Encyclopedia entry
Barabbas
I.e., son of Abba or of a father, a notorious robber whom Pilate proposed to condemn to death instead of Jesus, whom he wished to release, in accordance with the Roman custom (John 18:40; Mark 15:7; Luke 23:19). But the Jews were so bent on the death of Jesus that they demanded that Barabbas should be pardoned (Matt. 27:16-26; Acts 3:14). This Pilate did.
Also from Smith's (1884) +−
(son of Abba), a robber, (John 18:40) who had committed murder in an insurrection, (Mark 15:7; Luke 28:18) in Jerusalem and was lying in prison the time of the trial of Jesus before Pilate.p
In the Bible
11
Verses where Barabbas is named. Berean Standard Bible (public domain).
- John 18:40
“Not this man,” they shouted, “but Barabbas!” (Now Barabbas was an insurrectionist.)
- Luke 23:18
But they all cried out in unison: “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!”
- Luke 23:19
(Barabbas had been imprisoned for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)
- Mark 15:7
And a man named Barabbas was imprisoned with the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection.
- Mark 15:11
But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas to them instead.
- Mark 15:15
And wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed Him over to be crucified.
+5 more verses naming Barabbas.
Scripture on Barabbas
5
Entries that reference Barabbas
2
More illustrations of Barabbas
1
Voices on Barabbas
4
Surfaced by name match — accuracy varies by title clarity.
Sources · Hitchcock's Bible Names (1869) · Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897) · Smith's Bible Dictionary (1884)
Public-domain text. Modernized only where archaic spelling impedes reading; original facts preserved. Verify against an authoritative modern reference before quoting.