Gnash

To gnash the teeth is a gesture of rage, grief, or extreme anguish in biblical literature. In the Old Testament, enemies gnash their teeth at the righteous in hatred and contempt (Ps. 35:16; 37:12; Lam. 2:16). In the New Testament, "weeping and gnashing of teeth" becomes a repeated phrase of Jesus describing the torment of those excluded from the kingdom of God — the outer darkness, the furnace of fire (Matt. 8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; Luke 13:28). Stephen's accusers gnashed on him with their teeth in fury before stoning him (Acts 7:54). The image conveys extreme emotional and physical distress.