Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 27:16
And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.
16. Barabbas ] = “Son of a father,” or perhaps, “Son of a Rabbi.” The reading, “Jesus Barabbas” (Mat 27:17), which appears in some copies, is rightly rejected by the best editors. As Alford remarks, Mat 27:20 is fatal to the insertion. St Mark and St Luke add that Barabbas had committed murder in the insurrection.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 16. A notable prisoner – Barabbas.] This person had, a short time before, raised an insurrection in Jerusalem, in which it appears, from Mr 15:7, some lives were lost. In some MSS., and in the Armenian and Syriac Hieros., this man has the surname of Jesus. Professor Birch has discovered this reading in a Vatican MS., written in 949, and numbered 354, in which is a marginal note which has been attributed to Anastasius, bishop of Antioch, and to Chrysostom, which asserts that in the most ancient MSS. the passage was as follows: – , , : Which of the two DO ye wish me to release unto you, Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ? As Jesus, or Joshua, was a very common name among the Jews, and as the name of the father was often joined to that of the son, as Simon Barjonah, Simon, son of Jonah; so it is probable it was the case here, Jesus Barabba, Jesus, son of Abba, or Abbiah. If this name were originally written as above, which I am inclined to believe, the general omission of JESUS in the MSS. may be accounted for from the over zealous scrupulosity of Christian copyists, who were unwilling that a murderer should, in the same verse, be honoured with the name of the Redeemer of the world. See Birch in New Test.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
And they had then a notable prisoner,…. The Vulgate Latin reads, “he had”; that is, Pilate, who had committed him to prison, and under whose power he was: for the Jews had lost all authority of this kind, at least in capital cases. This prisoner is called a “notable” one; that is, a famous, or rather an infamous one: he was a thief, and a robber, and had been guilty of sedition; had made, or joined with others in an insurrection, and had committed murder in it; and so, on more accounts than one, was deserving of death: nor could it be otherwise expected by himself, or others, but that he should die: his name was
called Barabbas; that is, as the Syriac version reads it, , which signifies “the son of a father”: a father’s child that was spoiled and ruined, and a child of his father the devil. This was a name common among the Jews. Frequent mention is made of R. Abba h, and Bar Abba is the son of Abba: hence we read of Abba Bar Abba i, and of R. Samuel Bar Abba k and of R. Simeon Bar Abba l, and of R. Chijah Bar Abba m. In Munster’s Hebrew Gospel it is read
, “Bar Rabbah, the son of a master”; and so Jerom says, that in the Gospel according to the Hebrews it is interpreted, “the son of their master”; but the former is the right name, and the true sense of the word. The Ethiopic version adds, “the prince”, or “chief of robbers, and all knew him”; and the Arabic, instead of a “prisoner”, reads, a “thief”, as he was.
h Juchasin, fol. 70. 1, &c. i T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 18. 2. & Hieros Pesachim, fol. 32. 1. & Juchasin, fol. 104. 1. k T. Hieros. Pesachim, fol. 32. 1. l T. Hieros. Succa, fol. 53. 3. Juchasin, fol. 105. 1. m T. Hieros. Succa, fol, 55. 3. Juchasin, fol. 91. 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(16) A notable prisoner, called Barabbas.There is considerable, though not quite decisive, evidence in favour of the reading which gives Jesus Barabbas as the name of the prisoner. The name Bar-abbas (=son of Abbas, or of a father), like Bar-timseus and Bartholomew, was a patronymic, and it would be natural enough that the man who bore it should have another more personal name. We can easily understand (1) that the commonness of the name Jesus might lead to his being known to his comrades and to the multitude only or chiefly as Barabbas; and (2) that the reverence which men felt in after years for the Name which is above every name, would lead them to blot out, if it were possible, the traces that it had once been borne by the robber-chief. Of Barabbas St. John (Joh. 18:40) tells us that he was a robber; St. Luke (Luk. 23:19) and St. Mark (Mar. 15:7) that he had taken a prominent part with some insurgents in the city, and that he, with them, had committed murder in the insurrection. The last recorded tumult of this kind was that mentioned above (Note on Mat. 27:2), as connected with Pilates appropriation of the Corban. It is so far probable that this was the tumult in which Barabbas had taken part; and the supposition that he did so has at least the merit of explaining how it was that he came to be the favourite hero both of the priests and people. As the term Abba (=father) was a customary term of honour, as applied to a Rabbi (Mat. 23:9), it is possible that the sobriquet by which he was popularly known commemorated a fact in his family history of which he might naturally be proud. Jesus, the Rabbis son was a cry that found more favour than Jesus the Nazarene.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
16. A notable prisoner A famous outlaw. Mark says that he had raised “an insurrection,” and that his adherents, who “had committed murder in the insurrection,” were also, like himself, under arrest and in prison. As they probably lived by plunder, Barabbas is called “a robber.” As a fierce and brave Jewish patriot, he had become notable or famous among the populace. He was, perhaps, like Robin Hood among the old English, hateful to the government but popular with the masses.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.’
