15:6 During the feast it was customary to release one prisoner to the people, 1 whomever they requested. 15:7 A man named Barabbas was imprisoned with rebels who had committed murder during an insurrection.
1 tn Grk “them”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
sn The custom of Pilate to release one prisoner to them 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); see W. W. Wessel, “Mark,” EBC 8:773-74.