Psalms 118:22 · Bible study
Psalms 118:22 Commentary: The Rejected Stone Becomes the Cornerstone
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Who is the stone? Explore the original meaning and New Testament application of Psalm 118:22. A study for pastors and teachers.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God reverses human judgment; the rejected becomes foundational.
- Key words: אֶבֶן (stone), מָאֲסוּ (rejected), בּוֹנִים (builders), רֹאשׁ פִּנָּה (head of corner).
- Main debate: Original referent: David, Israel, Zerubbabel, or Messiah?
- Theological theme: Divine reversal, Christ as cornerstone, the church as God's building.
- Best use: Proclaiming Christ's exaltation; encouraging those undervalued.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
WEB World English Bible 2000
The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
KJV King James Version 1769
The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
The stone which the builders rejected Is become the head of the corner.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
A stone the builders refused Hath become head of a corner.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
[The] stone which the builders rejected hath become the head of the corner:
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Remove from me reproach and contempt: because I have sought after thy testimonies.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
La piedra que desecharon los edificadores, ha venido á ser cabeza del ángulo.
A pedra que os construtores rejeitaram se tornou cabeça de esquina.
La pierre qu’ ont rejetée ceux qui bâtissaient
Der Stein, den die Bauleute verworfen haben, ist zum Eckstein geworden.
De steen, dien de bouwlieden verworpen hadden, is tot een hoofd des hoeks geworden.
La pietra che gli edificatori avevano rigettata è divenuta la pietra angolare.
Kamień, którzy odrzucili budujący, uczyniony jest głową węgielną.
Сними с меня поношение и посрамление, ибо я храню откровения Твои.
匠人 所棄 的石頭 已成了 房角 的頭塊石頭。
The stone which the builders put on one side has become the chief stone of the building.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Psalms 118:22
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that this verse describes a stunning reversal: someone dismissed as worthless becomes the most vital element in God's building. The Hebrew perfect tense hāyətāh (הָ֝יְתָה, 'has become') expresses certainty, the Psalmist sees the outcome as already accomplished. While the original referent is debated, David (Targum, some Jewish tradition), Israel (Keil & Delitzsch, Cambridge Bible), or Zerubbabel (Hengstenberg, per Calvin), all acknowledge that the language perfectly fits the Messiah. Barnes notes it is 'applicable' to Christ, and Matthew Henry calls it an 'illustrious prophecy' of his rejection and exaltation. The New Testament writers (Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, 1 Peter, Ephesians) consistently apply it to Jesus as the cornerstone of the church.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Davidic: The Targum and some Jewish sources apply it to David's rejection and coronation; the NT application builds on this typology.
- Israelite / national: Keil & Delitzsch and Cambridge Bible see Israel as the rejected stone that God made the head of the corner.
- Messianic prophecy: The New Testament (Matthew 21:42, Acts 4:11) and commentators like Gill and Matthew Henry read it as a direct prediction of Christ.
What is clear: The verse describes a divine reversal: one rejected by human builders becomes the most important element in God's building.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Original referent of the stone | The verse describes a reversal where the rejected becomes central. | Some interpret it as David (Targum), others as Israel (Keil & Delitzsch), others as Zerubbabel (Hengstenberg), and many as a direct prophecy of the Messiah (Gill, Matthew Henry). |
| Relationship to the New Testament | The NT applies the verse to Jesus as the cornerstone of the church. | Christians who see the OT as directly messianic view it as a prediction; others see it as a typological application of a principle. |
| Nature of the cornerstone | The stone is essential for the building's stability. | Some understand it as the foundation cornerstone (Isaiah 28:16), others as the final capstone (Zechariah 4:7). |
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 118 is a liturgical hymn of thanksgiving, likely used at a festival such as Tabernacles or Passover. The surrounding context (vv. 19, 20) describes entering the temple gates, 'gates of righteousness', suggesting a procession of worship. The Psalmist recounts personal and national deliverance: 'I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me, and have become my salvation' (v. 21).
The building metaphor in verse 22 draws on ancient Near Eastern construction. A large stone set at the corner bonded two walls, supporting the entire structure. The word pinnah (פִּנָּה, 'corner') can refer either to the foundation cornerstone (Isaiah 28:16) or to the capstone completing the building (Zechariah 4:7). The 'builders' likely represent the leaders or authorities tasked with shaping the community.
Scholars offer several historical settings. The Targum connects the verse to David, whom the tribes rejected before he became king (2 Samuel 5). Keil and Delitzsch, following Hengstenberg, place it in the post-exilic period, when Zerubbabel faced opposition while rebuilding the temple (Ezra 3:10, 13). In either case, the phrase 'the stone which the builders rejected' pictures a divine reversal: what human judgment discards, God makes central. Early Christians, reading this psalm as the song of God's people, saw in Jesus the ultimate fulfillment, the one whom human authorities rejected but whom God made the cornerstone of a new spiritual house.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts. The LXX and Vulgate follow the same reading.
