Luke 23:16 kjv
I will therefore chastise him, and release him.
Luke 23:16 nkjv
I will therefore chastise Him and release Him"
Luke 23:16 niv
Therefore, I will punish him and then release him."
Luke 23:16 esv
I will therefore punish and release him."
Luke 23:16 nlt
So I will have him flogged, and then I will release him."
Luke 23 16 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference (Short Note) |
|---|---|---|
| Lk 23:4 | Pilate said to them, “I find no guilt in this man.” | Pilate's first declaration of Jesus' innocence. |
| Lk 23:14 | You brought this man to me as one who was misleading the people… I find no guilt in this man.” | Pilate's second declaration of innocence after examination. |
| Lk 23:15 | ...Herod sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him. | Herod also found no guilt worthy of death. |
| Lk 23:22 | A third time he said to them, “Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish him and release him.” | Pilate repeats the same offer, highlighting his dilemma. |
| Jn 18:38 | Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went outside again to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him.” | Pilate finds Jesus innocent before the crowd. |
| Jn 19:4 | Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” | Pilate emphasizes Jesus' innocence one more time. |
| Isa 50:6 | I gave my back to those who strike me, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. | Prophecy of suffering, including physical beating. |
| Isa 53:5 | But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. | Prophecy of the chastisement (punishment) for sins. |
| Psa 129:3 | The plowers plowed upon my back; they made long their furrows. | Metaphorical language referring to scourging. |
| Mt 27:26 | Then he released Barabbas to them, but Jesus he scourged and delivered to be crucified. | Pilate eventually scourges Jesus after finding him innocent. |
| Mk 15:15 | So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. | Similar to Matthew, Pilate's action to satisfy the crowd. |
| Jn 19:1 | Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. | Explicit statement of Jesus being flogged. |
| Prov 17:15 | He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD. | Moral principle condemning unjust judgment. |
| Prov 24:24 | Whoever says to the wicked, “You are righteous,” will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations. | Condemns perversion of justice and declaring innocent guilty. |
| Dt 25:2-3 | If the guilty person deserves to be flogged, the judge shall make him lie down and have him flogged... forty stripes he may give him, but not more... | Laws concerning flogging, only for the guilty. |
| Lk 23:18-19 | But they all cried out together, “Away with this man! Release to us Barabbas!” (He was a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder.) | Crowd's rejection of Jesus and demand for a real criminal. |
| Mt 27:24 | So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing... he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man's blood...” | Pilate attempts to absolve himself, highlighting his injustice. |
| 1 Pet 2:24 | He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. | Jesus' suffering and stripes (referring to chastisement) for atonement. |
| Acts 2:23 | this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. | God's sovereign plan encompassed Pilate's actions. |
| Acts 4:27-28 | for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. | Pilate's role in the unfolding of God's redemptive plan. |
Luke 23 verses
Luke 23 16 Meaning
Luke 23:16 captures Pilate's second proposed attempt to release Jesus, having repeatedly found Him innocent of any capital crime. His proposition is to inflict a lesser punishment, a scourging or chastisement, upon Jesus as a means to appease the Jewish leaders and the agitated crowd, hoping that after this "discipline," they would accept Jesus' release. This verse reveals Pilate's moral weakness and his unprincipled effort to compromise justice for political expediency.
Luke 23 16 Context
Luke 23:16 occurs during Jesus' trial before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea. After Jesus' arrest, He was brought before Pilate, accused by the Jewish religious leaders of subverting the nation, forbidding tribute to Caesar, and claiming to be Christ, a king (Lk 23:2). Pilate examined Jesus and questioned Him, particularly regarding His kingship. After this interrogation, Pilate declared, "I find no guilt in this man" (Lk 23:4). The Jewish leaders persisted in their accusations, prompting Pilate to send Jesus to Herod Antipas, as Jesus was a Galilean. Herod, after ridiculing Jesus, also found no crime deserving of death and sent Him back to Pilate (Lk 23:15).
