How many times is Barabbas mentioned in the Bible?
The word Barabbas appears 11 times in the King James Version, in 10 verses. It is found in 4 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Barabbas 11 times.
Barabbas in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Barabbas counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Barabbas | 11 | 11 |
| Total | 11 | 11 |
What the name Barabbas means
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Barabbas as "son of shame, confusion".
This is the 1869 traditional meaning; modern scholars often read names differently.
See every name and place with its meaning and count on Bible names and their meanings.
Source: Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (1869), checked 2026-10-22.
First and last mention of Barabbas
And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.
Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.
The verse that uses it most is John 18:40, 2 times:
Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.
Common questions
How many times is Barabbas in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 0 of the 11 uses are in the Old Testament and 11 in the New Testament. Barabbas appears in 4 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Matthew has the most (5), then Mark (3) and John (2).
Where is Barabbas first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Matthew 27:16: "And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas." The last is John 18:40.
What does the name Barabbas mean in the Bible?
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Barabbas as "son of shame, confusion".
More word counts: Ananias, Elizabeth, Bartholomew, Matthew, Nathanael, Aquila, Priscilla, Agrippa, or all 484 words.
Counted by Bible Says About from the full public-domain text of the King James Version (1769 edition) and the World English Bible. Verse text only: headings and psalm titles are left out. A word is a run of letters: a hyphenated name like Beer-sheba counts as two, and an apostrophe stays inside its word (LORD'S is one). Matching ignores capital letters. Data compiled 2026-10-22.