The Acts of the Apostles
Acts 27
Chapter XXVII · Vol. IV, pp. 309–313
1 Paul, shipping toward Rome, 10 foretelleth of the danger of the voyage, 11 but is not believed. 14 They are tossed to and fro with tempest, 41 and suffer shipwreck, 22, 34, 44 yet all come safe to land.
1 And, when it was adetermined that we should sail into Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named Julius, a centurion1 of Augustus' band.
a ch.20.16; 25.12,25, with Ge.50.20. ch.19.21;23.11. Ro.15.28,29.
1 Captain of a hundred soldiers, Mat.8.5;27.54. ch.10.1; 22.25; 23.17,23.
2 And entering into a ship of 2Adramyttium, we launched, meaning bto sail by the coasts of Asia; one cAristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us.
3 And the next day we touched at dSidon. And Julius ecourteously entreated Paul, and gave him liberty to go unto his friends to refresh himself.
4 And when we had launched from thence, we sailed under Cyprus,3 because the winds were contrary.
3 A large island north-west of Syria.
5 And when we had sailed over the sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia.4
4 The direct course from Sidon to Myra would have been past the south coast of Cyprus; but the wind being contrary, i.e. blowing from the west, they were obliged to run along the northern coast, and to sail 'over the Sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia,' which lay between Cyprus & Asia Minor. Myra was once a large and prosperous commercial city. It lay about two miles from the coast, but a navigable river flowed past it, and at its mouth was a safe and spacious harbour. Myra is now a desolate ruin.—P.
6 And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria5 sailing into Italy; and he put us therein.
5 A city in the north-west of Egypt, ch.6.9;28.11.
7 And when we had sailed slowly many days, and scarce were come over against 6Cnidus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under Crete,7 over against Salmone;8
6 Cnidus. A city on a promontory of the same name, in the south-west of Asia Minor, opposite Rhodes.—C.
7 Or Candy, a large island in the Mediterranean, Tit.1.5,12.
8 Salmone. A city and cape on the eastern side of Crete.—C.
8 And, hardly passing it, came unto a place which is called the Fair Havens; nigh whereunto was the city of Lasea.9
A.M. cir. 4067. A.D. cir. 63.
9 Lasea. A city on the south-east coast of Crete, not mentioned by any ancient geographer. C.——The direct course from Myra to Italy would have been to the north of Crete; but it seems the ship was met by strong north-westerly gales which drove her to the south of Crete. The ruins of Lasea have been recently discovered, about 5 miles to the east of the roadstead of Fair Havens, still bearing its ancient name.—P.
9 Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast1 was now already past, Paul admonished them,
10 And said unto them, Sirs, gI perceive that this voyage will be with hurt2 and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.
g 2 Ki.6.9,10. Da.2.20. Am.3.7. Ps.25.14.
2 Or, injury.
11 Nevertheless, the centurion hbelieved the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul.
h Pr.27.12.
12 And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phenice,3 and there to winter; which is an haven of iCrete, and 4lieth toward the south-west and north-west.5
3 Phenice receives a minute description, to distinguish it from Phenice, or Phenicia, on the continent.—C.
i ver.7.
4 Which lieth, &c. Rather, 'looking towards the south-east and north-east.' In the absence of any special geographical description, it seems probable that the harbour was a bay with an island in front, affording two entrances, one from the south-east, and another from the north-west, and thus completely sheltered from every wind.—C.
5 See note * below.
* The meaning of this last clause is, that the harbour had, as stated above, two openings, divided by a little island, one opening in the direction in which the south-west wind blows, i.e. to the north-east; the other in the direction in which the north-west wind blows, i.e. to the south-east. Recent researches have shown that this is exactly the description of the haven of Phenice.—P.
13 And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, jloosing thence, they sailed close by Crete.
j ver.21.
15 And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive.
16 And running under a certain island which is called Clauda,8 we had much work to come by the boat;
8 Clauda is supposed to be an island on the south-west coast of Crete, now called Gaza.—C.
17 Which when they had taken up, they used helps,9 undergirding the ship; and fearing lest they should lfall into the quicksands,1 strake sail, and so were driven.
9 Helps. Most probably internal stays to support the sides of the vessel, and to resist, and give effect to the 'undergirding,' by cables passed under the keel and over the deck. See Horace, book i. ode 14, and Anson's Voyage, 4to, p. 24.—C.
l ver.41.
1 The quicksands. Syrtis Major, or Gulf of Sidra, believing themselves to be near the coast of Africa.—C.
18 And we being exceedingly mtossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship;
m Ps.107.27.
20 Andp when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.
21 But after qlong abstinence, Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, rand not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.
22 And now sI exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be tno loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship.
s Job 22.29,30. Ps.112.7. Is.43.1,2;41.10. 2 Co.4.8,9.
t With ver.31.
24 Saying, zFear not, Paul; athou must be brought before Cæsar: and, lo, bGod hath given thee all them that sail with thee.
a ch.19.21;23.11;25.11.
b Is.6.13. Job 22.30. Ge.19.21,29;39.5,18,26,28-32. ver.44.