The word ‘notable’ here simply indicates well known. He was someone well known to the crowds as a patriot, and featured strongly in the minds of his captors as a notorious insurrectionist.
‘Called Barabbas (son of Abbas).’ An unusual Greek phrase as it stands, for we might expect another name prior to it. We can compare Joh 9:11, ‘a man who is called Jesus’; and Luk 22:47, ‘called Judas’. On the other hand in Mar 10:46 there is a man who is the son of Timaeus who is still simply called Bartimaeus. Thus on that basis it would appear that such a name can stand by itself. Some authorities here have the name ‘Jesus’ added to Barabbas, and Origen (who rejected it on theological grounds) refers to very early manuscripts which contained it (see also above). Indeed he says ‘many early manuscripts do not contain it’ which might suggest, although not necessarily, that many did. (It could simply indicate that some did) The unlikelihood of this reading finding its way into a text, and the good likelihood that if it were there it would be excised by devout Christian copyists, is often seen as favouring its inclusion, and it may well be that originally this read ‘Jesus who is called Barabbas’. On the other hand the manuscript evidence is not at all strong among the manuscripts that we do have, and it could equally be said that it is the kind of thing that might well have appealed to a certain kind of mind as an interesting addition and contrast to introduce, for Barabbas could also loosely mean ‘son of the father (abba)’, and ‘Joshua/Jesus’ was a popular name. Thus in view of the manuscript evidence we must probably reject it.
Barabbas and his fellow-insurrectionists were murderers, although probably seen as patriots by certain of the Jews because they would be seen as acting against the Romans in the name of God. It was in fact from such as these that many expected the Messiah to come. Such men would thus have had a certain amount of popular support among the more belligerent Jews, and the presence of such Jews at this time would be expected because of the well know custom. That custom would also mean that at least two men would have been brought there by arrangement in order to be offered to the crowds, which would explain why two other insurrectionists were already there, who would be executed along with Jesus, and why there was a crowd gathered here at all at this time. Apart from those deliberately brought together by the Chief Priests and Elders with a view to obtaining support for their case, and a few sightseers, this crowd would therefore have been very much one which favoured the insurrectionists. We must not therefore parallel them with the crowds who had welcomed Jesus (Mat 21:9), except by way of contrast. These may well in fact mainly have been Jerusalemites. It is thus going far beyond the evidence to suggest that it was the whole Jewish race that condemned Jesus. Indeed had a consensus been taken among the Jews of Palestine at that time Jesus would probably have been revealed as highly favoured. That is why, far from it being true that the Jews wanted to kill Jesus, we will rather discover that many would shortly respond to Him fully, both in Jerusalem and throughout the world.
‘Notable.’ The word can be seen as either positive or negative in its significance. He was probably seen as notorious by Pilate, and as a hero by the Jews. He was the kind of man who appealed to their patriotism, the kind who carried into practise what they often thought in their hearts.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Mat 27:16. A notable prisoner A notorious criminal. Heylin. It seems he was the head of the rebels; (see Joh 18:40. Luk 23:19; Luk 23:25.) the ringleader of a sedition, in which murder had been committed.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Mat 27:16 ] The subject is to be found in , Mat 27:15 , that is to say: the procurator and his soldiers ; for, like Jesus, Barabbas had also to be examined before Pilate before his case could be finally disposed of. He was lying in the prison in the praetorium awaiting execution, after having received sentence of death.
Concerning this robber and murderer Jesus Barabbas (see the critical remarks), nothing further is known. The name Barabbas occurs very frequently even in the Talmud; Lightfoot, p. 489. There is the less reason, therefore, for thinking, with Olshausen, that the characteristic significance of the name , father’s son (i.e. probably the son of a Rabbi, Mat 23:9 ), in close proximity with the person of Jesus, is an illustration of the saying: “Ludit in humanis divina potentia rebus.” Still it is possible that the accidental similarity in the name Jesus (see the critical remarks) may have helped to suggest to Pilate the release of Barabbas as an alternative, though, after all, the circumstance that the latter was a most notorious criminal undoubtedly swayed him most. For the baser the criminal, the less would Pilate expect them to demand his release. “But they would sooner have asked the devil himself to be liberated,” Luther’s gloss.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
16 And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.
Ver. 16. A notable prisoner, called Barabbas ] That is, by interpretation, his father’s son, his white son, his darling, his tidling, a whom he had cockered and not crossed from his youth. Such children are often undone, as Absalom, Amnon, and Adonijah were by their parents’ indulgence. How many a Barabbas, brought to the gallows, blameth his fond father, and haply curseth him in hell!
a A pampered or spoiled child; a darling, pet; a young, delicate, or puny child or animal, needing special care; a weakling, ‘dilling’. D
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
16. ] The subject of , as of above, is the . He was one of them, so they had him. The name Barabbas, , ‘son of his father,’ was not an uncommon one. The plays on this name Barabbas (e.g. , , . Theophylact, see also Olshausen in loc. vol. ii. p. 507) are utterly unworthy of serious exegesis. It does not appear why this man was . The murderers in the insurrection in which he was involved were many ( Mar 15:7 ).
