Then they all cried 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.
- KJV Then cried they all 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.)
- 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 15:7There was one called Barabbas, bound with his fellow insurgents, men who in the insurrection had committed murder.
- Mark 15:15Pilate, wishing to please the multitude, released Barabbas to them, and handed over Jesus, when he had flogged him, to be crucified.
- Luke 23:25He released him who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus up to their will.
- Matt 27:26Then he released to them Barabbas, but Jesus he flogged and delivered to be crucified.
- Luke 23:18–19But they all cried out together, saying, “Away with this man! Release to us Barabbas!” —
- Acts 3:13–14The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up, and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had determined to release him.
- Matt 27:16They 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.