Psalm 118:22-24 is about God turning rejection into honor. The stone that builders threw away becomes the cornerstone, and the reader is invited to see this as the Lord’s own work, worth rejoicing over on the very day it happens. The passage belongs to a song of thanksgiving that Israel sang in worship, most likely at a festival gathering around the temple, where the people gave thanks for deliverance from danger.
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 short steps. First it describes a stone that the builders looked at and set aside as useless, only to find that this same stone has become the most important piece in the building, the cornerstone that holds the walls true. Then the psalmist names what has happened: this is the Lord’s doing, and it strikes the people as marvelous. Finally the psalmist calls the whole community to rejoice in the day the Lord has made.
The argument is simple. A reversal has taken place that no human planner would have expected, and that reversal is evidence of God’s hand. Because God has acted, the response is not anxious calculation but gladness, a shared joy that is anchored in a particular day and a particular act of rescue.
Context of Psalm 118:22-24
Psalm 118 is the last of the Egyptian Hallel psalms, a group of songs sung at Passover and other major feasts. Its author is not named, and the psalm’s language suggests it was sung by a worshiping congregation, with a leader and responses, as people entered the temple courts. Its audience is the covenant community of Israel, and the psalm speaks in both personal and corporate voices, so that one person’s thanks becomes the whole people’s thanks.
The verses surrounding our passage build the scene. Verses 19 and 20 describe a procession toward the gates of righteousness, and verse 21 gives thanks for salvation already received. Verses 25 to 27 then look ahead with a prayer for rescue and a blessing on those who come in the Lord’s name. Verses 22 to 24 sit at the center of this movement, marking the moment where rescue is recognized and celebrated.
Psalm 118:22-24 Verse by Verse
Romans 8:28
We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.
(WEB)
Paul’s assurance that God works all things together for good echoes the psalm’s confidence that the Lord turns rejected things into the foundation of new life. The verse gives the same steady trust that God is active even when the outcome is not yet visible.
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 takes the cornerstone image directly from this psalm and applies it to Christ, the stone the builders rejected. The verse helps readers see how early Christians understood the psalm’s reversal as pointing forward to God’s saving work in Jesus.
A Prayer Based on Psalm 118:22-24
Lord, you know the places where I have felt set aside, the plans that broke and the hopes I thought were thrown away. Thank you that you do not waste what you have chosen to build. Help me see your hand in the reversals I cannot explain, and let wonder rise in me where I expected only disappointment. Teach me to receive this day as the one you have made, and give me a glad heart to walk through it with you. Make me willing to rejoice in what you are doing, even before I understand all of it. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the stone in Psalm 118:22 represent?
The stone represents a person or thing that was overlooked or rejected but becomes central to what God is building. Christians have long connected this image to Jesus, while Israelite readers would have understood it as a picture of God vindicating his people.
Why does Psalm 118:24 call people to rejoice?
The call to rejoice comes from recognizing that the day belongs to God and that he has acted in it. Joy in this passage is a response to God’s faithfulness rather than a feeling that depends on easy circumstances.
Where is Psalm 118:22-24 used in the New Testament?
Jesus quotes the stone image in the parable of the tenants, and Peter refers to it when speaking about Christ. The passage shaped how the early church understood Jesus as the one rejected yet exalted by God.
