Ephesians 2:20 – The capstone of the corner

…being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, the capstone of the corner being Christ Jesus Himself.

With “the capstone of the corner” the thought is often that is a keystone. The top of the structure, on the façade. So it is the crown. But presumably Paul thinks of the cornerstone at the base, on which the structure is founded. That was also the subject earlier in the sentence.

Paul refers to several places in the Hebrew Bible. As in Palm 118:22: “The stone which the builders rejected, It came to be for the head of the corner. From Yahweh came this; It is marvelous in our eyes”. Israel’s leaders may have rejected their Messiah, but GOD has made him the cornerstone. The first stone of a different, spiritual structure: the ecclesia in our days. Israel had not foreseen that and hence the words: “it is marvelous in our eyes!”.

In addition to Psalm 118, Paul alludes to the prophecy in Isaiah 28:16. There GOD states: “…behold I am laying a foundation stone in Zion, a tried stone a precious cornerstone….”. In Jerusalem the ‘ stone’ was tried, but there it was also that GOD raised his Son from the dead. As Firstfruits. This made him the precious cornerstone on which all of GOD’s edifice is founded!

Delen: