Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The text highlights that scourging, a brutal Roman punishment involving knotted whips with lead or bones, was inflicted on Jesus before he was crucified. This wasn't just an additional cruelty; it was a customary part of the Roman process for crucifixion, a practice often inflicted on slaves to heighten suffering and shame, underscoring the depth of Jesus' humiliation as he was treated like the lowest of the low.
Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Pilate, pressured by the crowd and fearing an uprising, makes the agonizing decision to appease them. After declaring Jesus innocent twice, he yields to their demand, releasing the notorious criminal Barabbas. He then orders Jesus to be brutally scourged, a severe Roman punishment designed to inflict maximum pain and humiliation, before handing him over to be crucified.
Imagine being whipped with a 'cat o' nine tails' that tears your flesh. This wasn't just a minor punishment for Jesus; it was a brutal prelude to an even worse fate.
The text states Jesus was 'scourged.' This Roman punishment, unlike Jewish beatings with rods, used whips with knotted leather thongs often weighted with lead or bone.
Roman Cruelty vs. Jewish Law
Jesus, though innocent, received this horrifying punishment, fulfilling prophecies about his suffering (Isaiah 50:6, Psalm 129:3) and foreshadowing the healing purchased by his 'stripes' (Isaiah 53:5).
Pilate knew Jesus was innocent, even washing his hands to symbolically distance himself. Yet, he still handed Jesus over. What drove this flawed governor?
The Gospels present a clear picture: Pilate was under immense pressure. He declared Jesus innocent twice, yet ultimately succumbed to the crowd's demands.
The Compelling Forces
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Pilate’s actions reveal a tragic moral compromise, choosing political expediency and personal safety over justice and truth. He delivered Jesus, not because he believed him guilty, but because he feared the consequences of releasing him.
Understand the original words
apolyō · Greek Verb
A legal act of setting a prisoner free; in this context, it signifies the substitutionary release of a guilty man in the place of the innocent Christ.
phragelloō · Greek Verb
A severe punishment involving whipping with a lash containing bits of bone, metal, or lead, intended to weaken the victim before execution.
paradidōmi · Greek Verb
To hand over or surrender to the power or authority of another; often used in the context of Jesus being given over to His enemies to fulfill the divine plan of salvation.
staurōō · Greek Verb
A form of capital punishment involving being fixed to a cross, used by the Romans for slaves and political rebels, characterized by extreme physical agony and public humiliation.
The brutal scourging and subsequent crucifixion of Jesus were Roman punishments, not Jewish ones. Pilate, acting as the Roman governor, delivered Jesus to this fate, under pressure from Jewish leaders and the crowd, demonstrating the intersection of Roman authority and Jewish religious/political dynamics at the time.
c. 30 AD
Pilate's Procuratorship in Judea
Pontius Pilate served as the Roman prefect (governor) of Judea from AD 26 to 36. His tenure was marked by tensions with the Jewish populace due to his insensitivity to their religious customs, leading to several confrontations.
Passover Season, c. 30 AD
Pilate's Custom of Releasing a Prisoner
During the Passover festival, it was a Roman custom, possibly influenced by Jewish expectation, for the governor to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. This year, the choice was between the notorious criminal Barabbas and Jesus.
Passover Day, c. 30 AD— this verse
Jesus Scourged and Condemned
Despite finding no guilt in Jesus, Pontius Pilate yielded to the pressure of the crowd and the chief priests. He ordered Jesus to be scourged – a brutal Roman punishment involving severe whipping – before handing him over to be crucified.
Passover Day, c. 30 AD
Crucifixion of Jesus
Jesus was then led away to be crucified, a Roman method of execution reserved for the worst criminals, carrying immense suffering and public shame. This event occurred on the day before the Passover Sabbath.
AD 64
Nero's Persecution of Christians
The Roman historian Tacitus records that Emperor Nero blamed Christians for the Great Fire of Rome and subjected them to extreme torture and execution. He identifies Christ as the source of this movement and notes his execution under Pontius Pilate.
This verse directly echoes the suffering Jesus endured in Matthew 27:26, stating 'I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I hid not my face from shame and spitting.' It highlights the prophetic suffering that Jesus willingly underwent.
Psalm 129:3This psalm speaks of the severity of the suffering inflicted, saying 'The plowers plowed upon my back; they made long their furrows.' This resonates with the brutal scourging Jesus experienced, illustrating the deep wounds inflicted before his crucifixion.
John 19:16This passage describes Pilate's ultimate decision, 'So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.' It complements Matthew 27:26 by showing Pilate's surrender to the crowd's demands, despite his own knowledge of Jesus' innocence.
Deuteronomy 25:3The Mosaic Law limited the number of stripes for a beating to forty, but Roman scourging, as inflicted on Jesus, had no such limit and was far more severe. This contrast underscores the extreme cruelty Jesus endured, exceeding the bounds of even Jewish legal punishment.
Mark 15:15Mark's Gospel provides a parallel account, stating 'So, wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released for them Barabbas and delivered Jesus, after he had scourged him, to be crucified.' This reinforces the context of Pilate's choice to appease the people, leading to Jesus' brutal fate.
clarkeMatthew 27:26: "Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified."
Scourged Jesus - This is allowed to have been a very severe punishment of itself among the Romans, the flesh being generally cut by the whips used for this purpose: so the poet: - - Horribili Sectere flagello. "To be cut by the horrible whip." Hor. Sat. I. 3. 119. And sometimes it seems, they were whipped to death. See the same poet, Sat. I. 2. 41. - Ille Flagellis Ad Mortem c…
ellicottMatthew 27:26: "Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified."
(26) When he had scourged Jesus. —The word used by St. Matthew, derived from the Latin flagellum, shows that it was the Roman punishment with knotted thongs of leather (like the Russian “knout” or the English “cat”), not the Jewish beating with rods ( 2Corinthians 11:24-25 ). The pictures of the Stations, so widely used throughout Latin Christendom, have made other nations mor…
The text highlights that scourging, a brutal Roman punishment involving knotted whips with lead or bones, was inflicted on Jesus before he was crucified. This wasn't just an additional cruelty; it was a customary part of the Roman process for crucifixion, a practice often inflicted on slaves to heighten suffering and shame, underscoring the depth of Jesus' humiliation as he was treated like the lowest of the low.
Pilate, pressured by the crowd and fearing an uprising, makes the agonizing decision to appease them. After declaring Jesus innocent twice, he yields to their demand, releasing the notorious criminal Barabbas. He then orders Jesus to be brutally scourged, a severe Roman punishment designed to inflict maximum pain and humiliation, before handing him over to be crucified.
Pilate, pressured by the crowd and fearing an uprising, makes the agonizing decision to appease them. After declaring Jesus innocent twice, he yields to their demand, releasing the notorious criminal Barabbas. He then orders Jesus to be brutally scourged, a severe Roman punishment designed to inflict maximum pain and humiliation, before handing him over to be crucified.
"Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified." — The text highlights that scourging, a brutal Roman punishment involving knotted whips with lead or bones, was inflicted on Jesus before he was crucified. This wasn't just an additional cruelty; it…
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Last reviewed October 2026