Mark 12:10

12:10-11 In his second rhetorical question, Jesus used a quotation from Ps 118:22-23. The rejected stone (the Son) had become the cornerstone of God’s Kingdom (cp. Acts 4:11; 1 Pet 2:4, 6-7). The phrase is traditionally understood as the buried cornerstone that is part of the foundation, but it could be the capstone at the top of a building that marks its completion. Whichever stone is meant, it was the most important one. Despite the evil intention of the builders—the religious leaders—all they did was in accordance with God’s will (Acts 4:28), which was wonderful to see. Those who put Jesus to death were God’s instruments in his plan for the Son of Man to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Mar 12:10. Οὐδὲ, Have ye not even) The adverb gives Epitasis. [See Append., Increase of force.]

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

10. And have ye] Rather, And did ye never read this Scripture? referring them to Psa_118:21; Psa_118:23, a Psalm which the Jews applied to the Messiah, and which is actually twice applied to Him by St Peter, in Act_4:11; 1Pe_2:7. St Luke (Luk_20:17) tells us that our Lord fastened His eyes upon His wondering hearers, while He directed their attention to this ancient prophecy respecting Himself in the very Psalm, whence had been taken the loud Hosannas of Palm Sunday (Mar_11:9).

the head of the corner] The image of the vineyard is for a moment abandoned for that of a building. The “head of the corner” was a large and massive stone so formed as when placed at a corner to bind together the two outer walls of an edifice. Comp. for the application of the expression to Christ, Eph_2:20, and consult Isa_28:16; Dan_2:44. The penalties of rejecting Him are more fully brought out in Mat_21:43-44; Luk_20:18.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes. That is, the exaltation of the Messiah, after he had been so ill treated, and at last put to death by the Jews. These words are a continuation of the passage cited out of Psa 118:22.

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Mark 12:12

mar 12:12

mar 12:12

mar 12:12They sought to lay held on him,.... That is, the chief priests, Scribes, and elders, after they had heard the parables he spake to them, were greatly irritated, and provoked, and had a good will to have seized him, and carried him away, and have had him before their court, and condemn him:

but feared the people; lest they should rise up in his defence, and fall on them; for many of them liked; and were attached to his ministry; and others had received favours of one kind or another from him through his miracles:

for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and that they were the husbandmen designed, who had not brought the fruit of the vineyard to their lord, but had ill treated his servants, and would his son.

And they left him; in the temple, not daring to do any thing to him:

and went their way; to their council chamber, perhaps to consult what measures to take, and how to destroy him.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

By this question, Christ shows that they were about to fulfil this prophecy, by casting him off, planning his death, and delivering him up to the Gentiles, by which he became the corner-stone, joining the two people of the Jews and Gentiles together, and forming out of them the one city and one temple of the faithful. (Ven. Bede) --- The Church is the corner, joining together Jews and Gentiles; the head of it is Christ. By the Lord hath this been done in our days, and it is wonderful in our eyes, seeing the prodigies which God has performed through him whom men reject as an impostor. (Theophylactus and Bible de Vence)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Vers. 10, 11. This quotation is from Psa_118:22, where David prophesies of Christ. The meaning is plainly this, that the chief priests and scribes, as the builders of the Jewish Church, rejected Christ from the building as a useless stone; yea, more they condemned and crucified him. They rejected him (apedokimasan). The verb in the Greek implies that the stone was first examined and then deliberately refused. But this stone, thus disallowed and set at nought by the builders, was made the head of the corner. The image here is different from that used in the Epistles, where Christ is spoken of as the chief Corner-stone in the foundation. Here he is represented as the Corner-stone in the cornice. In real truth he is both. He is the tried Foundation-stone. But he is also the Head of the corner. In the great spiritual building he is "all and in all," uniting and binding together all in one. This was the Lord"s doing (para Kuriou egeneto auth); literally, this was from the Lord. The feminine (auth) refers apparently to kefalh . This lifting up of the despised and rejected stone to be the Corner-stone of the cornice was God"s work; and was a fitting object for wonder and praise.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Psalm cxviii, 22.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

The stone

See, Psa 118:22; Psa 118:23 cf. (See Scofield "1Pe 2:8")

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

General Information:

This scripture was written long before in God's word.

