Matthew 13:42

42 and shall cast them to the furnace of the fire; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth.

Matthew 13:42 Meaning and Commentary

Matthew 13:42

And shall cast them into a furnace of fire
Not a material, but a metaphorical one; denoting the wrath of God, which shall fall upon wicked men, and abide upon them to all eternity: which is sometimes called hell fire, sometimes a lake which burns with fire and brimstone; and here a furnace of fire, expressing the vehemency and intenseness of divine wrath, which will be intolerable; in allusion either to Nebuchadnezzar's fiery furnace, or as some think, to the custom of burning persons alive in some countries; or rather, to the burning of chaff and stubble, and the stalks of any unprofitable things that grew in the field ^F6, for the heating of furnaces, and is the very language of the Jews, who used to compare hell to a furnace; so ( Genesis 15:17 ) is paraphrased by them ^F7.

``And behold the sun set, and there was darkness; and lo! Abraham saw until the seats were set, and the thrones cast down; and lo! "hell", which is prepared for the wicked in the world to come, (arwntk) , "as a furnace", which sparks and flames of fire surrounded; (hwgbd) , "in the midst of which", the wicked fell, because they rebelled against the law, in their lifetime.''

Which is expressed in much the same language, and conveys the same ideas as here; and no wonder is it that it follows,

there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth;
declaring the remorse of conscience, the tortures of mind, the sense of inexpressible pain, and punishment, the wicked shall feel; also their furious rage and black despair.

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FOOTNOTES:

F6 Misn. Sabbat. c. 3. sect. 1. & Maimon, & Bartenora in ib.
F7 Hieros. Targum in Gen. xv. 17.

Matthew 13:42 In-Context

40 `As, then, the darnel is gathered up, and is burned with fire, so shall it be in the full end of this age,

41 the Son of Man shall send forth his messengers, and they shall gather up out of his kingdom all the stumbling-blocks, and those doing the unlawlessness,

42 and shall cast them to the furnace of the fire; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth.

43 `Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the reign of their Father. He who is having ears to hear -- let him hear.

44 `Again, the reign of the heavens is like to treasure hid in the field, which a man having found did hide, and from his joy goeth, and all, as much as he hath, he selleth, and buyeth that field.