Luke 20:17 What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected,

Spoken to
audience

After Jesus gives the parable of the vine-dressers to the crowd. 

KJV

Luke 20:17 What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?

NIV

Luke 20:17 “Then what is the meaning of that which is written: “ ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’?

LISTENERS HEARD

What  then is this having been written, the one here: A stone, which they rejected, those house-builders. This one here has changed into a capstone of a corner. 

LOST IN TRANSLATION

 the quote is identical, taken from the Septuagint specifically Psa 118:22. As the son of a bricklayer and house builder, the primary meaning of the Greek word translated into English as a "carpenter", Jesus would have understood the meaning of this stanza. This line is prophetic, describing Christ's life as one that would have an odd angle on things, so much so that he made plays on words like this one.

The words translated as "head of the corner"  are confusing, and "cornerstone" is just wrong. The idea of a "head of a corner" is a "capstone of a corner." The capstone was the slanted stone on the top of the wall  so that sheds water outside because it isn't flat. A capstone of a corner is angled two directions since it tops two outside walls. It is "a" capstone because a building has one on each corner, usually making four. It seems Jesus is referring to himself but as one of four others.  The word "head" also means a leader and corner means a pillar of a community, so the idea is that those who are rejected can become leaders of groups. 

MY TAKE

Those at the top of a wall are all a little tilted. Those on the top of two walls are doubly so. 

GREEK ORDER

 

Τί        οὖν  ἐστὶν τὸ   γεγραμμένον            τοῦτο 
What  then is       this having been written, the one here: 

Λίθον  ὃν       ἀπεδοκίμασαν οἱ       οἰκοδομοῦντες,  οὗτος             ἐγενήθη        εἰς      κεφαλὴν        γωνίας;
A stone, which they rejected,    those house-builders . This one here has changed into a capstone of a corner. 

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES
6

What is this then that is(WT) written, The(IW) stone which the builders rejected, [the same(WW)] is become (MW) the(IW) head of the(IW) corner?

  • WT - Wrong Tense - The "is" indicates the present tense but the tense is past perfect.
  • IW - Inserted Word-- The "the"  before "stone" doesn't exist in the source.
  • WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "the same" should be something more like "that one here."
  •  MW - Missing Word -- The word "into"  after "becomes" is not shown in the English translation.
  •  IW - Inserted Word-- The "the" before "head" doesn't exist in the source.
  •  IW - Inserted Word-- The "the" before "corner" doesn't exist in the source.
# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES
9

“Then what is the(WW) [meaning of(IW)] that which(WP) is(WT) written: “ ‘The(IW) stone (MW) the builders rejected has become (MW) the(IW) (MW) cornerstone(CW)’?

  • WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "the" should be something more like "this one here."
  • IW - Inserted Word-- The "meaning of" doesn't exist in the source.
  • WP -- Wrongly Placed -- The word "which" doesn't appear here but modifies "stone."
  • WT - Wrong Tense - The "is" indicates the present tense but the tense is past perfect.
  • IW - Inserted Word-- The "the"  before "stone" doesn't exist in the source.
  •  MW - Missing Word -- The word "this one here"  after "rejected" is not shown in the English translation.
  •  MW - Missing Word -- The word "into"  after "becomes" is not shown in the English translation.
  •  IW - Inserted Word-- The "the" before "head" doesn't exist in the source.
  •  MW - Missing Word -- The word "head"  before "cornerstone" is not shown in the English translation. 
  • CW --Confusing Word -- The "cornerstone  " doesn't precisely mean "law."
EACH WORD of KJV

What - The word translated as "what" means primarily "anything" or "anyone," but Jesus often uses it to start a question, so it means "who," "what," or even "why". 

is -- The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics. -

this -- The word translated as "this" means "from here" or "this/that thing." This word appears after "what is written" not before.

then --- The Greek word translated as "then" either emphasizes the truth of something ("certainly", "really") or it simply continues an existing narrative. This is the second word in the phrase.

that -- The word translated as "that" is the Greek definite article, "the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. 

is --(WT) This helping verb indicates the present tense of the verb but the tense of the verb is past perfect.  

written -- "Written" is the Greek verb that means "to mark", "to express by written characters", "to write a letter", "to write down [a law]", and so on.  The tense is the past perfect, "has been written" and the form is an adjective used as a noun, "which has been written". It is a participle. 