Have you not read this scripture?

Jesus reminds the people of a scripture passage. He uses a rhetorical question here to rebuke them. This can be written as a statement. AT: "Surely you have read this scripture." or "You should remember this scripture." (See: Rhetorical Question)

has been made the cornerstone

This can be stated in active form. AT: "the Lord made into the cornerstone"

This was from the Lord

"The Lord has done this"

it is marvelous in our eyes

Here "in our eyes" stands for seeing, which is a metaphor for the people's opinion. AT: "we have seen it and think that it is marvelous" or "we think that it is wonderful" (See: Metaphor)

They sought to arrest Jesus

"They" refers to the chief priests, scribes, and elders. This group may be referred to as the "Jewish leaders."

sought

"wanted"

but they feared the crowd

They were afraid of what the crowd would do to them if they arrested Jesus. This can be made clear. AT: "but they feared what the crowd would do if they arrested him" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

against them

"to accuse them"

translationWords

word of God

reject

cornerstone

lord

amazed

Jesus

fear

parable

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

10. οὐδὲ τὴν γραφὴν ταύτην ἀν. Have ye not read even this scripture? (R.V.). “Did ye never read” occurs Mar 2:25; Mat 21:16; cf. Mat 19:4; Mat 22:31. Ἡ γραφή in N.T. commonly means a particular passage; the O.T. as a whole is αἱ γραρφί (Mar 12:24). See on Joh 2:22.

Λίθον ὃν ἀπεδοκίμασαν. Attraction to the relative. From the vineyard in Isaiah 5 we pass to the equally familiar builders in Psalms 118, part of which had been sung by the multitude at the triumphal entry; and the quotation is as exact from the LXX. as the LXX. from the Hebrew. Just as the vine-dressers reject the messengers, so the builders reject the stone, and with equally fatal result (Mt. and Lk.). Perhaps we ought to translate “A stone” rather than “The stone.” The builders rejected many stones, and one of the rejected stones became “head of the corner.” But “The stone” may be right, if Λίθος was a name for the Messiah (Justin, Try. 34, 36). For ἀποδοκιμάζω see on Mar 8:31. Γίνομαι εἰς occurs in Lk. and Acts, and is freq. in quotations from LXX. The change of picture from the vineyard to the builders makes allusion to the Resurrection possible; the slain son could not be revived in the story, but the rejected stone can be promoted.

κεφαλὴν γωνίας. A corner-stone uniting two walls; but whether at the base or at the top is not certain. Some think that it means the highest stone in the building; cf. Zec 4:7. The expression occurs nowhere but in Psalms 118 and the quotations from it here, Act 4:11, and 1Pe 2:7, where see Hort. The Psalm is probably connected with the dedication of the second Temple, in the building of which some such incident may have occurred. Perowne on Psalms 118.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

10. Οὐδὲ2 τὴν γραφὴν παύτην ἀνέγνωτε;—And did you not read this Scripture?3

In the original, this stone, rejected by the builders, but become the head of the corner, is Israel itself, rejected by the nations, defeated and exiled, but destined by God for the chief place among them all. The Psalm was sung probably after the return from the exile, when everything indicates that the hopes of the nation were raised to the highest pitch; when it seemed as if God was taking the first step towards the aggrandizement of the chosen people.

ἐγενήθη εἰς4 κεφαλὴν γωνίας5—became the head of the corner, denoting the corner stone, which binds together the two sides of the building, and so becomes architecturally the most important stone in the structure. The story that there was a stone in the building of the Temple which had such a history, is unnecessary to account for so natural a metaphor, and evidently arose from the metaphorical use here.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Scripture [γραφην] . A passage of scripture : hence frequently this scripture; another scripture; the same scripture. Luk 4:21; Joh 19:37; Act 1:16.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.