(For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.)

LUKE 23:17KJV
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Luke 23:17 (KJV)

What does Luke 23:17 mean?

Luke 23:17 explains why releasing a prisoner was part of the crowd’s encounter with Pilate, the Roman governor judging Jesus. The KJV presents the release as something Pilate was required to do for the people at the feast.

The sentence is Luke’s explanation to the reader, rather than words spoken by Pilate. The parentheses mark it as an aside after Pilate’s proposal to punish Jesus and then release him.

The Greek behind Luke 23:17

  • “necessity” — ἀνάγκη (anankē): This word carries the sense of a constraint or obligation. It helps explain why the KJV presents the release as something Pilate “must” do, rather than simply an offer he chose to make.

Why Luke 23:17 matters

  • The release concerned a single person. The phrase “release one” makes the number important as the crowd goes on to ask for Barabbas instead of Jesus.

  • The feast was a particular occasion for the release. Luke 23:17 ties the requirement to that time, rather than presenting it as a standing offer available at any moment.

  • Some early copies of Luke do not include this verse. That is why many modern Bible translations omit Luke 23:17 or place it in a note; the KJV includes it in parentheses.

Where else these words appear

“necessity” Greek G318 · used in 18 verses

  • Matthew 18:7 Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!
  • 1 Corinthians 7:37 Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well.
  • Philemon 1:14 But without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly.

“feast” Greek G1859 · used in 25 verses

  • Matthew 26:5 But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.
  • John 4:45 Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galilaeans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast.
  • John 7:37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

“release” Greek G630 · used in 63 verses

  • Matthew 1:19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.
  • Mark 8:3 And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far.
  • Luke 23:22 And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go.