Who was Barabbas in the Bible?
Lived in the New Testament era
Barabbas was a notorious prisoner mentioned in all four Gospels (Mat.27.16-26; Mrk.15.7-15; Luk.23.18-25; Jhn.18.40). Barabbas appears in 10 verses across 4 books of the Bible.
What does the Bible say about Barabbas?
Barabbas was a notorious prisoner mentioned in all four Gospels (Mat.27.16-26; Mrk.15.7-15; Luk.23.18-25; Jhn.18.40). He was in custody during the trial of Jesus before Pontius Pilate. According to the Gospel accounts, it was customary during the Passover feast for the Roman governor to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. Pilate offered the people a choice between releasing Jesus or Barabbas. The chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude to ask for Barabbas and demand Jesus' crucifixion. Pilate, although convinced of Jesus' innocence, yielded to the crowd's pressure and released Barabbas while condemning Jesus to death. Some manuscripts of Mat.27.16-17 refer to Barabbas as "Jesus Barabbas," suggesting that he may have also been called Jesus. Barabbas is described as a notorious criminal, with Mark and Luke mentioning that he had committed murder during an insurrection. His release in place of Jesus highlights the irony and injustice of the situation.
Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.
Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.
Where does Barabbas appear in the Bible?
Barabbas is referenced in 10 verses across 4 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.
- John 18:40
- Luke 23:18
- Matthew 27:16
- Matthew 27:17
- Matthew 27:20
- Matthew 27:21
- Matthew 27:26
- Mark 15:7
- Mark 15:11
- Mark 15:15
What else appears in these passages?
These turn up in the same passages as Barabbas.
Common questions
How many times does the Bible mention Barabbas?
Barabbas appears in 10 verses across 4 books, most often in Matthew, which accounts for 5 of them.
Which books of the Bible mention Barabbas?
Matthew, Mark, John, Luke.
Where can I read every verse about Barabbas?
This page lists 10 of them. Protos carries all 10, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.
