Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired.
So here's what happened every year during this festival, the governor would let one prisoner go free, whoever the crowd wanted released.
Annual tradition: the people got to pick one prisoner to set free during the holiday.
📚 Historical Context
During the Passover festival in Jerusalem, the Roman governor Pilate had a custom of releasing a prisoner to the Jewish crowd as a way to maintain order and goodwill among the people under Roman rule. This practice is described in the Gospels as part of the events leading to Jesus' trial and crucifixion, where the crowd's choice reflected the political tensions between Roman authority and Jewish expectations. It highlights how such customs were used to appease unrest during a religiously significant time.
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