The Scripture behind the Scripture
He That Believeth Shall Not Be Ashamed
Isaiah 28:16 promises a tried and precious cornerstone laid in Zion, so that he who believes will not be ashamed or make haste. Paul cites it in Romans 9:33 and Peter in 1 Peter 2:6.
“Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.”Isaiah 28:16
“As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”Romans 9:33
“Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.”1 Peter 2:6
In its own place
In its own place. Isaiah 28 addresses the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem in a time of political crisis, rebuking them for their drunkenness, scoffing, and reliance on deceptive alliances, which the prophet calls a covenant with death. Against their false securities, God announces, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation, he that believeth shall not make haste. In its original setting this contrasts the crumbling refuges the leaders trust in with the sure foundation God himself provides in Zion. The tried and precious cornerstone represents God's own reliable work, perhaps his covenant faithfulness or a coming reign of justice, on which those who trust will stand firm rather than being swept away by the coming judgment. To believe, to rest on this foundation, is to be secure and not to panic or flee in haste when disaster comes. The verse offers hope amid a message of judgment on false confidence, pointing the people to trust in what God establishes rather than in their own schemes. The cornerstone imagery evokes stability, permanence, and the sure basis of a building that will not fall, God's dependable provision for those who believe.
Where the New Testament takes it up
This is a direct quotation, joined to other stone texts in the apostolic preaching. Paul quotes it in Romans 9:33, combining Isaiah 28:16 with Isaiah 8:14 about a stone of stumbling, to explain why Israel largely failed to attain righteousness, because they pursued it by works rather than faith and stumbled over the stumbling stone, yet whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. Peter uses it in 1 Peter 2:6, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious, and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded, then likewise joins it with the rejected stone of Psalm 118 and the stumbling stone of Isaiah 8. Both apostles follow the Greek, which renders the phrase as shall not be ashamed or confounded, drawing out the promise of vindication for those who believe. The New Testament reads the precious cornerstone laid in Zion as Christ, the sure foundation God has established, on whom believers rest and are never put to shame. Those who trust him will be vindicated, while those who reject him stumble over the very stone meant to save. This stone theology, weaving together Isaiah 28, Isaiah 8, and Psalm 118, became a settled way the early church confessed Jesus as the foundation of God's true temple.
How it points to Christ
How it points to Christ. Jesus is the tried and precious cornerstone God has laid in Zion. Every false refuge fails, but he is the sure foundation on which those who believe will stand secure and never be put to shame. The promise that the believer will not be ashamed becomes the confidence of all who trust in Christ, for their hope will be vindicated at the last. Yet the same stone that saves those who believe becomes a stone of stumbling to those who reject him, so no one is neutral before him. Peter and Paul weave this cornerstone into the larger picture of Christ as the foundation of a living temple built of God's people. To rest one's whole weight on Jesus in faith is to build on the one foundation that God himself has laid and tested, the stone that will never give way.
Questions people ask
Why do Paul and Peter combine several stone texts?
The early church developed a stone theology, weaving Isaiah 28:16, Isaiah 8:14, and Psalm 118:22 together to confess Jesus as the cornerstone. He is the precious foundation for those who believe and a stone of stumbling for those who reject him, so the texts together capture both responses.
What does shall not be ashamed mean?
The apostles follow the Greek, which promises that the one who believes will not be ashamed or put to confusion, that is, will be vindicated rather than disappointed. Those who trust the cornerstone Christ will have their hope confirmed and will never be let down.