I Peter 2:7 · Bible study
1 Peter 2:7 Commentary: Honor for Believers, Rejected Cornerstone
Greek · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does the same Christ bring honor to believers but become a rejected cornerstone? We explore the Greek text and the double effect of faith.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The honor that Christ is to believers; the rejected-turned-cornerstone for unbelievers. Faith determines which reality we experience.
- Key words: τιμή (honor/preciousness), ἀπιστοῦσιν (disbelieving/disobedient), λίθος (stone), κεφαλὴ γωνίας (head of the corner).
- Main debate: Translation of τιμή, should it be “he is precious” or “the honor/preciousness is yours”? The Greek noun syntax favors the latter.
- Theological theme: The double effect of Christ: a stone of honor for believers, a stone of stumbling for the disobedient. God’s reversal of human rejection.
- Best use: Preaching on the centrality of Christ, the nature of faith, and the unavoidable choice that Jesus presents to everyone.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
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,”
WEB World English Bible 2000
For you who believe therefore is the honor, but for those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,”
KJV King James Version 1769
Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
ASV American Standard Version 1901
For you therefore that believe is the preciousness: but for such as disbelieve, The stone which the builders rejected, The same was made the head of the corner;
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
to you, then, who are believing is the preciousness; and to the unbelieving, a stone that the builders disapproved of, this one did become for the head of a corner,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
To you therefore who believe [is] the preciousness; but to the disobedient, the stone which the builders cast away as worthless, this is become head of [the] corner,
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
To you therefore that believe, he is honour: but to them that believe not, the stone which the builders rejected, the same is made the head of the corner:
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Ella es pues honor á vosotros que creéis: mas para los desobedientes, la piedra que los edificadores reprobaron, ésta fué hecha la cabeza del ángulo;
Assim, para vós, que credes, ela é preciosa. Mas para os incrédulos: A pedra que os construtores rejeitaram, essa se tornou a principal de esquina,
L’ honneur est donc pour vous, qui croyez. Mais, pour les incrédules,
Euch nun, die ihr glaubet, ist er köstlich; den Ungläubigen aber ist der Stein, den die Bauleute verworfen haben, der zum Eckstein geworden ist,
U dan, die gelooft, is Hij dierbaar; maar den ongehoorzamen wordt gezegd: De Steen, Dien de bouwlieden verworpen hebben, Deze is geworden tot een hoofd des hoeks, en een steen des aanstoots, en een rots der ergernis;
Per voi dunque che credete ell’è preziosa; ma per gl’increduli la pietra che gli edificatori hanno riprovata è quella ch’è divenuta la pietra angolare, e una pietra d’inciampo e un sasso d’intoppo:
Wam tedy wierzącym jest uczciwością, ale nieposłusznym, kamień, który odrzucili budujący, ten się stał głową węgielną,
Итак Он для вас, верующих, драгоценность, а для неверующих камень, который отвергли строители, но который сделался главою угла, камень претыкания и камень соблазна,
所以，他在你們 信的人 就為寶貴， 在那不信的人有話說： 匠人 所棄的 石頭 已作了 房角 的頭塊石頭。
And the value is for you who have faith; but it is said for those without faith, The very stone which the builders put on one side, was made the chief stone of the building;
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · I Peter 2:7
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
The commentators agree that this verse draws a sharp contrast between believers and those who reject Christ. For believers, the Greek phrase ἡ τιμή (hē timē) means “the honor” or “the preciousness.” Vincent notes that the rendering “he is precious” is wrong; the word is a noun, not an adjective. Barnes, Clarke and Calvin all see this as the honor that comes from faith, the believer’s share in Christ’s own value. Calvin writes that because God has called Christ a precious stone, “he is such to the faithful.” The second half quotes Psalm 118:22, which the apostles used as a prophecy of Christ’s rejection and exaltation. The “builders” are Israel’s leaders; the “stone” they discarded has become the chief cornerstone, the foundation of the new spiritual house. The same stone thus produces opposite effects: for faith, honor; for disobedience, a stumbling block that God overrules. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown compare it to a magnet with two poles, attractive and repulsive.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Christ becomes the cornerstone for all, but only believers receive him as precious; unbelievers continue to reject him, yet he remains the cornerstone by God’s appointment.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Translation of τιμή (timē) | The Greek word means honor, value, preciousness. Commentators like Calvin, Barnes, and Clarke agree it refers to the honor or estimation of Christ by believers. | Some translations render it as a predicate adjective "he is precious" (KJV, BSB), implying Christ's attribute; others as a substantive "the honor/preciousness belongs to you" (ASV, YLT, Darby). The Greek syntax (article + noun) favors the latter, but both express a related truth. |