Reception History
Jewish tradition has read this verse in several ways. The Targum applies it to David, while later rabbis (Rashi, Kimchi) refer it to Israel or to the Messiah. In the early church, the verse became a central proof-text for Christ's rejection and exaltation. Acts 4:11 records Peter quoting it before the Sanhedrin, and 1 Peter 2:7 uses it to contrast believers and unbelievers. Through the centuries, the verse has been sung in hymns (e.g., 'Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation') and used liturgically in both Easter and dedication services. Reformers like Calvin and Wesley saw it as typologically pointing to Christ's kingship over the church.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Stone Rejected, Human leaders and authorities often dismiss what God has chosen. The builders miss the key stone.
- The Stone Exalted, God reverses human judgment. The worthless becomes indispensable.
- The Stone Established, This is Yahweh’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes (Psalm 118:23).
Five-point outline
- Introduction, The metaphor of building and stone in ancient Israel.
- The builders, Those appointed to build God’s house who overlook the chief stone.
- The rejection, Intentional casting aside of the one God had chosen for honor.
- The reversal, The rejected stone becomes the head of the corner.
- Application, Christ as the cornerstone, and believers built into him (Ephesians 2:20, 22).
Illustration hooks
- A building project where the foundation stone is initially set aside but later proves essential for structural integrity.
- An overlooked team member who later becomes the leader.
- In sports, an undrafted player who becomes a Hall of Famer.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does this verse predict Jesus directly, or did the early church reinterpret it?
- What does it mean that Jesus is the cornerstone? How does that shape my faith?
- If the builders rejected the stone, how can I avoid rejecting what God is doing today?
Leading a Discussion
This verse is one of the most quoted Old Testament texts in the New Testament. It challenges us to see how God works through rejection and reversal. As you discuss, keep the question open: what did the verse mean originally, and how did the early church apply it to Christ?
Discussion questions
- Read the verse aloud. What catches your attention first?
- Who do you think the 'builders' are in the original context? Why would they reject a stone?
- What is a cornerstone, and why is it vital to a building?
- How does the New Testament use this verse (Matthew 21:42, Acts 4:11, 1 Peter 2:7)?
- In what ways have you seen God reverse human judgments, turning rejection into honor?
- How does Jesus being the cornerstone shape your understanding of the church as a building (Ephesians 2:20, 22)?
- Where in your own life are you tempted to reject what God values?
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)
| 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 21:42 | Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The stone which the builders rejected was made the head of the corner. This was from the Lord. It is marvelous in our eyes’? |
| Mark 12:10 | Haven’t you even read this Scripture: ‘The stone which the builders rejected was made the head of the corner. |
| Mark 12:11 | This was from the Lord. It is marvelous in our eyes’?” |
| Luke 20:17 | But he looked at them and said, “Then what is this that is written, ‘The stone which the builders rejected was made the chief cornerstone’? |
| Acts 4:11 | He is ‘the stone which was regarded as worthless by you, the builders, which has become the head of the corner.’ |
| Ephesians 2:20 | being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone; |
| Ephesians 2:22 | in whom you also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit. |
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
11 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke does not develop his own comment on this verse here. Instead he directs the reader to his notes on Matthew 21:42, where he provides a full explanation of the stone the builders rejected. His distinctive contribution is this cross-reference, not an original observation on the psalm itself.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes stresses that the psalmist's image of the rejected stone was not originally written about the Messiah. He sees it as a general principle, drawn from building, that someone cast aside can later become the most essential support, and the New Testament applies that pattern to Jesus.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin emphasizes that David calls Israel to ponder how God alone gave him the throne, not human policy or force. He reads David's deliverances as proof of divine appointment. For Calvin, this earthly kingdom prefigures Christ's eternal spiritual kingdom, which David's reign represented.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible Schools commentary identifies "the head of the corner" as the top-stone that completes the building, not a foundation stone. This originally expressed Israel's consciousness of its divinely appointed role despite being rejected by worldly powers. The commentator then notes that Jesus applied the image to Himself as the true representative who fulfilled the mission in which Israel had failed.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Note points out that the stone the builders rejected becomes the most important stone of all. It identifies Christ as that stone, rejected by the Jewish leaders but appointed by God to be the cornerstone of the entire building.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill insists the builders who rejected the stone are specifically the Jewish political and religious rulers—the chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees—who refused Jesus as Messiah. Christ then becomes the chief cornerstone that unites elect angels and men, Jews and Gentiles, and saints from all ages.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that these words were applied by Christ to Himself as the foundation of the Church. Whether the psalm originally referred to David or Zerubbabel, the primary meaning points to God's wondrous exaltation of the One whom the nation despised, crucified as an impostor, to become Prince, Savior, and Head of His Church.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch argue that the builders who rejected the cornerstone are Israel's own leaders and people, not the heathen. The despised stone represents Israel's own lowly beginnings and the nation's rise from humiliation. This history culminates in Christ, the rejected One who becomes the glorious cornerstone of the church.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange reads this psalm as a liturgical temple song from the post-exilic period, likely composed for the Feast of Tabernacles after the second temple's completion. He argues its structure reflects a procession of congregation, priests, and people responding in turn, and that its original meaning concerns the historical deliverance of the Jewish community, not direct messianic prophecy.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry reads these verses
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley sees the builders as rulers who first rejected David, then Christ. He argues the "head stone" refers to the one who unites the entire building, which David did for Israel but Christ does more perfectly by joining Jews and Gentiles together. The passage therefore belongs more properly to Christ than to David.