Matthew 27:15-26

Pilate Releases Barabbas

15 Now at each feast, the governor was accustomed to release one prisoner to the crowd--the one whom they wanted.

16 And at that time they had a notorious prisoner named Jesus Barabbas.

17 So [after] they had assembled, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release for you--Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called Christ?"

18 (For he knew that they had handed him over because of envy.

19 And [while] he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent [a message] to him, saying, "{Have nothing to do with that righteous man}, for I have suffered much as a result of a dream today because of him.")

20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds that they should ask for Barabbas and put Jesus to death.

21 So the governor answered [and] said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas!"

22 Pilate said to them, "What then should I do [with] Jesus, the one who is called Christ?" They all said, "Let him be crucified!"

23 And he said, "Why? What wrong has he done?" But they began to shout even louder, saying, "Let him be crucified!"

24 So Pilate, [when he] saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but instead an uproar was developing, took water [and] washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this man. You see to [it]!"

25 And all the people answered [and] said, "His blood [be] on us and on our children!"

26 Then he released Barabbas for them, but [after] he had Jesus flogged, he handed [him] over so that he could be crucified.

Footnotes

• [a]. Although many manuscripts omit "Jesus" here, it is so hard to explain why a scribe would have added it that the reading is probably original
• [b]. "Barabbas" means "son of the father" in Aramaic
• [c]. *Here "[after]" is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle ("had assembled")
• [d]. Although many manuscripts omit "Jesus" here, it is so hard to explain why a scribe would have added it that the reading is probably original
• [e]. *Here "[while]" is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle ("was sitting")
• [f]. *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
• [g]. Literally "nothing to you and to that righteous man"
• [h]. *Here "[and]" is supplied because the previous participle ("answered") has been translated as a finite verb
• [i]. *The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here ("began to shout")
• [j]. *Here "[when]" is supplied as a component of the participle ("saw") which is understood as temporal
• [k]. *Here "[and]" is supplied because the previous participle ("took") has been translated as a finite verb
• [l]. Literally "the"; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
• [m]. *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
• [n]. *Here "[and]" is supplied because the previous participle ("answered") has been translated as a finite verb
• [o]. *Here "[after]" is supplied as a component of the participle ("flogged") which is understood as temporal
• [p]. *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation