The Hebrew word eben means stone. This word is a combination of two other words. The first part is ab, which means father (think of abba), the second part is ben, which means son. In Hebrew the stone is a representation of the unity of Father and Son. The stone or rock in Scripture is therefore a representation of what God the Father does in and through His Son, Christ Jesus.
Bricks are the exception to this. They speak of what a person tries to do for himself, “makes of it himself”.
Some examples of stones or rocks in Scripture:
Genesis 28
18 Then Jacob got up early in the morning. He took the stone from which he had made his pillow, set it up as a memorial, and poured oil on it.
rest and resurrection
Jacob laid his head to rest on a stone (Gen.28:11) and when he does not work, but rests, he receives promises from God (Gen.28:13-15). Seven times God says, “I will…”
When Jacob wakes up early in the morning (compare John 20:1), he sets up the stone so that the stone becomes a representation of resurrection and pours oil on it. This makes this stone a risen anointed one (Heb. Massiach = Messiah).
Exodus 17
12 But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, so that he could sit on it. Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and the other on the other.
victory
Moses takes a seat on high (Ex.12:9) and rests on the stone, a representation of Christ seated in heaven. In his hands he has the staff (Ex.17:9). With a staff you stand and remain standing, it is an emblem of resurrection. His hands, which hold up the staff, are supported by Aaron, the high priest, and Hur, the image of God’s spirit. The Hebrew Ruach means spirit and is an anagram of Chur. Thus, although the battle appears to be fought below, victory over the enemy is achieved on high.
Exodus 20
25 But if you make an altar of stone to Me, you shall not build it of hewn stones, for if you work it with your pickaxe you will profane it.
an increase
An altar is an elevation of stones and is therefore always a symbol of the exalted Christ. An altar would not be made of carved stones, for one cannot approach God by one’s own works, but only through Christ. We first read about bricks during the construction of the Tower of Babel (Gen.11:3). And Israel in slavery also had to bake bricks (Ex.1:14).
We would not trust in our own works or what man has accomplished, but in what God does and promises. The rocks and stones in the Bible are therefore always stones, as we find them in creation (>natural stone). Whether it is “a stone” as big as a mountain, or the small stone with which David defeated Goliath.
1 Samuel 17
49 Then David put his hand into his bag, took out a stone, and slung it, and struck the Philistine on the forehead with it, and the stone pierced his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.
five stones
Saul wanted David to face the giant with his armor, but David could not carry Saul’s armor and equipment, it oppressed him (1 Sam.17:38-39). David takes off this armor, which is a representation of the law (1 Sam.17:39) and with the staff in his hand, he chooses five stones (:40). The five is a representation of mysteries and of grace. With this stone, which is an image of the Son of David, David overcomes the enemy.
Psalm 118
22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
the Cornerstone
Peter comments on this verse in Acts 4, telling Israel’s leaders that they are the builders and Christ is the stone they rejected. This Stone, which they consider unworthy and reject, God makes the cornerstone of a completely new building, the ecclesia, the body of Christ (Eph.2:20): a spiritual temple (Eph.2:20-22).
Daniel 2
34 Here you looked until a stone was cut down without human hands. He struck the statue with its feet of iron and clay and broke it to pieces.
(…)
35 But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
(…)
44 But in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will its power be left to any other nation. It will crush and destroy all those other kingdoms, but it itself will endure for the eons.
45 Therefore you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without human hands, and it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold.
from on high
Here is described the image of Nebuchadnezzar which is a representation of the kingdoms of this earth. God will destroy these kingdoms and set up a kingdom that will cover the entire earth, represented by the stone that was cut without hands and filled the entire earth.
This last, final Kingdom is a Kingdom under the rule of the Messiah. It is a Kingdom that is not created by human hands, but comes from on high, from the God of the heavens (Dan.2:45): the Kingdom of the heavens.
1 Corinthians 10
1 For I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all the same ate spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from a spiritual rock that follows them. And the rock was Christ.
Christ
Here Paul says in a few sentences that the entire history of Israel in the wilderness, under the leadership of Moses, has a spiritual and deeper meaning. The rock that produced water is a representation of Christ. He is the one who gives life.
Luke 24
2 And they found the stone rolled away from the grave.
the turned stone
The stone, which had been placed in front of the grave by the authorities, had been rolled away. A portrayal of the greatest revolution in history: the resurrection of Christ! Here death was conquered and one day death will be completely abolished (1 Cor.15:26; 2 Tim.1:10).