SEV Biblia, Chapter 27:16
Y tenían entonces un preso famoso que se llamaba Barrabs.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Matthew 27:16
Verse 16. A notable prisoner-Barabbas.] This person had, a short time before, raised an insurrection in Jerusalem, in which it appears, from Mark xv. 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:-tina qelete apo twn duw apolusw umin, in ton barabban, h in ton legomenon xn: 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.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 16. And they had then a notable prisoner , etc.] 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, aba rb , which signifies the son of a father: a fathers 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 f1649 , and Bar Abba is the son of Abba: hence we read of Abba Bar Abba f1650 , and of R. Samuel Bar Abba and of R. Simeon Bar Abba f1652 , and of R. Chijah Bar Abba f1653 .
In Munsters Hebrew Gospel it is read hbr rb , 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.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 11-25 - Having no malice against Jesus, Pilate urged him to clear himself, an laboured to get him discharged. The message from his wife was warning. God has many ways of giving checks to sinners, in their sinfu pursuits, and it is a great mercy to have such checks from Providence from faithful friends, and from our own consciences. O do not thi abominable thing which the Lord hates! is what we may hear said to us when we are entering into temptation, if we will but regard it. Being overruled by the priests, the people made choice of Barabbas Multitudes who choose the world, rather than God, for their ruler an portion, thus choose their own delusions. The Jews were so bent upo the death of Christ, that Pilate thought it would be dangerous to refuse. And this struggle shows the power of conscience even on the worst men. Yet all was so ordered to make it evident that Chris suffered for no fault of his own, but for the sins of his people. Ho vain for Pilate to expect to free himself from the guilt of the innocent blood of a righteous person, whom he was by his office boun to protect! The Jews' curse upon themselves has been awfully answere in the sufferings of their nation. None could bear the sin of others except Him that had no sin of his own to answer for. And are we not all concerned? Is not Barabbas preferred to Jesus, when sinners rejec salvation that they may retain their darling sins, which rob God of his glory, and murder their souls? The blood of Christ is now upon us for good, through mercy, by the Jews' rejection of it. O let us flee to it for refuge!
Greek Textus Receptus
ειχον 2192 5707 V-IAI-3P δε 1161 CONJ τοτε 5119 ADV δεσμιον 1198 N-ASM επισημον 1978 A-ASM λεγομενον 3004 5746 V-PPP-ASM βαραββαν 912 N-ASM
