Bible Dictionaries
Gabbatha

　　An elevated place, the name of a place in front of Pilate's palace, whence he pronounced sentence against our Savior, John 19:13 . In Greek it was called the pavement. It was not the usual judgment hall, which the Jews could not then enter, but some palace in the vicinity of the crowd without, John 18:28; 19:4,9,13 . It appears to have been a checkered marble pavement, or mosaic floor, on which his seat of judgment was erected. Such ornamented pavements had become common at that day among the wealthy Romans.