Matthew 27 15

Matthew 27:15 kjv

Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would.

Matthew 27:15 nkjv

Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished.

Matthew 27:15 niv

Now it was the governor's custom at the festival to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd.

Matthew 27:15 esv

Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted.

Matthew 27:15 nlt

Now it was the governor's custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner to the crowd ? anyone they wanted.

Matthew 27 verses

Matthew 27 15 Meaning

Matthew 27:15 describes a long-standing custom during the Passover festival, where the Roman governor had the practice of releasing one prisoner, chosen by the people, to the crowd. This tradition sets the stage for the pivotal choice the crowd would make between Jesus and Barabbas, revealing the political maneuvering of Pilate and the misguided will of the people.

Matthew 27 15 Context

Matthew 27:15 appears at a critical juncture in Jesus's trial and journey to the cross. Prior to this verse, Jesus has been interrogated by Pilate (Mt 27:11-14), where Pilate seems convinced of Jesus's innocence, marvelling at His silence. The Roman governor then looks for a way to release Jesus, finding an opportunity in this existing custom. The custom's introduction here foreshadows the crowd's fateful decision that leads to Jesus's crucifixion and Barabbas's liberation.

Historically and culturally, the Passover (Pesach) was a highly significant Jewish festival, commemorating their liberation from Egyptian bondage. This often created a tense atmosphere in Roman-occupied Judea, with the potential for nationalistic uprising. The Roman governors, including Pilate, were tasked with maintaining peace and stability. The "custom of release" (known only through the Gospels, suggesting it was a specific provincial or perhaps even Pilate's personal appeasement policy) was likely a conciliatory gesture to foster goodwill with the Jewish population during this volatile time, particularly a custom for releasing a notable prisoner, who was arrested during that feast in an act of rebellion to avoid greater rebellions, and release on the eve of this festive of Passover.

Matthew 27 15 Word analysis

• Now (δέ - de): This particle serves as a connective, smoothly transitioning from Jesus's silence before Pilate (v.14) to Pilate's strategy for releasing Him, linking the narrative flow.
• at the feast (κατὰ δὲ ἑορτήν - kata de heortēn): Specifies the time as the Passover festival, a period imbued with themes of liberation and national identity. The choice Pilate offers occurs at a religiously significant and potentially politically volatile time.
• the governor (ὁ ἡγεμών - ho hēgemōn): Refers to Pontius Pilate, the Roman procurator of Judea. He represents Roman authority and imperial power, yet in this narrative, he appears constrained by public pressure.
• was accustomed (εἰώθει - eiōthei): An imperfect tense verb indicating a long-standing, habitual practice or custom. This was not a novel event but a tradition or common practice that Pilate adhered to.
• to release (ἀπολύειν - apolyein): Means to set free, to discharge, or to send away. This is the central act of the custom, offering freedom to a detainee.
• to the crowd (τῷ ὄχλῳ - tō ochlō): Refers to the assembled multitude, which would include both the ordinary Jewish people and elements potentially stirred up by the chief priests. It signifies the popular voice being given a direct role in judicial matters.
• one prisoner (ἕνα δέσμιον - hena desmion): Highlights the singular choice, an "either/or" situation. "Prisoner" implies someone lawfully detained, highlighting that a legal judgment was in place or pending for this individual.
• whom they wished (ὃν ἤθελον - hon ēthelōn): Crucially, this phrase empowers the crowd to make the selection. Their "wish" dictates the outcome, tragically leading to the release of a rebel and the condemnation of the innocent Messiah. This highlights human agency and responsibility in the divine narrative.

Word Groups/Phrases Analysis:

• "at the feast the governor was accustomed to release": This phrase establishes a regular, almost ritualistic, political act performed by the Roman authority during a key Jewish festival. It underscores Pilate's diplomatic attempt to manage a potentially volatile situation by showing clemency.
• "to the crowd one prisoner": This pairing emphasizes the singularity of the choice to be made by the populace. It set up the unique, critical decision between Jesus and Barabbas, placing the fate of an innocent man squarely in the hands of the collective will.
• "whom they wished": This phrase dramatically shifts the decision-making power from the Roman judiciary (Pilate) to the people, exposing the influence of mob rule and manipulated public opinion over justice.

Matthew 27 15 Bonus section

• This "custom of release" acts as a pivotal plot device in the Gospels, centralizing the crowd's culpability and underscoring Pilate's moral cowardice.
• The paradox of the "Feast of Freedom" (Passover) being the context for the unjust imprisonment and condemnation of the ultimate Liberator highlights the profound irony and spiritual blindness.
• The narrative introduces a dramatic comparison between Jesus and Barabbas. Barabbas's name (possibly "son of the father" or "son of the teacher") and his character as a rebel or bandit (as described in other Gospels) creates a powerful theological contrast with Jesus, the Son of the true Father and a king not of this world. One represents earthly rebellion, the other, divine salvation, yet humanity chose the former.
• While not a direct judicial decree found in Roman law, this practice likely reflects an administrative act of clemency often granted in provinces, especially during large festivals, to pacify populations.
• This verse effectively shifts the moral burden from Pilate, who declared Jesus innocent (Mt 27:24), to the crowd and their instigating leaders (Mt 27:20).

Matthew 27 15 Commentary

Matthew 27:15 serves as a critical setup in the Passion narrative, illustrating Pilate's initial attempts to avert injustice. The custom of releasing a prisoner during Passover, though absent from external historical records, is consistently attested in the Gospels, confirming its narrative significance. It reflects a Roman pragmatic strategy to appease potentially rebellious Jewish populations during the sensitive feast of liberation. Pilate, recognizing Jesus's innocence, aimed to leverage this tradition to release Him, offering the crowd a choice designed to secure Jesus's freedom. However, the clause "whom they wished" tragically reveals that the power lay with the manipulated multitude, not with Pilate's weak sense of justice or Jesus's self-evident blamelessness. This verse sets the stage for humanity's profound error: choosing a revolutionary (Barabbas) over the true King and Deliverer, foreshadowing the divine paradox of an innocent one taking the place of the guilty.