John 18:40

Then they shouted back, ¹  “Not this man, ²  but Barabbas!” ³  (Now Barabbas was a revolutionary. ⁴ ) ⁵ 

They shouted back, "No, not him! Give us Barabbas!" Now Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion.

So they cried out again, saying, "Not this Man, but Barabbas." Now Barabbas was a robber.

But they shouted back, "No! Not this man, but Barabbas!" (Barabbas was a criminal.)

They shouted back, "Not this one, but Barabbas!" Barabbas was a Jewish freedom fighter.

Then again they gave a loud cry, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was an outlaw.

They shouted in reply, "Not this man, but Barabbas!" Now Barabbas was a bandit.

Then they all cried again, saying, "Not this Man, but Barabbas!" Now Barabbas was a robber.

Then they shouted back, ¹  “Not this man, ²  but Barabbas!” ³  (Now Barabbas was a revolutionary. ⁴ ) ⁵ 

¹ tn Or “they shouted again,” or “they shouted in turn.” On the difficulty of translating πάλιν (palin) see BDAG 753 s.v. 5. It is simplest in the context of John’s Gospel to understand the phrase to mean “they shouted back” as a reply to Pilate’s question.

² tn Grk “this one.”

³ sn The name Barabbas in Aramaic means “son of abba,” that is, “son of the father,” and presumably the man in question had another name (it may also have been Jesus, according to the textual variant in Matt 27:16, although this is uncertain). For the author this name held ironic significance: The crowd was asking for the release of a man called Barabbas, “son of the father,” while Jesus, who was truly the Son of the Father, was condemned to die instead.

⁴ tn Or “robber.” It is possible that Barabbas was merely a robber or highwayman, but more likely, given the use of the term ληστής (lhsth") in Josephus and other early sources, that he was a guerrilla warrior or revolutionary leader. See both R. E. Brown (John [AB], 2:857) and K. H. Rengstorf (TDNT 4:258) for more information. The word λῃστής was used a number of times by Josephus (J. W. 2.13.2-3 [2.253-254]) to describe the revolutionaries or guerrilla fighters who, from mixed motives of nationalism and greed, kept the rural districts of Judea in constant turmoil.

⁵ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.