20:17a
But: In Greek, this verse begins with the common conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But. It introduces Jesus’ response to what the people said in 20:16. Other English versions translate this word as “Then.” Versions such as the New International Version do not translate this conjunction. Begin 20:17a in a way that is natural in your language.
Jesus looked directly at them: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Jesus looked directly at them indicates that Jesus looked intently at the people. He did this to emphasize what he was about to say. He wanted them to think seriously about it. Some other ways to translate the clause are:
Jesus looked steadily at them
-or-
Jesus looked straight at them (NET Bible)
Some languages have an idiom to express this. For example:
Jesus looked them in the eye
In some languages the meaning of this action may not be clear. The action may imply that Jesus was angry or disrespectful, or that Jesus was not looking at the people before that. If the action implies a wrong meaning like these in your language, you may use a different expression that emphasizes what Jesus was about to say. For example:
Jesus spoke very seriously/directly to them.
You may also need to include a footnote in your translation to give the literal words and explain the meaning. For example:
Literally “having looked directly at them.” Jesus looked seriously at them to emphasize what he was about to say.
and said: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible literally translates as said introduces a rhetorical question. Use a verb that is natural here in your language.
20:17b
Then: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Then introduces Jesus’ response to what the people said in 20:16c. When they said, “May such a thing never happen!” they implied that they rejected the statement in 20:16a–b. That statement implied that the Jewish leaders would kill God’s Son and that God would punish them and give their role to others. The word Then implies here that if the people rejected that statement, their thoughts would not fit with what is written in the Scriptures.
In some languages it may be necessary to make the connection with 20:16c more explicit. For example:
⌊If you say that this should never happen,⌋ then…
-or-
⌊Do you reject/deny that this will happen?⌋ Then…
-or-
If it will not happen, what then…
what is the meaning of that which is written: This is a rhetorical question. It introduces a scripture that agrees with what Jesus said in 20:16a–b. Jesus wanted the people to think seriously about this scripture. He wanted them to realize that the scripture predicts what would happen to him, and those events must happen.
Some ways to translate the introduction to this quote are:
• As a rhetorical question. For example:
What, then, does this scripture mean? (Good News Translation)
-or-
Then what is the meaning of this scripture…? (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
• As a command. For example:
Then tell me what the Scripture means when it says:
-or-
Then listen to this scripture and think about what it means:
• As a statement. For example:
⌊That is the⌋ meaning of this statement that is written ⌊in God’s Word⌋.
-or-
Yet that is the meaning of the figure-of-speech that is in the Holy Book that says:
Translate the introduction to the quote in a way that is natural in your language.
that which is written: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as that which is written refers to words that God directed someone to write. Such writings have authority because God guided a person to write them. Here the phrase refers specifically to the statement in Psalm 118:22. Other ways to translate the phrase that which is written are:
this statement from ⌊God’s⌋ written words
-or-
This word/message that ⌊God⌋ ⌊caused⌋ ⌊someone⌋ to write
See how you translated the similar phrase in 4:17.
In this context that which is written refers specifically to what is written as a metaphor about Jesus as the Messiah. In some languages it may be necessary to make this meaning more explicit. For example:
what is written ⌊about the Messiah⌋
-or-
what is written ⌊as a proverb/symbol⌋ ⌊about Christ⌋
20:17c–d
The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone: In this context the stone is a metaphor that Jesus applied to himself as the Messiah. In some languages it is more natural to use a simile. For example:
⌊He is like⌋ a stone that builders rejected, but then that stone became the most important stone.
The Jewish leaders who rejected Jesus are like the builders who rejected the stone. Jesus would become like the most important stone in a building, because he is the Messiah, God’s Son.
You may want to include a footnote in your translation to help readers understand the meaning of the quotation in this verse. For example:
Jesus applied this verse to himself. The stone represents him. The builders represent the Jewish leaders. They rejected him, but God exalted him.
20:17c
The stone the builders rejected: The builders in this clause were using stones to build a house. They rejected one of the stones as useless. They thought that it was not the type of stone that they wanted to use in building the house.
In Greek the word stone begins the clause because it is the topic of the statement. In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of words in the clause. For example:
The builders declared a certain stone to be useless
The stone: The Jews used stones to build most of their houses. It was a common building material. In some languages it may be helpful to indicate more explicitly here that the builders were using stones to build with. For example:
As the people were building ⌊a house of stones⌋, they rejected a certain stone.
In some areas people do not use stones to build houses. If that is true in your area, you may need to include a footnote about this. For example:
People in Jesus’ country usually used stones to build houses.
It is usually best not to substitute a different building material, because stone is used as a metaphor in other places in the New Testament.
builders: The word builders refers in general to people who construct a building. In some languages it is necessary to translate this word as a verb and supply a subject and object. For example:
the people who were constructing the building/house
The scripture implies that the builders were working on a building that belongs to God. In some languages it may be helpful to make that explicit. For example:
The people who were building ⌊God’s⌋ house
rejected: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as rejected means “to examine (something), decide that it is useless, and then reject it.” The builders looked at the stone and decided that it was not useful. They did not want to use it in the building. Some other ways to translate this meaning are:
The stone which the builders rejected as worthless (Good News Translation)
-or-
A certain stone was examined by the builders, and they decided that it was useless
In some languages it may be natural to express this either as direct speech or indirect speech. For example:
The builders said, “This stone is worthless.”
-or-
The builders said/declared that the stone was worthless.
20:17d
has become the cornerstone: The Greek text does not say how the rejected stone became the most important stone in the building. If you must supply this information in your language, you should supply God as the cause. For example:
⌊God has used⌋ the stone which the builders rejected as the cornerstone of the house.
-or-
⌊God has taken⌋ the stone which the builders rejected and made it the ⌊most important⌋ stone of the house
the cornerstone: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the cornerstone literally means “head of the corner.” There are two ways to interpret this phrase:
(1) It refers to a stone in the corner of the foundation. Here is another way to translate this:
the cornerstone (New Living Translation (2004))
(Berean Standard Bible, New Living Translation (2004), King James Version, New American Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, NET Bible, God’s Word, New Century Version, English Standard Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, New Jerusalem Bible)
(2) It refers to a capstone, a stone in the center of an arched door. Another way to translate this is:
the capstone (New International Version)
(New International Version)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). However, both interpretations indicate that the stone was very important in the building. In some languages it is good to translate in a general way that makes this meaning clear. For example:
The stone which the builders rejected as worthless turned out to be the most important of all. (Good News Translation)
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