John Gill Commentary Mark 15:7

"And there was one called Barabbas, [lying] bound with them that had made insurrection, men who in the insurrection had committed murder." — Mark 15:7 (ASV)

And there was one named Barabbas
A prisoner of that name at Jerusalem;

which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him :
he had been at the head of a seditious mob, and he and his accomplices were taken and put in prison:

who had committed murder in the insurrection ;
which may be connected either with Barabbas, and read in the singular number, as it is in the Vulgate Latin version, "he had committed"; or with the seditious persons he lay bound with, and be read in the plural number, "they had committed murder", as it is in the Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions; and so in the ancient copies; and the Ethiopic renders it, "he was bound with seditious persons and murderers"; though, no doubt, he was guilty of murder as well as they; and so Peter calls him a murderer, (Acts 3:14) .

About this time murders were very frequently committed: the Jews say ^F18 that "from the time that murderers increased, the slaying of the red heifer ceased; (the reason the commentators ^F19 give, is, because they were known who were accustomed to commit murder; ) and that was from the time that Eleazar ben Dinai came, and Techinah ben Perishah he was called; and they called him again the son of a murderer;" (See Gill on Matthew 27:16).

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FOOTNOTES:

• F18: Misn. Sota, c. 9. sect. 9. Maimon. Hilch. Rotzeach. c. 9. sect. 12.
• F19: Jarchi & Bartienora in ib.