Person New Testament
Barabbas
Also known as Jesus Barabbas
Barabbas was a prisoner held in Jerusalem at Passover, described as notorious, an insurrectionist, and a murderer in the different Gospel accounts. When Pilate offered the crowd a Passover release, the chief priests persuaded them to ask for Barabbas and to demand that Jesus be crucified.
Why it matters. A guilty man goes free while the innocent one is condemned. The Gospels record the exchange plainly, and Christians have long seen in it a picture of substitution.
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
Connections
Barabbas participates in The trial before Pilate
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceBarabbas is the prisoner the crowd asks Pilate to release instead of Jesus.
Evidence:
Appears in Scripture
Named in 10 verses across 4 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.