Matthew 27:16

Origen notes that in some Codices Ἰησοῦν was read before λεγόμενον in this verse and before Βαραββᾶν in the next. There is, however, no good evidence for the insertion, and (as Tregelles remarks) Matthew 27:20; Matthew 27:26 are fatal to it. Possibly, according to the same critic, the reading arose from the repetition in an uncial of the last letters of ὑμῖν, which would appear as IN and so resemble the ordinary contraction for Ἰησοῦν.

16. Βαραββᾶν = ‘Son of a father,’ or perhaps ‘Son of a Rabbi.’ The reading, Ἰησοῦν Βαραββᾶν, which appears in some copies, is rightly rejected by the best editors; see critical notes. As Alford remarks, Matthew 27:20 is fatal to the insertion. St Mark and St Luke add that Barabbas had committed murder in the insurrection.