:12 (נַהַם), Sir.51:3 * ;] a biting, a gnashing of teeth: Mat.8:12 13:42, 50 22:13 24:51 25:30, Luk.13:28.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
7 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
a grinding or gnashing
Read versea grinding or gnashing
Read versea grinding or gnashing
Read versea grinding or gnashing
Read versea grinding or gnashing
Read versea grinding or gnashing
Read versea grinding or gnashing
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 1 case and number pattern. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 1 selected witness from 7 lexical occurrence verses.
βρυγμός is built from this root:
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Brygmos belongs to a concentrated Gospel warning formula rather than a general vocabulary lesson about teeth. Jesus uses weeping and gnashing of teeth to communicate the dreadful seriousness of exclusion from the kingdom and final accountability. The surrounding sayings challenge presumed status, unresponsiveness, abusive service, failure of readiness, and unfaithful stewardship.
Because the phrase recurs, readers may compare its force, but they should not make every parable identical or build a detailed geography and physiology from one repeated image. The warnings are meant to summon humble response and faithful action under God's judgment. They are not weapons by which a teacher declares disliked people damned, frightens children with invented scenes, or controls a congregation through panic.
Ordinary bruxism, jaw pain, anxious clenching, grief, rage, neurological conditions, and sleep disorders are not spiritual evidence of final exclusion. Faithful teaching can speak clearly about judgment while also speaking with tears, patience, and honesty about what remains unstated. It directs present hearers toward repentance, mercy, and faithful stewardship rather than morbid speculation or surveillance of bodily symptoms.
Matt.24.51
Brygmos is a Greek action noun for gnashing or grinding, used in the New Testament with teeth in a fixed warning expression. The collocation supplies an image of intense response, while the noun alone does not specify motive, duration, or physical mechanism.
Old Testament texts can describe enemies grinding teeth or use bodily imagery in judgment and lament, but they employ different vocabulary and settings. Canonical comparison should preserve differences between present hostility, poetic prayer, and final kingdom warning.