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Mat 27:16 . : they, the people ( , Mat 27:15 ). : pointing not to the magnitude of his crime, but to the fact that for some reason or other he was an object of popular interest. , accusative of = son of a father, or with double , and retaining the v at the end, Bar-Rabban = son of a Rabbi. Jerome in his Commentary on Mt. mentions that in the Hebrew Gospel the word was interpreted filius magistri eorum . Origen mentions that in some MSS. this man bore the name Jesus , an identity of name which makes the contrast of character all the more striking. But the reading has little authority.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Barabbas. Aramaic. See App-94.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
16.] The subject of , as of above, is the . He was one of them, so they had him. The name Barabbas, , son of his father, was not an uncommon one. The plays on this name Barabbas (e.g. , , . Theophylact, see also Olshausen in loc. vol. ii. p. 507) are utterly unworthy of serious exegesis. It does not appear why this man was . The murderers in the insurrection in which he was involved were many (Mar 15:7).
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Mat 27:16. , notorious) A well-known robber, notorious for the gravest crime.[1185] And yet he was preferred to Jesus. How great contempt! Soon after, in the ignominy of punishment, He was preferred to two other robbers.- , called Barabbas) who was much talked about. It is probable that Barabbas survived long as a monument of the history of Jesus. Barabbas signifies son of his parent; he had been longed for, loved, spoiled, by his parent.
[1185] One who was, moreover, guilty of that very crime (treason) of which Jesus was accused; nay, even guilty of a worse crime. However, it was by the death of Him who was the Just One that those very persons, who had deserved death, are set free.-Harm., p. 550.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
a: Mar 15:7, Luk 23:18, Luk 23:19, Luk 23:25, Joh 18:40, Act 3:14, Rom 1:32
Reciprocal: Act 4:16 – a notable
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
7:16
They means the people who had this prisoner in confinement for the security of the public. He is said to have been a notable prisoner. Thayer says this word means “notorious, infamous” [of bad report]. This bad name is explained in Mar 15:7 which says he had committed murder and insurrection in connection with others.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.
[Barabbas.] Bar Abba; a very usual name in the Talmudists: “R. Samuel Barabba, and R. Nathan Barabba.” Abba Bar Abba; In the Jerusalem dialect it is very often uttered Bar Ba; “Simeon Bar Ba.” “R. Chaijah Bar Ba.” This brings to my mind what Josephus relates to have been done in the besieging of the city, When huge stones were thrown against the city by the Roman slings, some persons sitting in the towers gave the citizens warning by a sign to take heed, crying out in the vulgar dialect, ‘The Son cometh;’ that is, Bar Ba. The Son of man indeed then came in the glory of his justice and his vengeance, as he had often foretold, to destroy that most wicked and profligate nation.
Fuente: Lightfoot Commentary Gospels
Mat 27:16. A notable prisoner. A leader in an insurrection in which he had committed murder (Mark and Luke). John calls him a robber. Probably one of the Zealots, of whom Josephus speaks. His crime was really political.
Barabbas, Barabbas, i.e., the son of his father; although other meanings have been discovered in it. Some minor authorities call him, Jesus Barabbas, and many think he was a false Messiah; but this is a mere conjecture.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Barabbas’ name means "son of the father." Jesus, of course, was the true Son of the Father. The Greek word translated "notorious" (episemos) really means eminent or outstanding (cf. Rom 16:7). He was a famous prisoner but not necessarily one that the Jews regarded as an undesirable character. On the contrary, he had evidently been leading an insurrection against the Roman government as a freedom fighter (cf. Mar 15:7; Luk 23:19; Joh 18:40). His guerrilla actions were fairly common then. [Note: Josephus, Antiquities of . . ., 18:1:1.] Many of the Jews would have viewed Barabbas as a hero rather than as a villain. He was more of a messianic figure, in the minds of most Jews, than Jesus was.
Possibly the two men crucified with Jesus were Barabbas’ partners. Matthew used the same Greek word to describe them as the other evangelists used to describe Barabbas (i.e., lestes, "rebels" or "insurrectionists," Mat 27:38). All three were more than common robbers; they were more like Robin Hood’s men.
Jesus really took the place of one rebel, Barabbas, because the people preferred one who tried to overthrow Rome’s power, to the Messiah that God had provided for them. This shows their insistence on having a Messiah of their own design (cf. 1Sa 8:5; 1Sa 8:19-20).