But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them.

MARK 15:11KJV
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Mark 15:11 (KJV)

What does Mark 15:11 mean?

Mark 15:11 describes how the chief priests persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released instead of Jesus. The verse shows the religious leaders actively influencing the people’s choice during Pilate’s custom of releasing a prisoner at Passover.

In this scene, the chief priests are not just passively observing; they are intentionally stirring up the crowd. The people are gathered before the Roman governor Pilate, who is offering to release one prisoner as a gesture for the festival. The leaders’ actions directly lead the crowd to choose Barabbas, a known prisoner, over Jesus.

The Greek behind Mark 15:11

  • "Moved" (ἀνέσεισαν, aneseisan): This Greek word is often understood as “stirred up” or “incited.” It suggests the chief priests were actively working to sway public opinion, not just making a suggestion.
  • "People" (ὄχλος, ochlos): This word refers to a crowd or multitude, highlighting that it was a large group being influenced, not just a few individuals.
  • "Release" (ἀπολύω, apolyō): The Greek here carries the sense of setting someone free from custody. The crowd is being prompted to ask for Barabbas’s release, which was a formal act with legal consequences.

Why Mark 15:11 matters

  • Mark 15:11 clarifies that the decision to release Barabbas was not spontaneous from the crowd but was orchestrated by the religious leaders, showing their determination to have Jesus condemned.
  • The verse highlights the power of influence and persuasion, especially from respected leaders, in shaping public decisions even against justice.
  • This moment connects to the wider narrative of Jesus’s trial, showing how opposition to Jesus was not only from Roman authorities but also from influential Jewish leaders, setting the stage for the events that follow.

Where else these words appear

“moved” Greek G383 · used in 2 verses

  • Luke 23:5 And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place.

“Barabbas” Greek G912 · used in 10 verses

  • Matthew 27:16 And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.
  • Matthew 27:21 The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas.
  • Mark 15:15 And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.

“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.

“rather” Greek G3123 · used in 81 verses

  • Matthew 6:26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
  • Acts 5:29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
  • 2 Corinthians 7:7 And not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more.