Upon Jesus' return, Pilate reaffirmed to the Jewish leaders and the people that neither he nor Herod had found any basis for the capital charges against Jesus (Lk 23:14-15). Faced with the persistent clamor for Jesus' execution, and trapped between upholding Roman law (which declared Jesus innocent) and appeasing the volatile crowd and Jewish hierarchy to maintain order, Pilate proposed a compromise in verse 16. He suggested to chastise or punish Jesus in some way, short of death, and then release Him. This was Pilate's attempt to satisfy the crowd's demand for action against Jesus without having to condemn an innocent man.
Luke 23 16 Word analysis
- Therefore (οὖν, oun): This Greek particle signifies a conclusion drawn from what has just been stated. In this case, it links Pilate's declaration of no guilt (Lk 23:14-15) with his proposed action. It marks a logical consequence, although it is a perverse logic, where innocence is followed by punishment rather than immediate release.
- I will punish (παιδεύσω, paideusō): The verb paideuō primarily means "to instruct, train, educate, bring up a child." However, in a broader sense, it also means "to discipline, correct, chastise," which can include physical punishment, such as flogging or beating. In the context of a judicial trial, it indicates inflicting physical suffering as a form of deterrent or public humiliation, distinct from a full, life-threatening scourging (mastigoo) that might precede crucifixion. Pilate intended this as a less severe lashing, hoping it would be enough to mollify the accusers, effectively punishing Jesus for their sake despite His innocence.
- him (αὐτόν, auton): Refers to Jesus, the object of the proposed punishment.
- and (καί, kai): A simple conjunction connecting the two proposed actions: punishment and release. It highlights the contradiction in Pilate's offer – to inflict harm and then declare freedom.
- release him (ἀπολύσω, apolysō): The verb apolysō means "to set free, release, let go, acquit." Here, it signifies a legal act of discharging a prisoner from custody. Pilate still aimed for Jesus' release, attempting to uphold justice in principle, but tragically flawed in practice.
Words-group by words-group analysis
- "Therefore I will punish him and release him": This phrase perfectly encapsulates Pilate's predicament and his ultimate failure to act with integrity. The proposed solution is a clear moral contradiction. It highlights a common human tendency to seek compromise between truth and public pressure, even when the truth is self-evident. An innocent man, according to Roman law and Pilate's own judgment, was to be punished, illustrating profound injustice. This statement sets the stage for the dramatic decision point when the crowd demands Barabbas over Jesus. It signifies Pilate's attempt to be a peace-broker rather than a judge upholding justice, ironically punishing Jesus to protect himself and avert civil unrest.
Luke 23 16 Bonus section
Pilate's proposed "punishment" in Lk 23:16, intended as a lesser flogging, foreshadows the actual scourging Jesus would later endure (Jn 19:1; Mt 27:26; Mk 15:15). This demonstrates Pilate's diminishing resolve; what he initially offers as a political olive branch, he ultimately enacts, yet still yields Jesus to a far worse fate. The verse reflects a core dilemma: human authorities often find themselves between justice and popular will, with integrity frequently losing to expedience. Pilate's failure here contrasts sharply with God's perfect justice and highlights how divine providence can work through human injustice to achieve its ultimate redemptive purpose.
Luke 23 16 Commentary
Luke 23:16 serves as a pivotal point in Pilate's interaction with the Jewish leaders and the crowd, showcasing his vacillation and weakness. After declaring Jesus innocent three times (Lk 23:4, 14-15), Pilate seeks a political solution rather than a just one. His offer to "punish him and release him" is a compromise born of fear and an attempt to appease an enraged populace without condemning an innocent man to death. The paideuō (punishment/chastisement) was intended to be a form of appeasement – a public shaming and beating to satisfy the crowd's bloodlust while stopping short of execution.
This proposal highlights the inherent contradiction and deep injustice of Pilate's position: punishing a person he declared guiltless. It underscores the perversion of justice when a judge allows popular opinion or political expediency to dictate their verdict. Pilate's actions here inadvertently align with Old Testament prophecies of a suffering Messiah, who would endure stripes and chastisement (Isa 53:5). While intended as a pragmatic maneuver, it paved the way for Jesus to endure further unjust suffering, demonstrating the sinfulness of humanity in condemning divine innocence. It sets the scene for the subsequent demand for Barabbas, pushing Pilate to an even greater act of injustice.