| 40. Linguistic Exegesis The main verb ekraugasan {ἐκραύγασαν | ekraúgasan} ‘they cried out’ is an aorist indicative that presents the crowd’s response as a single decisive outburst. The inferential conjunction oun {οὖν | oûn} links this shout logically to Pilate’s prior offer, while the adverb palin {πάλιν | pálin} ‘again’ underscores repeated insistence. The nominative plural participle legontes {λέγοντες | légontes} functions circumstantially, introducing the direct quotation that follows. Within the quotation, the negative particle Me {Μὴ | Mḕ} with the demonstrative touton {τοῦτον | toûton} ‘this one’ expresses explicit rejection of Jesus in favor of another. The adversative conjunction alla {ἀλλὰ | allà} heightens the contrast, pushing forward the object ton Barabban {τὸν Βαραββᾶν | tòn Barabbân}, whose placement after alla gives rhetorical weight to the alternative the crowd demands. The narrative aside ēn de ho Barabbas leistes {ἦν δὲ ὁ Βαραββᾶς λῃστής | ên dè ho Barabbâs lēistḗs} uses the imperfect of eimi to describe Barabbas’s ongoing or well-known status as a robber, while de {δὲ | dè} lightly shifts from the dialogue back to authorial comment. English renderings keep the inferential link (“Therefore” / “Then”), preserve the direct speech, and represent the final clause as an explanatory sentence that orients the reader to the character of Barabbas. |