SEV Biblia, Chapter 21:44
Y el que cayere sobre esta piedra, será quebrantado; y sobre quien ella cayere, lo desmenuzará.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Matthew 21:44
Verse 44. Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken, &c. This is an allusion to the punishment of stoning among the Jews. The place of stoning was twice as high as a man; while standing on this, one of the witnesses struck the culprit on the loins, so that he fell over this scaffold; if he died by the stroke and fall, well; if not, the other witness threw a stone upon his heart, and despatched him. That stone thrown on the culprit was, in some cases, as much as two men could lift up. Tract Sanhed. and Bab. Gemara, and Lightfoot. See also the note on John viii. 7. He, whether Jew or Gentile, who shall not believe in the Son of God, shall suffer grievously in consequence; but on whomsoever the stone (Jesus Christ) falls in the way of judgment, he shall be ground to powder, likmhsei auton-it shall make him so small as to render him capable of being dispersed as chaff by the wind. This seems to allude, not only to the dreadful crushing of the Jewish state by the Romans, but also to that general dispersion of the Jews through all the nations of the world, which continues to the present day. This whole verse is wanting in the Codex Bezae, one other, five copies of the Itala, and Origen; but it is found in the parallel place, Luke xx. 18, and seems to have been quoted from Isa. viii. 14, 15. He shall be for a STONE of STUMBLING, and for a ROCK OF OFFENCE to both the houses of Israel-and many among them shall STUMBLE and FALL, and be BROKEN.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 44. And whosoever shall fall on this stone , etc.] This is not to be understood of believing in Christ, or of a soul’s casting itself on Christ, the foundation stone; relying on him, and building all its hopes of happiness and salvation on him; which is attended with contrition and brokenness of heart, or repentance unto life, which needed not to be repented of nor of a believer’s offending Christ by evil works, whereby his conscience is wounded, his soul is grieved, and his faith shaken; and though he is hereby in great danger, he shall not be utterly destroyed, but being recovered by repentance, shall be preserved unto salvation; but of such to whom Christ is a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence: for as he is the foundation and corner stone to some, and is set for the rising of them, and to whom he is precious; so he is a stone set for the fall of others, and at which they stumble and fall, and fall upon it: and such are they who are offended at Christ’s state of humiliation on earth; at the manner of his birth, the meanness of his parentage, and education; the despicable figure he made in his person, disciples, and audience; and at his sufferings and death: and these “shall be broken”: as a man that stumbles at a stone, and falls upon it, breaks his head or his bones, at least bruises himself, does not hurt the stone, but the stone hurts him; so all such as are offended at Christ, injure their own souls, being filled with prejudices against him, and contempt and disbelief of him, which if grace prevents not will issue in their everlasting destruction: but whilst there is life, the means of grace continue, the kingdom of God is not taken away; there is hope that such may be recovered from their impenitence and unbelief: “but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder”. Just as if a millstone, or any stone of such like weight and bulk, was to fall upon an earthen vessel; or, as the stone cut out of the mountain without hands, by which the Messiah and his kingdom, are designed, brake in pieces the image in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, so that it became like the chaff of the summer threshing floor. As the former part of this verse expresses the sin of unbelievers, and the danger they are exposed unto by it, this sets forth their punishment; and has respect both to the vengeance of Christ, on the Jewish nation, at their destruction, which would fall heavy from him in his state of exaltation, for their evil treatment of him in his state of humiliation; and to his severe wrath, which will be executed at the day of judgment on all unbelievers, impenitent Christless sinners, who have both offended him, and been offended at him; when their destruction will be inevitable, their salvation irretrievable, and their souls irrecoverably lost, and ruined. Some have thought, that there is an allusion in these words to the manner of stoning among the Jews, which was this f1166 : “the place of stoning was two men’s heights; one of the witnesses struck him on his loins, to throw him down from thence, to the ground: if he died, it was well; if not, they took a stone, which lay there, and was as much as two men could carry, and cast it, with all their might, upon his breast: if he died, it was well; if not, he was stoned by all Israel.”
Maimonides observes f1167 , that “stoning, or throwing down from the high place, was that he might fall upon the stone, or that the stone might fall upon him; and which of them either it was, the pain was the same.”
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 33-46 - This parable plainly sets forth the sin and ruin of the Jewish nation and what is spoken to convict them, is spoken to caution all that enjo the privileges of the outward church. As men treat God's people, the would treat Christ himself, if he were with them. How can we, i faithful to his cause, expect a favourable reception from a wicke world, or from ungodly professors of Christianity! And let us as ourselves, whether we who have the vineyard and all its advantages render fruits in due season, as a people, as a family, or as separat persons. Our Saviour, in his question, declares that the Lord of the vineyard will come, and when he comes he will surely destroy the wicked. The chief priests and the elders were the builders, and the would not admit his doctrine or laws; they threw him aside as despised stone. But he who was rejected by the Jews, was embraced by the Gentiles. Christ knows who will bring forth gospel fruits in the use of gospel means. The unbelief of sinners will be their ruin. But God has many ways of restraining the remainders of wrath, as he has of making that which breaks out redound to his praise. May Christ becom more and more precious to our souls, as the firm Foundation an Cornerstone of his church. May we be willing to follow him, thoug despised and hated for his sake __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 CONJ ο 3588 T-NSM πεσων 4098 5631 V-2AAP-NSM επι 1909 PREP τον 3588 T-ASM λιθον 3037 N-ASM τουτον 5126 D-ASM συνθλασθησεται 4917 5701 V-FPI-3S εφ 1909 PREP ον 3739 R-ASM δ 1161 CONJ αν 302 PRT πεση 4098 5632 V-2AAS-3S λικμησει 3039 5692 V-FAI-3S αυτον 846 P-ASM
Vincent's NT Word Studies
44. Shall be broken (sunqlasqhsetai). The verb is stronger: broken to pieces; so Rev.Grind him to powder (likmhsei auton). But the A.V. misses the picture in the word, which is that of the winnowing-fan that separates the grain from the chaff. Literally it is, will winnow him. Rev., scatter him as dust.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
21:44 {Shall be broken to pieces} (sunqlasqesetai). Some ancient manuscripts do not have this verse. But it graphically pictures the fate of the man who rejects Christ. The verb means to shatter. We are familiar with an automobile that dashes against a stone wall, a tree, or a train and the ruin that follows. {Will scatter him as dust} (likmesei). The verb was used of winnowing out the chaff and qen of grinding to powder. this is the fate of him on whom this Rejected Stone falls.
