The Greek verb apodokimazō means to reject something after examination or testing — specifically, to deem something unfit after inspection. It is the term used for the rejected cornerstone, giving it profound Christological significance.
Apodokimazō is the verb of the rejected cornerstone. In all three Synoptic Gospels, Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22: 'The stone the builders rejected (apodokimazō) has become the cornerstone.' The builders' rejection was not ignorance — it was rejection after examination. They saw, tested, and deliberately set aside what God had chosen as foundational. This is the tragedy of willful unbelief. Yet God's response is not defeat but triumph: the rejected stone becomes the cornerstone. Every time God's messengers, God's word, or God himself is 'tested and found wanting' by human judgment, God is building something the builders cannot comprehend.