| Meaning of 'disobedient' (ἀπιστοῦσιν) | The word refers to those who reject the gospel/Christ. Most commentators link it to unbelief as a refusal to submit to God's message. | Whether it emphasizes active disobedience (deliberate resistance, as Cambridge notes) or simply lack of faith (absence of belief). The semantic range of ἀπιστέω covers both, and translations split between 'disobedient' (WEB, KJV) and 'unbelieving' (ASV, BSB). |
| The cause of the opposite effects of Christ | Faith makes Christ precious; unbelief makes him a stumbling stone. The same stone produces opposite outcomes based on the response of the person. | Does God sovereignly appoint some to stumble (as v.8 suggests: 'whereunto also they were appointed') or is this solely due to human free will? Reformed traditions emphasize God's decree; Arminian traditions stress human responsibility. The text affirms both divine sovereignty and human accountability in tension. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 118 was sung during Passover processions in the temple. The “stone rejected by the builders” probably refers to a stone that seemed unfit for the temple structure but later became the most important, the cornerstone that ties two walls together. Peter takes this image and applies it directly to Christ, who was rejected by the Jewish leadership (the “builders”) but exalted by God (cf. Matthew 21:42, Acts 4:11). In the context of 1 Peter 2, the writer has already called Jesus a “living stone” (v.4) and believers “living stones” being built into a spiritual house (v.5). The cornerstone is the key: it bears the building’s weight and sets its alignment. To reject that stone is to reject the only foundation. At the same time, the quotation from Isaiah 28:16 in v.6 promises that believers will not be “disappointed” or “put to shame.” Peter then picks up the word “honor” (τιμή) and says that honor belongs to believers, they are not ashamed, but share in Christ’s glory. Unbelievers, however, find the stone a source of stumbling, as v.8 will elaborate. The cultural background includes the Jewish expectation of a Messiah who would restore the temple; Peter redefines that expectation around a living community of faith rather than a literal building.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentary sources note no significant textual variants for 1 Peter 2:7. The quotation of Psalm 118:22 appears in the same form in the Gospels (Matthew 21:42, Mark 12:10, 11) with only minor variation in Greek word order. The reading of the verse is well-established across manuscripts.
Reception History
Early Christian writers saw in this verse the clearest proof that the Old Testament predicted the rejection and exaltation of Jesus. The quote from Psalm 118:22 was already used by Jesus himself (Matthew 21:42) and by Peter in Acts 4:11. In the Patristic period, the “stone” became a key image for Christ’s two natures: human rejection contrasted with divine honor. The concept of the “cornerstone” also shaped early church architecture and liturgy, Christ as the binding point of Jew and Gentile in one building. During the Reformation, the verse was used to argue for justification by faith alone: the preciousness of Christ is only known through belief, not by human merit. In modern hymnody, the image of the rejected stone that becomes the head of the corner appears frequently in songs for Easter and Christ the King. The verse continues to serve as a comfort for Christians who feel marginalized, reminding them that God’s choice overrules human rejection.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Christ is precious to those who believe. The honor is not a vague blessing but the very value of Christ himself, credited to the believer. This is the “preciousness” that faith apprehends.
- The builders rejected him. The religious establishment, the powerful, the learned, they saw no value in Jesus and discarded him as unfit. Human judgment so often misses God’s choice.
- God reverses the verdict. The rejected stone becomes the chief cornerstone. No human rejection can stop God’s plan. What seems like a defeat becomes the foundation of everything.
Five-point outline
- Honor as a present possession. The Greek syntax puts “the honor” first: it is yours now, not just a future hope.
- The contrast with disobedience. Those who do not believe treat Christ as worthless, yet God honors him.
- The stone tested. A cornerstone must first be proved. Christ’s rejection was part of God’s testing; he passed and was placed in highest honor.
- One stone, two outcomes. The same object (Christ) is precious to one group and a stone of stumbling to another. This is the nature of the gospel: it polarizes.
- God’s sovereign placement. “Has become”, the aorist passive (ἐγενήθη) points to God’s action. He is the one who made the rejected stone the head of the corner.
Illustration hooks
- A builder on a construction site discards a rock as useless, only to discover later it is the only piece that fits the corner. The foreman has to humbly retrieve it.
- A job candidate is passed over by a hiring committee, but later becomes the CEO of a competing company that outperforms the first one.
- A child’s most prized possession is a chipped stone from the garden, to everyone else worthless, but to her it is precious because of what it means in her story.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why do so many people reject Jesus, even when his value seems so obvious to us?
