Psalms

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Psalm 112

1 Praise the Lord! How blessed is the one who obeys the Lord, who takes great delight in keeping his commands. 2 His descendants will be powerful on the earth; the godly will be blessed. 3 His house contains wealth and riches; his integrity endures. 4 In the darkness a light shines for the godly, for each one who is merciful, compassionate, and just.⁠ 5 It goes well for the one who generously lends money and conducts his business honestly. 6 For he will never be shaken; others will always remember one who is just. 7 He does not fear bad news. He is confident; he trusts in the Lord. 8 His resolve is firm; he will not succumb to fear before he looks in triumph on his enemies. 9 He generously gives to the needy; his integrity endures. He will be vindicated and honored. 10 When the wicked see this, they will worry; they will grind their teeth in frustration and melt away.⁠ The desire of the wicked will perish.

Texts in conversation

Compare Psalm 112:10 and Matthew 13:42

Hebrew Bible · New Testament

Summary

In Matthew 13, the image of the unrighteous gnashing their teeth echoes Psalm 112, where it expresses the anger of those who see the righteous vindicated. Jesus reshapes the language and incorporates it into a discussion of final judgment.

Passages

Psalm 112:10

Hebrew Bible

6 For he will never be shaken; others will always remember one who is just. 7 He does not fear bad news. He is confident; he trusts in the Lord. 8 His resolve is firm; he will not succumb to fear before he looks in triumph on his enemies. 9 He generously gives to the needy; his integrity endures. He will be vindicated and honored. 10 When the wicked see this, they will worry; they will grind their teeth in frustration and melt away. The desire of the wicked will perish.

600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

Matthew 13:42

New Testament

40 As the poisonous weeds are collected and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everything that causes sin as well as all lawbreakers. 42 They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears had better listen! 44 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure, hidden in a field, that a person found and hid. Then because of joy he went and sold all that he had and bought that field.

70–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Matthew

References

"... an even closer parallel to the “gnashing of teeth” texts in the Gospels occurs in Psalm 112:10. In contrast to Psalm 37, which emphasizes the coming judgment, the central theme here is the reward of the upright person. To the one who follows the commands of the Lord, his righteousness will remain forever (112:3). His name will be remembered fondly (112:6), and he will live to see the punishment of his enemies (112:8). Then, “the sinner shall see and be angry, he shall gnash his teeth and waste away; the desire of the sinner shall perish” (112:10). Again in the Hebrew of this psalm, Dahood sees a future setting after a resurrection. He suggests that the word חֹשֶׁךְ which is used in 112:4 to describe the darkness, from which the upright will be set free, is not common darkness, but the darkness of death. Indeed, the notion of the righteous living to see the complete destruction of their enemies seems the push the boundaries of this psalm forward, and expresses a hope in a future, permanent restitution ..."

Kim Papaioannou, The Geography of Hell in the Teaching of Jesus: Gehenna, Hades, the Abyss, the Outer Darkness Where There Is Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth (Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2013), 182.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

Psalms150 psalms

Compare Psalm 112:10 and Matthew 13:42

Summary

Passages

Psalm 112:10

Matthew 13:42

References

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