- 4 times in Mark:
Mark 15:6
Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired.
Mark 15:9But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews?
Mark 15:11But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them.
Mark 15:15And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.
- ...and 4 times in Matthew:
Matthew 27:15Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would.
Matthew 27:17Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?
Matthew 27:21The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas.
Matthew 27:26Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
- ...5 times in Luke:
Luke 23:17(For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.)
Luke 23:18And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas:
Luke 23:20Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them.
Luke 23:22And 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.
Luke 23:25And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.
- ...and 5 times in John:
John 18:39But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews?
John 19:10Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?
John 19:12And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.
- ...same association in Acts 3:13 :
The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.
This insistence is understandable when we know that the name Pilate has the same root (PLT) as the Hebrew verb PâLaT which means “to save”, “to deliver”.