1 Peter 2:7
“Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner.”
King James Version
Peter cites Psalm 118:22: 'the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner' — the rejected stone exalted, exactly as Jesus applied it to Himself days before the cross (Mt. 21:42).
Fulfillment References
Psalm 118:22 Matthew 21:42 Acts 4:11
How Traditions Read This Prophecy
Apostolic (Oneness) PentecostalPeter preached this text to the very 'builders' who rejected Him (Acts 4:11) — and the exaltation is complete: 'neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name' (Acts 4:12).
JewishPsalm 118 is a festival thanksgiving; the rejected stone is Israel among the nations, or David passed over by men yet chosen by God.
CatholicThe rejection-exaltation pattern is the paschal mystery itself: crucified by the builders, made head over all.
ProtestantJesus' own use of the psalm (Mt. 21:42) at the climax of His temple confrontation authorizes the church's reading.
DispensationalIsrael's builders stumbled at the stone in this age; the nation's future acceptance ('Blessed is he that cometh,' Ps. 118:26; Mt. 23:39) is foretold in the same psalm.
AcademicPsalm 118:22 is among the most-quoted OT verses in the NT (Synoptics, Acts, 1 Peter), core of the early stone-testimonia; its Hallel setting tied it to Passover.
Scholarship & Sources
C. H. Dodd (According to the Scriptures) traces the psalm's role in the earliest kerygma; Michaels (1 Peter, WBC) details Peter's stone-cluster exegesis.
Open the full interactive entry →Cross-references, Hebrew/Greek, Dead Sea Scrolls notes, study tools and multi-tradition analysis in the interactive explorer.
Bible Prophecy Explorer · based on J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy catalogue · an openly Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal study resource — all traditions presented fairly. Pastor: C. Myles Young, PhD · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.