12:10a–11

In these verses Jesus quoted Psalm 118:22–23. He quoted this Scripture to refer to himself. The stone was a metaphor that referred to him. The Jewish leaders were like the builders who rejected the stone. They rejected Jesus, but God would reveal that Jesus was the Messiah, like the stone that would make the building stand.

It may be helpful to include a footnote in your translation to explain that Jesus compared himself to the stone in this verse.

Have you never read this Scripture…?: This clause introduces a rhetorical question. Jesus used this clause in two ways:

(a) He used it to introduce a Scripture that illustrated the meaning of his story.

(b) He used it to rebuke the leaders for whom he told his story. The question implied that the leaders should have thought about what this Scripture meant. Their actions implied that they did not understand it or accept its meaning.

There are at least two ways to translate this rhetorical question:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures? (New Living Translation)
-or-
Why have you never understood this that is written in the Word of God?

• As a statement. For example, the New Century Version says:

Surely you have read this Scripture:

Use the form that is most natural in your language for this context.

this Scripture: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Scripture is used in a special way in the New Testament. It refers to words that God directed someone to write. Such writings had authority because God guided a person to write them. In the New Testament the word Scripture almost always refers to something that was written in the Old Testament.

Here are some other ways to translate the phrase this Scripture:

this statement from God’s written words
-or-
this word/message of God that they/someone wrote

The word Scripture is similar to the phrase “it is written” in 9:13c.

12:10b

The stone the builders rejected: The word builders refers in general to people who construct a building. (Some scholars have suggested that the stone refers to a stone in the temple. Since the text does not specify the type of building, it is good to use a general word in your translation. However, if you must make it explicit, you can use a word for “house.” The temple is sometimes referred to as “God’s house.”) The builders in this verse used stones as building material. They thought that one of the stones was not good to use in the building, so they rejected it.

Here is another way to say this:

When the builders were choosing stones to build with, they rejected one of the stones

The stone: The Jews used stones to build most of their houses. It was the most common building material. It may be difficult to translate this verse if people in your area do not use stones to build houses. In that case, you may need to write a footnote to explain that people commonly used stones to build houses in Jesus’ country. You could also make it explicit in the translation that stones were used for building houses. For example:

While they were building a house, the builders decided not to use a certain stone. That very stone became the most important one in the house.

An illustration that shows men building a house with stones and a stone foundation could also be helpful to readers. Because the New Testament writers often referred to Jesus as a “stone,” it is good to maintain this metaphor in your translation.

the builders rejected: The builders chose only the stones that they thought were good quality. But they did not realize that they rejected the best stone. Jesus implied that the Jewish leaders, who rejected him as their Messiah, were acting like the foolish builders.

has become the cornerstone: The Greek text does not say how the rejected stone became the most important stone in the building. In some languages it may be necessary to supply that information. If that is true in your language, you should indicate that God did it.

the cornerstone: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the cornerstone literally means “head of the corner.” Scholars interpret this phrase in different ways:

(1) It refers to a stone in the corner of the foundation. For example, the New Jerusalem Bible says:

the cornerstone

(Berean Standard Bible, New Living Translation, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, NET Bible, God’s Word, New Century Version, English Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

(2) It refers to a capstone, a stone at the top center of an arched door. For example, the New International Version says:

the capstone

(New International Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). However, both interpretations indicate that the stone was a vitally important one. This was the stone that made the whole building strong. In some languages it may therefore be good to indicate that point clearly. Here are some other ways to translate this:

the most important stone of all (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
the stone that makes the whole building strong
-or-
the stone that supports the rest of the building

See also 12:10 in the Good News Bible.

© 2008 by SIL International®

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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