Jesus is the one (literally in Greek “this one is”) represents the meaning “this (man) is.” This interpretation is followed by a number of translations and commentaries. Others, however, understand the Greek to mean “this (stone) is.” Of whom the scripture says is added by the Good News Translation in order to clarify for its readers that Peter is referring to a passage of Scripture in what follows. The passage referred to comes from Psalm 118.22, and is also quoted in Matthew 21.42, Mark 12.10, and Luke 20.17, where it follows the Septuagint. Here the verse is not taken from the Septuagint and may represent an original translation from the Hebrew by Luke.

Without some type of identification of the direct quotation as coming from the Scriptures and as being applied specifically to Jesus, a good deal of confusion could arise in this verse. One could also use some such expression as “Jesus is the one about whom the Scripture is talking when it says.” This makes it clear that the stone refers to “Jesus”—a relation which is quite clear in the original text.

An expression such as the stone that you the builders despised can be expressed in a number of ways, for example, “the stone you the builders put to one side” (in the sense of neglecting), “the stone you, the builders, neglected,” or “the stone you the builders thought was no good.”

An expression such as turned out to be may be rendered as “was found to be,” “the builders discovered it was,” or “it became.”

The most important stone is literally “the head of the corner,” a literal translation of which has no meaning at all. Some translators understand this to be a reference to the stone which held together the walls, that is, “the cornerstone,” while others take it to be the final stone in the building which was placed over the entrance, a kind of “keystone.” Whichever of these stones it may have been, the concern of Peter is to point out that it is “the most important stone” in the building.

In some instances translators have wanted to employ a different figure, for example, “the most important stake in the house,” referring to the upright poles placed in the ground and forming the main “columns” for the construction of huts in tropical regions. However, in the Scriptures as a whole there are so many references to construction employing stone, for example, the many references to the temple, that it is generally wise to retain the figure of stone. Where necessary, of course, a marginal note may be employed to indicate something about the type of stone construction employed in the Middle East.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .