Luke 23:16-23

23:16 I will therefore have him flogged ¹  and release him.”

23:17 [[EMPTY]] ² 

23:18 But they all shouted out together, ³  “Take this man ⁴  away! Release Barabbas for us!” 23:19 (This ⁵  was a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection ⁶  started in the city, and for murder.) ⁷  23:20 Pilate addressed them once again because he wanted ⁸  to release Jesus. 23:21 But they kept on shouting, ⁹  “Crucify, crucify ¹⁰  him!” 23:22 A third time he said to them, “Why? What wrong has he done? I have found him guilty ¹¹  of no crime deserving death. ¹²  I will therefore flog ¹³  him and release him.” 23:23 But they were insistent, ¹⁴  demanding with loud shouts that he be crucified. And their shouts prevailed.

[23:16]  ¹ tn Or “scourged” (BDAG 749 s.v. παιδεύω 2.b.γ). This refers to a whipping Pilate ordered in an attempt to convince Jesus not to disturb the peace. It has been translated “flogged” to distinguish it from the more severe verberatio.

[23:17]  ² tc Many of the best mss, as well as some others (Ì⁷⁵ A B K L T 070 1241 pc sa), lack 23:17 “(Now he was obligated to release one individual for them at the feast.)” This verse appears to be a parenthetical note explaining the custom of releasing someone on amnesty at the feast. It appears in two different locations with variations in wording, which makes it look like a scribal addition. It is included in א (D following v. 19) W Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 Ï lat. The verse appears to be an explanatory gloss based on Matt 27:15 and Mark 15:6, not original in Luke. The present translation follows NA²⁷ in omitting the verse number, a procedure also followed by a number of other modern translations.

[23:18]  ³ tn Grk “together, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant and has not been translated here.

[23:18]  ⁴ tn Grk “this one.” The reference to Jesus as “this man” is pejorative in this context.

[23:19]  ⁵ tn Grk “who” (a continuation of the previous sentence).

[23:19]  ⁶ sn Ironically, what Jesus was alleged to have done, started an insurrection, this man really did.

[23:19]  ⁷ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[23:20]  ⁸ sn The account pictures a battle of wills – the people versus Pilate. Pilate is consistently portrayed in Luke’s account as wanting to release Jesus because he believed him to be innocent.

[23:21]  ⁹ tn Grk “shouting, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant and has not been translated here.

[23:21]  ¹⁰ tn This double present imperative is emphatic.

[23:22]  ¹¹ tn Grk “no cause of death I found in him.”

[23:22]  ¹² sn The refrain of innocence comes once again. Pilate tried to bring some sense of justice, believing Jesus had committed no crime deserving death.

[23:22]  ¹³ tn Or “scourge” (BDAG 749 s.v. παιδεύω 2.b.γ). See the note on “flogged” in v. 16.

[23:23]  ¹⁴ tn Though a different Greek term is used here (BDAG 373 s.v. ἐπίκειμαι), this remark is like 23:5.