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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadBob Utley You Can Understand the Bible - Matthew 21:42 - 21:44
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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mat_21:42-44
42Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures,
'The stone which the builders rejected,
This became the chief corner stone;
This came about from the Lord,
And it is marvelous in our eyes'?
43Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruit of it. 44And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust."
Mat_21:42 "Did you never read in the Scriptures" This was a quote from Psa_118:22-23. Originally this referred to the nation of Israel rejected by the Gentiles. How ironical that it now refers to the nation of Israel rejected by God and His acceptance of the common person and by implication the Gentiles.
▣ "stone" The "stone" was a title of God in the OT (cf. Psalms 18). It was used of the Messiah as the only sure foundation in Isa_28:16. It was used as a metaphor of the coming Messianic kingdom in Dan_2:34; Dan_2:44-45. The Messiah can be both a sure and sturdy foundation sent by God or a destructive judgment sent by God! Resurrection Day will also be Judgment Day! See Special Topic below.
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Mat_21:43 "and given to a nation" This passage and the parable found in Mat_22:1-14 lead one to believe that these three connected parables deal with the rejection of the nation of Israel, not only its leaders. At the least it was a rejection of rabbinical Judaism. The word for Gentiles was literally "the nations."
Mat_21:44 The NASB and NRSV include Mat_21:44 while the RSV, TEV and JB only put it in a footnote. This verse is similar to Luk_20:18 and the RSV, JB and TEV translation committees assumed it was transferred to Matthew by a copyist. UBS4 gives it a "C" rating. However, the Greek text in Luke and Matthew are not exact. This verse was also included in many ancient Greek uncial manuscripts: à , B, C, K , L, W & Z and also in the Latin, Syriac, Coptic and Armenian translations, as well as the Greek texts used by Chrysostom, Cyril, Jerome and Augustine. As a matter of fact, the earliest Greek manuscript that omits it is the sixth century manuscript, D (Bezae). It should be included.