The -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source

stone  -- "Stone" is from the noun which means "a stone," but there is no article introducing it, so not "the stone." There is no article before it so "a stone".

which -- The word translated as "which" is a demonstrative pronoun (this, that), while it often acts as a pronoun, especially a connective pronoun introducing a dependent clause, the form here clearly modifies the stone so "this stone."

the  -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, "the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. 

builders -- The word translated as "the builders" is from a verb meaning specifically to build a house but it is used generally to mean "build" or "establish." It is in a noun form so, "the ones building." This is the subject of the sentence.

the same is become the head of the corner?

rejected -- "Rejected" is from a word that means specifically "reject on scrutiny", "reject as unfit or unworthy," and "reject for want of qualifications." Referring to a stone used to build a wall, we would say "reject as unfitting."

the same -- (WW) "The same" is translated from a Greek word that means "this", "that", "the nearer." It is used as a noun that acts as the subject of the sentence. This word doesn't mean "the same."  

is -- This helping verb "is" indicates that the verb is passive. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.

become -- The word translated as "become" means "become," that is, to enter or change into a new state. In Greek, especially as used by Jesus, it is the opposite of "being," which is existence in the current state. It is in the passive form, but we usually use the word "become" like a passive verb. This Greek verb, however, works differently, as we will see later in the verse.

missing "into"  -- (MW) The untranslated word  into." With the previous verb, the sense is as we use the phrase "changes into."

the -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source.

head -- "Head" is from a noun that means "head of a man or beast", "an extremity", "the top", "the capital (top) of a pillar", "the coping of a wall", "the source of a rivalry," and, metaphorically the "crowning" or "completion" of a thing.

of -- This word "of"  comes from the possessive form (genitive case) of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English.  The most common is the "of" of possession.

the -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source

corner -- "Corner" is from the Greek noun that means "corner", "angle", "a quarter of a compass," and "a leader of people." In Greek, another meaning for "corner" is "a leader of a people." We don't use the word "corner" similarly, but the meaning is easier to understand if you think of the corners as supporting a structure, like a pillar does. We do say a "pillar of the community" to describe a leader. In Greek, they would say "the corner of a community" in the same sense.

EACH WORD of NIV

Then  --- The Greek word translated as "then" either emphasizes the truth of something ("certainly", "really") or it simply continues an existing narrative. This is the second word in the phrase.

what - The word translated as "what" means primarily "anything" or "anyone," but Jesus often uses it to start a question, so it means "who," "what," or even "why". 

is -- The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics. -

the -- (WW) The word translated as "the" means "from here" or "this/that thing." This word appears after "what is written" not before. This word doesn't mean "the."  

meaning  of -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source

that -- The word translated as "that" is the Greek definite article, "the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. 

which -- (WP) The word translated as "which" is a demonstrative pronoun (this, that), while it often acts as a pronoun, especially a connective pronoun introducing a dependent clause, the form here clearly modifies the stone so "this stone."

is --(WT) This helping verb indicates the present tense of the verb but the tense of the verb is past perfect.  

written -- "Written" is the Greek verb that means "to mark", "to express by written characters", "to write a letter", "to write down [a law]", and so on.  The tense is the past perfect, "has been written" and the form is an adjective used as a noun, "which has been written". It is a participle. 

The -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source

stone  -- "Stone" is from the noun which means "a stone," but there is no article introducing it, so not "the stone." There is no article before it so "a stone".

the  -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, "the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. 

builders -- The word translated as "the builders" is from a verb meaning specifically to build a house but it is used generally to mean "build" or "establish." It is in a noun form so, "the ones building." This is the subject of the sentence.

rejected -- "Rejected" is from a word that means specifically "reject on scrutiny", "reject as unfit or unworthy," and "reject for want of qualifications." Referring to a stone used to build a wall, we would say "reject as unfitting."

missing "this one here"  -- (MW) The untranslated word "this one here" is translated from a Greek word that means "this", "that", "the nearer." It is used as a noun that acts as the subject of the sentence. This word doesn't mean "the same."  

has -- This helping verb "is" indicates that the verb is passive. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.

become -- The word translated as "become" means "become," that is, to enter or change into a new state. In Greek, especially as used by Jesus, it is the opposite of "being," which is existence in the current state. It is in the passive form, but we usually use the word "become" like a passive verb. This Greek verb, however, works differently, as we will see later in the verse.

