Matthew 26:2

26:2 “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be handed over ¹  to be crucified.” ² 

Matthew 26:5

26:5 But they said, “Not during the feast, so that there won’t be a riot among the people.” ³ 

Matthew 27:15

27:15 During the feast the governor was accustomed to release one prisoner to the crowd, ⁴  whomever they wanted.

Luke 23:16-17

23:16 I will therefore have him flogged ⁵  and release him.”

23:17 [[EMPTY]] ⁶ 

John 18:39-40

18:39 But it is your custom that I release one prisoner ⁷  for you at the Passover. ⁸  So do you want me to release for you the king of the Jews?” 18:40 Then they shouted back, ⁹  “Not this man, ¹⁰  but Barabbas!” ¹¹  (Now Barabbas was a revolutionary. ¹² ) ¹³ 

Acts 24:27

24:27 After two years ¹⁴  had passed, Porcius Festus ¹⁵  succeeded Felix, ¹⁶  and because he wanted to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison. ¹⁷ 

Acts 25:9

25:9 But Festus, ¹⁸  wanting to do the Jews a favor, asked Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and be tried ¹⁹  before me there on these charges?” ²⁰ 

[26:2]  ¹ tn Or “will be delivered up.”

[26:2]  ² sn See the note on crucified in 20:19.

[26:5]  ³ sn The suggestion here is that Jesus was too popular to openly arrest him.

[27:15]  ⁴ sn The custom of Pilate to release one prisoner is unknown outside the gospels in Jewish writings, but it was a Roman custom at the time and thus probably used in Palestine as well (cf. Matt 27:15; John 18:39).

[23:16]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ 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.

[18:39]  ⁷ tn The word “prisoner” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[18:39]  ⁸ sn Pilate then offered to release Jesus, reminding the Jewish authorities that they had a custom that he release one prisoner for them at the Passover. There is no extra-biblical evidence alluding to the practice. It is, however, mentioned in Matthew and Mark, described either as a practice of Pilate (Mark 15:6) or of the Roman governor (Matt 27:15). These references may explain the lack of extra-biblical attestation: The custom to which Pilate refers here (18:39) is not a permanent one acknowledged by all the Roman governors, but one peculiar to Pilate as a means of appeasement, meant to better relations with his subjects. Such a limited meaning is certainly possible and consistent with the statement here.

[18:40]  ⁹ tn Or “they shouted again,” or “they shouted in turn.” On the difficulty of translating πάλιν (palin) see BDAG 753 s.v. 5. It is simplest in the context of John’s Gospel to understand the phrase to mean “they shouted back” as a reply to Pilate’s question.

[18:40]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “this one.”

[18:40]  ¹¹ sn The name Barabbas in Aramaic means “son of abba,” that is, “son of the father,” and presumably the man in question had another name (it may also have been Jesus, according to the textual variant in Matt 27:16, although this is uncertain). For the author this name held ironic significance: The crowd was asking for the release of a man called Barabbas, “son of the father,” while Jesus, who was truly the Son of the Father, was condemned to die instead.

[18:40]  ¹² tn Or “robber.” It is possible that Barabbas was merely a robber or highwayman, but more likely, given the use of the term ληστής (lhsth") in Josephus and other early sources, that he was a guerrilla warrior or revolutionary leader. See both R. E. Brown (John [AB], 2:857) and K. H. Rengstorf (TDNT 4:258) for more information. The word λῃστής was used a number of times by Josephus (J. W. 2.13.2-3 [2.253-254]) to describe the revolutionaries or guerrilla fighters who, from mixed motives of nationalism and greed, kept the rural districts of Judea in constant turmoil.

[18:40]  ¹³ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[24:27]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “After a two-year period.”

[24:27]  ¹⁵ sn Porcius Festus was the procurator of Palestine who succeeded Felix; neither the beginning nor the end of his rule (at his death) can be determined with certainty, although he appears to have died in office after about two years. Nero recalled Felix in a.d. 57 or 58, and Festus was appointed to his vacant office in a.d. 57, 58, or 59. According to Josephus (Ant. 20.8.9-10 [20.182-188]; J. W. 2.14.1 [2.271-272]), his administration was better than that of his predecessor Felix or his successor Albinus, but Luke in Acts portrays him in a less favorable light: He was willing to sacrifice Paul to court Jewish favor by taking him to Jerusalem for trial (v. 9), regardless of Paul’s guilt or innocence. The one characteristic for which Festus was noted is that he dealt harshly with those who disturbed the peace.

[24:27]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “Felix received as successor Porcius Festus.”

[24:27]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “left Paul imprisoned.”

[25:9]  ¹⁸ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:9]  ¹⁹ tn Or “stand trial.”

[25:9]  ²⁰ tn Grk “concerning these things.”