Matthew 21:44 (KJV)

What does Matthew 21:44 mean?

Matthew 21:44 uses the picture of a stone to warn of serious harm to those who come against it. Jesus presents the stone as dangerous whether someone falls on it or the stone falls on someone.

Jesus is speaking to the chief priests and elders, who had challenged his authority. After speaking of the rejected stone in verse 42, he describes two ways a person can encounter that stone: falling against it and being struck by its weight.

The Greek behind Matthew 21:44

• “broken” — συνθλάω (synthlaō): This word carries the sense of being crushed or shattered. Jesus uses it for the damage done to someone who falls against the stone.
• “grind him to powder” — λικμάω (likmaō): This word can describe scattering or dispersing, as when grain is separated from chaff. Here the KJV presents the result as being ground to powder.

Why Matthew 21:44 matters

• The stone is connected with rejection. In verse 42, Jesus speaks of a stone that builders rejected but that became the most important stone in a building. His warning in verse 44 gives that stone a force the builders had not recognized.
• The warning comes at the end of a story about tenants who killed the son of a landowner. In verse 45, the chief priests and Pharisees understand that Jesus is speaking about them. This helps explain why his words about the stone are pointed rather than merely a saying about falling rocks.