God’s Word Translation
John 18:40
40The Jews shouted again, “Don’t free this man! Free Barabbas!” (Barabbas was a political revolutionary.)
John 18:40 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.
- New International Version (NIV)They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.
- English Standard Version (ESV)They cried out again, "Not this man, but Barabbas!" Now Barabbas was a robber.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then they all cried again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.
Context of John 18:40
38Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After Pilate said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I don’t find this man guilty of anything. 39You have a custom that I should free one person for you at Passover. Would you like me to free the king of the Jews for you?” The Jews shouted again, “Don’t free this man! Free Barabbas!” (Barabbas was a political revolutionary.)
Read all of John 18John 18:40 word by word
ἐκραύγασαν οὖν πάλιν λέγοντες· μὴ τοῦτον ἀλλὰ τὸν Βαραββᾶν· ἦν δὲ ὁ Βαραββᾶς λῃστής.¶Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Thenοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
- cried theyκραυγάζωkraugazō · to shoutG2905
- allπᾶςpas · allG3956
- againπάλινpalin · againG3825
- sayingλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- Notμήmē · notG3361
- this manοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
- butἀλλάalla · butG235
- Barabbasὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- BarabbasΒαραββᾶςBarabbas · BarabbasG912
- Nowδέde · thenG1161
- wasεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- a robberλῃστήςlēstēs · robber/rebelG3027
Cross-references for John 18:40
- Matthew 27:16At that time there was a well-known prisoner by the name of Barabbas.
- Mark 15:7There was a man named Barabbas in prison. He was with some rebels who had committed murder during a riot.
- Luke 23:18The whole crowd then shouted, “Take him away! Free Barabbas for us.”
- Acts 3:13The God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed Jesus over to Pilate. You rejected him in Pilate’s presence, even though Pilate had decided to let him go free.
Commentaries on John 18:40
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 40Barabbas was a robber - See Matthew 27:16. The later Syriac has in the margin, ͅ, a chief robber, a captain of banditti, and it is probable that this was the case. He was not only a person who lived by plunder, but shed the blood of many of those whom he and his gang robbed, and rose up against the Roman government, as we learn from Luke 23:19. There never existed a more perfidious, cruel, and murderous people than these Jews; and no wonder they preferred…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 33-40Verses 33-40 Art thou the King of the Jews? that King of the Jews who has been so long expected? Messiah the Prince; art thou he? Dost thou call thyself so, and wouldest thou be thought so? Christ answered this question with another; not for evasion, but that Pilate might consider what he did. He never took upon him any earthly power, never were any traitorous principles or practices laid to him. Christ gave an account of the nature of his kingdom. Its…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 40Jesus was not a threat to Rome, but Barabbas was a revolutionary. He was a violent man involved in political uprisings. Barabbas had proven his capacity to challenge the Roman military occupation of Israel (see Luke 23:19).Read the comment
Topics related to John 18:40
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on John 18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Catena Aurea
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- John Lightfoot Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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