Psalm 118:22-24 is a song of thanksgiving that celebrates how God takes what people reject and makes it the most important piece of the whole structure. It also claims that the day of God’s saving action is a day for joy, not dread. The passage belongs to Psalm 118, one of the Hallel psalms that Israel sang at major festivals such as Passover, and it reads like a liturgy sung as worshipers approached the temple gates.
22 The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. 23 This is the LORD’s doing. It is marvelous in our eyes. 24 This is the day that the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it!
Psalm 118:22-24 (WEB)
Psalm 118:22-24 Summary
The passage moves in three quick steps. First, it describes a stone that builders threw away but that ends up as the cornerstone, the stone that holds two walls together and sets the angle for the whole building. Second, the psalmist names the source of this reversal: it is the Lord’s doing, and the result is something marvelous to see. Third, the psalmist calls the day itself something the Lord has made, and invites the community to rejoice in it.
Notice the order. The image comes first, then the explanation, then the response. The psalmist does not begin with his own feelings. He begins with a surprising fact about a stone, lets that fact point to God’s hand, and only then asks the people to be glad.
Context of Psalm 118:22-24
Psalm 118 is among the closing psalms of the Hallel collection, often read as a choral hymn for a procession into the temple. Its author is not named, and the tradition attached to it is that it was sung by a king or by the whole congregation returning from danger. Its first audience was Israel gathered for worship, which is why the psalm keeps shifting between “I” and “we.”
The verses just before this passage, verses 19 to 21, ask God to open the gates of righteousness so the worshiper can enter and give thanks, because God has answered and become salvation. The verses right after it, verses 25 to 27, pray for present salvation and bless the one who comes in the Lord’s name. Verses 22 to 24 sit at the center, so they act as the hinge between a plea for entry and a shout of welcome.
Psalm 118:22-24 Verse by Verse
Psalm 46:10
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.”
(WEB)
This verse pairs well with Psalm 118 because it also places the weight on God’s action rather than human effort. Stillness before God is a way of trusting that he is the one who acts, and it sits naturally beside the psalmist’s confidence that the reversal is the Lord’s doing.
1 Peter 2:7
For you who believe therefore is the honor, but for those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected, has become the chief cornerstone,”
(WEB)
Peter draws directly on the cornerstone image and applies it to Christ, showing how the early church read Psalm 118 as a description of God’s work through a rejected yet chosen figure. Reading this alongside the psalm helps you see the long line of interpretation it has received.
A Prayer Based on Psalm 118:22-24
Lord, you take the stones that people set aside and make them the foundation of what you are building. I confess that I often measure myself by how others have judged me, and I forget that your judgment is the one that counts. Help me to trust your work in the places where I feel overlooked. Show me the day you have made for me today, and give me the grace to rejoice in it honestly, not out of pretense. Let my gladness point others toward the marvelous things you do. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the stone in Psalm 118:22 represent?
The stone represents a person or thing that was rejected by others but is chosen by God for an essential role. The image of a cornerstone shows that this rejected piece becomes the anchor for the whole structure. Early Christians applied the image to Christ, while the psalm itself describes God’s reversal in the life of Israel.
Why does Psalm 118:24 say to rejoice in the day?
The psalmist calls the day the Lord has made and invites the people to be glad in it because God is the one acting. Joy here is grounded in God’s work rather than in the circumstances of the day. The command shapes how the community meets each day.
Who wrote Psalm 118 and when was it used?
The psalm does not name its author, and tradition varies on who sang it first. It was used in worship, especially at festivals and in processions into the temple. Its liturgical setting explains the shifts between individual and communal voices throughout.