- If God already made Christ the cornerstone, why does it still feel like he is ignored in our world?
- Does God deliberately harden some people so they will stumble? (This ties to v.8 and the debated meaning of “appointed.”)
Leading a Discussion
First Peter 2:7 shows how the same person, Jesus, produces opposite reactions in different people. It is not that he changes, it is that faith sees truly, while unbelief misses the truth. This verse asks us to examine what we actually think of Christ. Is he precious to you, or are you simply used to hearing about him? As you discuss, remember that Peter is writing to a mixed community of Jewish and Gentile believers who faced hostility from society. The “builders” who rejected Christ may have been their own neighbors or leaders.
Discussion questions
- Read verses 4-7 together. What does Peter say about Jesus in each verse? How does the image of a stone, rejected, then made cornerstone, sum up the whole gospel?
- Why does Peter use the word “honor” (τιμή) rather than something like “blessing” or “salvation”? What difference does that make?
- In what ways have you experienced Christ as “precious” in your own life? Be specific, what has he made valuable that you once overlooked?
- The second part of the verse quotes Psalm 118:22. How does that psalm’s original context (a victory procession) help you understand Peter’s point?
- Unbelievers see Christ as a “stone” but not a cornerstone. What other “stones” do people build their lives on instead? How does that ultimately fail?
- Verse 8 adds that the disobedient “were appointed” to stumble. How do you understand God’s sovereignty and human responsibility working together here? Is this a tension you feel comfortable with, or do you want to resolve it?
- How does the truth that Christ is already the cornerstone give you confidence when you feel rejected by others, at work, in your family, or in society?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Psalms 118:22 | The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. |
| Psalms 118:23 | This is Yahweh’s doing. It is marvelous in our eyes. |
| Song of Solomon 5:9 | How is your beloved better than another beloved, you fairest among women? How is your beloved better than another beloved, that you do so adjure us? |
| Song of Solomon 5:16 | His mouth is sweetness; yes, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, daughters of Jerusalem. |
| Isaiah 28:5 | In that day, Yahweh of Armies will become a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty to the residue of his people, |
| Haggai 2:7 | and I will shake all nations. The treasure of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory, says Yahweh of Armies. |
| Zechariah 4:7 | Who are you, great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you are a plain; and he will bring out the capstone with shouts of ‘Grace, grace, to it!’” |
| Matthew 13:44 | “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid. In his joy, he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke reads the word "precious" as meaning honor: the high privilege believers receive of being built into God's spiritual house and saved through Christ. For those who reject the Gospel, the same Christ is exalted as head over everything, possessing all authority in heaven and on earth.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes insists that the phrase "he is precious" describes believers' actual estimation of Christ, not the honor of believing. He argues that Christians perceive an inestimable value in Christ that the world rejects, precisely because they have felt their own helplessness and need for a Savior.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin stresses that Christ's preciousness is only perceived by faith; to believers he is exactly what the Father declared him to be. But he also insists that rejection by unbelievers, even by those who ruled in the church, cannot undo God's decree that Christ remains the cornerstone. Their efforts are futile.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible commentary argues that the common translation "he is precious" is misleading. The more accurate reading is "there is the honour," meaning believers receive honour, not shame. It also points out that "disobedient" implies active resistance, not just unbelief, and that Christ becomes a stumbling stone to such people.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note draws a sharp contrast between believers and the disobedient based on how each group responds to Christ. For those who believe, He is precious, but for those who refuse to obey, the stone the builders rejected becomes the cornerstone, a sign of judgment. This shows that the same Christ brings either salvation or condemnation depending on one
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill sharply separates true believers from those who merely profess or assent to doctrines. True believers have seen their lost condition and Christ's sufficiency, and they find Him precious in every name, nature, office, and relation. To them He is honor, gain, and more valuable than any treasure.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB compares the Gospel to a magnet with two poles: it attracts believers to Christ's preciousness, but repels the disobedient. Those who reject the Stone are unaware that their rejection itself helps make Him the cornerstone, exalting Him all the more.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry points out that calling Christ a living stone would seem rough only to those unfamiliar with Old Testament prophecy. To Jewish readers who valued the temple and knew passages like Isaiah 28:16, the image was both elegant and fitting. The metaphor draws its force from this scriptural background.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent corrects a common misreading: the Greek word is not "precious" as a description of Christ, but "the preciousness" or honor that belongs to believers. He also notes that the phrase "was made the head of the corner" implies movement into a position of honor, not merely a static status.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley notes that for believers, Christ is the foundation stone supporting the whole building. But the same stone becomes a crushing weight for unbelievers, who will discover this to their ruin.