13Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
The Greek that is translated as “weeping and gnashing of teeth” or similar in English is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) with heulen und vor Schmerz mit den Zähnen klappern or “weep and chatter teeth in pain.”
Also in German, the idiom Heulen und Zähneklappern (originally: Heulen und Zähneklappen), which today is used to express anger and outrage, often in a humorous context (literally “weeping and chattering of teeth”), was first coined in 1522 in the German New Testament translation by Martin Luther. (Source: Günther 2017, p. 79)
In Russian, this phrase (Плач и скрежет зубов — Plach i skrezhet zubov) is also widely-used as an idiom, although less often in a humorous content. The wording of the quote originated in the Russian Synodal Bible (publ. 1876). (Source: Reznikov 2020, p. 45)
In French, the phrase pleurs et des grincements de dents is likewise used as an idiom. (Source: Muller 1991, p. 16)
Th Greek that is translated as “gnashing of teeth” or similar in English is translated as “gnashing their teeth in pain” in Estado de México Otomi for clarity purposes (source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.).
Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 22:13:
Uma: “From there, the king gave orders, saying to his servants: ‘Bind his feet, tie his hands, throw him outside in the darkness! There he will weep and suffer/groan.’ ‘” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “So-then the sultan said to his servants, ‘Tie the hands and the feet of this man and put him outside into the dark. There the people will wail and gnash their teeth because of their regret.’ ‘” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And then the king commanded his servants, ‘Tie up his hands and feet and throw him outside, there in the darkness far away, and there he will gnash his teeth and he will yell because he will regret very much.’ ‘” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Therefore the king then said to his slaves, ‘Tie-up his hands and feet and then throw him outside where it is dark where-he-will-cry and gnash-his-teeth.’ ‘” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “That’s why the king said to his servants, ‘Bind his hands/arms and feet/legs and throw him there into far-from-ordinary darkness/dark-place outside. He will cry-loudly there and his teeth will grind.”” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “The king then said to his servants: ‘Concerning this man here, tie his feet and his hands. Throw him outside into the darkness, where there he will cry and gnash his teeth,’ he said.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “king” in English. Here are some (back-) translations:
Ninia Yali: “big brother with the uplifted name” (source: Daud Soesilio in Noss 2007, p. 175)
Nyamwezi: mutemi: generic word for ruler, by specifying the city or nation it becomes clear what kind of ruler (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Ghomála’: Fo (“The word Fo refers to the paramount ruler in the kingdoms of West Cameroon. He holds administrative, political, and religious power over his own people, who are divided into two categories: princes (descendants of royalty) and servants (everyone else).” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn))
Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo (Dinė) was determined:
“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
Attendants (Good News Translation “servants”) is the noun frequently translated “deacon” in certain other contexts, though it may have the broader meaning of “servant” or “helper.” Here it is apparently used as a synonym for “servant” of verses 1-10, though New Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, and Barclay join Revised Standard Version in translating attendants, which seems to distinguish between the two groups. Translators who wish to keep this same distinction may also say “servants in the house” or “those serving the guests.” Otherwise it is often impossible to render this term any differently than “servants.”
Hand and foot (so also Good News Translation) is literally “feet and hands.” Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation are simply following a pattern which is more natural in English, and the same thing is done in German by Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Luther 1984, and Zürcher Bibel. To Bind him hand and foot means to tie up his hands and his feet or to tie him up so he can’t even move his hands and feet.
The outer darkness is a Semitic expression which Jerusalem Bible and New English Bible more appropriately render as “out into the dark.” The same expression occurred at 8.12, and translators should see the discussion there.
There men will weep and gnash their teeth translates an impersonal construction: “There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” The same expression is used in 8.12 and is symbolic of the suffering that one endures in hell. The question that the translator must face is whether it should apply to the individual in the parable, or whether the shift is made to everyone who will finally share this horrible fate. In other words, is this phrase part of the parable, something the king says to his servants, or a general point Jesus is making after completing the parable? The context seems to suggest that Matthew intends the more comprehensive application. As Traduction œcuménique de la Bible comments at verse 11, “God’s invitation is free, but it is also demanding.” However, translators should probably not add “So Jesus concluded” at this point. And further, it is better to say “There men will weep and gnash their teeth” than to say that it is the man who will (as Good News Translation does). But the text itself allows for either interpretation.
Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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