And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas:
Parallel translations
- WEB But they all cried out together, saying, “Away with this man! Release to us Barabbas!” —
- BSB But they all cried out in unison: “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!”
- NKJV And they all cried out at once, saying, “Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas”—
- NASB But they cried out all together, saying, “Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas!”
- NLT Then a mighty roar rose from the crowd, and with one voice they shouted, “Kill him, and release Barabbas to us!”
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 cried out to release Barabbas instead of Jesus. They demanded a murderer be freed while the sinless Savior was condemned.
Overview
In a striking exchange, the people choose a violent insurrectionist over the Prince of Peace. This reversal vividly portrays the gospel: the guilty go free while the innocent bears their penalty. Barabbas stands as a picture of every sinner who is released because Christ takes his place under judgment.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Acts 22:22And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live.
- Acts 3:14But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;
- Acts 21:36For the multitude of the people followed after, crying, Away with him.
- Mark 15:6–15Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired.
- John 19:15–16But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.
- John 18:39–40But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews?
- Matt 27:15–26Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 23:18 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.