Bible Strands
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’?
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses the chief priests and Pharisees immediately after they have pronounced judgment on the wicked tenants in his parable (21:41). He turns their own verdict back on them by quoting Scripture.
The words — οὐδέποτε (oudepote), "surely sometime," is a negative interrogative that makes the question rhetorical: not an inquiry but a rebuke. Paired with the aorist ἀνέγνωτε (anegnōte), "you did read," it accuses them of having encountered this text and still failing to recognize its referent.
The thread — The quotation is from Psalms 118:22, set against the broader backdrop of Isaiah 28:16 (a tested cornerstone in Zion). Acts 4:11 applies the same verse directly to Jesus, confirming the identification Jesus implies here.
Why it lands — The verse places the reader in the builders' position: you have the text, you have heard it, and you still must decide whether you are the one who rejected the stone. It is a challenge to self-awareness, not a comfort.
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
Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
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.’
- 1 Peter 2:4 As you come to Him, the living stone, rejected by men but chosen and precious in God’s sight,
- Ephesians 2:20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.
- Romans 9:33 as it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”
- Mark 12:10 Have you never read this Scripture: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
- 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’?
- Zechariah 3:8 Hear now, O high priest Joshua, you and your companions seated before you, who are indeed a sign. For behold, I am going to bring My servant, the Branch.
- Acts 13:40 Watch out, then, that what was spoken by the prophets does not happen to you: