Matius 21:44-46

21:44 The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, and the one on whom it falls will be crushed.” ¹  21:45 When ²  the chief priests and the Pharisees ³  heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. 21:46 They wanted to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowds, because the crowds ⁴  regarded him as a prophet.

[21:44]  ¹ tc A few witnesses, especially of the Western text (D 33 it sy^s Or Eus^syr), do not contain 21:44. However, the verse is found in א B C L W Z (Θ) 0102 Ë^1,13 Ï lat sy^c,p,h co and should be included as authentic.

[21:44]  tn Grk “on whomever it falls, it will crush him.”

[21:44]  sn This proverb basically means that the stone crushes, without regard to whether it falls on someone or someone falls on it. On the stone as a messianic image, see Isa 28:16 and Dan 2:44-45.

[21:45]  ² tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[21:45]  ³ sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

[21:46]  ⁴ tn Grk “they”; the referent (the crowds) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Both previous occurrences of “they” in this verse refer to the chief priests and the Pharisees.