Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.
Parallel translations
- WEB Then they all shouted again, saying, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.
- BSB “Not this man,” they shouted, “but Barabbas!” (Now Barabbas was an insurrectionist.)
- NKJV Then they all cried again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.
- NASB So they shouted again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas.” Now Barabbas was a rebel.
- NLT But they shouted back, “No! Not this man. We want Barabbas!” (Barabbas was a revolutionary.)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The crowd demands the release of Barabbas, a violent criminal, rather than Jesus. It is a tragic exchange: the guilty man goes free while the innocent is condemned.
Overview
Offered a Passover pardon, the crowd rejects the sinless Jesus in favor of Barabbas, a robber and (per the other Gospels) an insurrectionist and murderer. John notes pointedly that Barabbas was a robber, underscoring the injustice. The scene vividly pictures the gospel: the innocent One is condemned so that the guilty can go free, which is exactly what Christ accomplishes for sinners at the cross.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Mark 15:7And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection.
- Mark 15:15And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.
- Luke 23:25And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.
- Matt 27:26Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
- Luke 23:18–19And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas:
- Acts 3:13–14The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.
- Matt 27:16And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 18:40 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.