Luke 20:17

But Jesus looked directly at them and said, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’?

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Jesus addresses the religious leaders immediately after concluding the parable of the wicked tenants. He turns his gaze directly toward them to pose a question about a written prophecy.

The words — ἐμβλέψας (emblepsas) means “having looked,” indicating a direct, intentional gaze. εἶπεν (eipen) translates simply to “He said,” marking the shift from action to declaration.

The thread — The quoted line originates in Psalm 118:22 and reappears in Acts 4:11 as a proclamation of Jesus’ identity. Isaiah 28:16 also introduces the cornerstone motif as a divinely laid foundation.

Why it lands — The text records Jesus asking for the meaning of the rejected stone becoming the cornerstone before the reader infers its judgmental function. It requires the reader to acknowledge that rejecting the appointed foundation results in destruction rather than preservation.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Greek words

King James Version

And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?

Cross-references

Psalms 118:22 The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
Isaiah 28:16 So this is what the Lord GOD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will never be shaken.
Acts 4:11 This Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’
Matthew 21:42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
Mark 12:10 Have you never read this Scripture: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
1 Peter 2:7 To you who believe, then, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”
Zechariah 3:9 See the stone I have set before Joshua; on that one stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave on it an inscription, declares the LORD of Hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day.
Mark 3:5 Jesus looked around at them with anger and sorrow at their hardness of heart. Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored.
Mark 10:23 Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”
Luke 22:37 For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in Me: ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about Me is reaching its fulfillment.”