missing "into"  -- (MW) The untranslated word  into." With the previous verb, the sense is as we use the phrase "changes into."

the -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source.

missing "head "  -- (MW) The untranslated word means "head of a man or beast", "an extremity", "the top", "the capital (top) of a pillar", "the coping of a wall", "the source of a rivalry," and, metaphorically the "crowning" or "completion" of a thing.

cornerstone  -- (CW) "Corner" is from the Greek noun that means "corner", "angle", "a quarter of a compass," and "a leader of people." In Greek, another meaning for "corner" is "a leader of a people." We don't use the word "corner" similarly, but the meaning is easier to understand if you think of the corners as supporting a structure, like  from the sides like a pillar. We do say a "pillar of the community" to describe a leader. In Greek, they would say "the corner of a community" in the same sense. This word doesn't precisely mean "cornerstone  ." 

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV

Τί ( irreg sg neut nom ) "What" is tis which can mean "someone", "any one", "everyone", "they [indefinite]", "many a one", "whoever", "anyone", "anything", "some sort", "some sort of", "each", "any", "the individual", "such," and so on. In a question, it can mean "who", "why," or "what."

οὖν (adv) "Then" is oun, which means "certainly", "in fact", "really", "in fact," "so" and "then" (continuing a narrative), and "then" and "therefore."

ἐστὶν (verb 3rd sg pres ind act) "Is" is eimi, which means "to be", "to exist", "to be the case," of circumstance and events "to happen",  and "is possible." (The future form is esomai. The 3rd person present indicative is "esti.") --

τὸ [821 verses](article sg masc nom)  "That" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").   It usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. When not preceding a a word that can become a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."  

γεγραμμένον ( part sg perf mp neut nom ) "That is written" is grapho which means "to mark", "to express by written characters", "to write a letter", "to write down [a law]", "to proscribe", "to ordain", "to write for oneself", "to enroll oneself", "to draw signs", "to describe a figure" "to brand," and "to indict." 

τοῦτο ( adj sg neut nom ) "This" is touto, which means "from here", "from there", "this [thing]," or "that [thing]."

Λίθον (noun sg masc acc) "The stone" is from lithos, which means "a stone", "stone as a substance," and various specific types of stones, such as touchstones, and altar stones.

ὃν (pron sg masc acc) "Which" is from hos, which means "this", "that", "he", "she", "which", "what", "who", "whosoever", "where", "for which reason," and many similar meanings.

ἀπεδοκίμασαν (verb 3rd pl aor ind act) "Rejected" is from apodokimazô, which means specifically "reject on scrutiny", "reject as unfit or unworthy," and "reject for want of qualifications."

οἱ [821 verses](article plmasc nom)  "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").   It usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. When not preceding a a word that can become a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones." 

οἰκοδομοῦντες (part pl pres act masc nom) "The builders" is from oikodomeo,which means to "build a house," generally, "build", "fashion," "found upon," and, metaphorically, "build up," and "edify."

οὗτος (adj sg masc nom) "The same" is from houtos, which means "this", "that", "the nearer." As an adverb, it means "in this way", "therefore", "so much", "to such an extent," and "that is why."

ἐγενήθη (verb 3rd sg aor ind pass) "Is become" is from ginomai, which means "to become", "to come into being", "to happen", "to be produced," and "to be." It means changing into a new state of being. It is the complementary opposite of the verb "to be" (eimi)which indicates existence in the same state.

εἰς Untranslated is eis, which means "into (of place)," "up to (of time)", "until (of time)", "as much as (of measure or limit)", "as far as (of measure or limit)", "towards (to express relation)", "in regard to (to express relation)", "of an end or limit," and "for (of purpose or object)." -- The word translated as "unto" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, and "up to" limits in time and measure.

κεφαλὴν (noun sg fem acc) "Head" is from kephalê, which means "head of a man or beast", "an extremity", "the top", "the capital (top) of a pillar", "the coping of a wall", "the source of a rivalry," and, metaphorically the "crowning" or "completion" of a thing.

γωνίας: (noun sg fem gen) "Of the corner" is from gônia, which means "corner", "angle", "a quarter of a compass," and "a leader of people."

parallel comparison

The parallel verses in Matthew and Mark all have different words for the introduction to this quote from Psalms is identical. 

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