25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: cfor I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.
c Ro.4.20,21. 2 Ch.20.20. Nu.23.19. Tit.1.2. He.6.17,18. Lu.1.45. Jn.1.50. 2 Ti.1.12.
27 But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in 2Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country;
2 Adria was not, by the ancients, confined to the Gulf of Venice, but comprehended all the seas between Greece, Italy, and Africa.—C.
28 And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms.
29 Then fearing lest they should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors3 out of the stern,4 and ewished for the day.
3 The ships of the ancients frequently carried ten or even more anchors.—C.
4 That the ancients cast their anchors out of the 'stern' is evident from paintings preserved in Pompeii, and from many classical authorities. (See Cesar, Bell. Civ. i. 29, and Val. Flac. v. 27). The Roman practice, however, generally was to cast the anchors from the prow. But this was a ship of Alexandria; and it is attested by Sir J. Chardin, that the large Egyptian merchant vessels still carry their anchors at the stern.—C.
e Ps.130.6.
30 And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship,
31 Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except5 these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.6Cited in WCF 5.3
5 Means must be used in fulfilling God's infallible promises, Ps.37.34. Is.38.21. Mat.4.7. Ju.20.28,29. ver.22,24.
6 He that intends the end, commands the means. His word, through the Spirit, is equally the interpreter of both.—C.
32 Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.7
7 Paul had evidently gained the confidence of the centurion, most probably by his calm and courageous bearing, and by the partial fulfilment his prophecy had already received. Through the centurion he was able to overrule the sailors, and thus succeeded in saving the lives of all in the ship.—P.
33 And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried, and continued fasting, having taken 8nothing.
8 Having taken nothing. Rather, 'not one' (regular meal).—C.
34 Wherefore I pray you to take some meat; for this is gfor your health:9 forh there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.
35 And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and igave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat.
37 And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls.
38 And when they had eaten enough, kthey lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat1 into the sea.
k ver.19. Jonah 1.5. Pr.23.5. Job 2.4. Mat.6.25.
1 Bloomfield and others are of opinion that 'wheat' should be rendered 'provisions,' as the ship was already 'lightened' of her cargo, ver. 18. But any one who has seen the loading of a grain-ship knows that the wheat would be put lowest in the hold, and would, consequently, be the last article thrown overboard.—C.
39 And when it was day, they knew not the land: but they discovered a certain creek with a shore,2 into the which they were minded, if it were possible, to thrust in the ship.
2 A shore. Rather, 'a beach.'—C.
40 And when they had 3taken up the anchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder-bands,4 and hoised up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore.
3 Or, cut the anchors, they left them in the sea, &c.
4 The rudder-bands. Rather, 'the bands (see page 1164)
41 And falling into a place where two seas met,5 theyl ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves.
5 Where two seas met. The word so translated generally signifies, 'a peninsula washed on both sides by the sea.' It is also used to signify such 'reefs' of rock as are partly above and partly under water; and this seems the meaning of the sacred historian.—C.
42 Andn the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.
n Ps.74.20. Pr.12.10;1.16. Ro.3.15-18.
43 But the centurion, owilling to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land:
o 2 Co.11.25. Pr.16.7. ch.23.10. Je.38.10.
44 And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that pthey escaped all safe to land.Cited in WCF 5.3
A.M. cir. 4067. A.D. cir. 63.
p ver.22,24. Ps.107.28-30.
Notes
Ver. 16. We had much work to come by the boat. The boat, among the ancient navigators, was generally towed after the ship; for before the discovery of the mariner's compass, navigation being merely coasting, it was important to have the boat always ready for communicating with the shore. The storm being now high, they found great difficulty in getting their boat on board. C.
Ver. 17. Sail. The word translated 'sail' is of uncertain signification, and has also been rendered 'mast or yard.' Bloomfield holds it to have been the mast; and observes, that by the ancients masts were constructed with a kind of socket, so that they could be lowered at pleasure. And this construction is no doubt still common with European vessels prepared to pass under bridges, but is by no means probable in vessels intended for the open sea, and capable of carrying 276 souls, ver. 37. Neither is it likely that in such weather there would be any sail set; but if any, there would certainly be no more than would enable the vessel to steer, with a view to keeping off the coast, which the mariners believed to lie to leeward. The σκεῦος is therefore more probably the gigantic 'yard,' such as appears in some of the paintings of Pompeii, with the main-sail brailed around it, or some close-reefed sail which the violence of the storm compelled the mariners to take in. C.
Reflections.—The passage of saints through this world is often extremely tempestuous. Yet frequently the Lord gives them repeated favours from whom they might have expected the hardest usage. Kindly he communes with and comforts them when terrors prevail all around them. By them he sends his warnings of danger and messages of peace. And he not only preserves them, but others for their sakes, from raging seas and bloodthirsty men. God can exactly foretell events that are to happen in time to come; and whatever be his means, whether winds, waves, or mariners, their influence is necessarily connected with the end which he has seen and foretold.—Thrice happy are they who can speak of him as their Proprietor, Master, and Friend. Great confidence may they repose in his promise, and may expect safety and comfort from his hand. While they who trust to their fancied wisdom rather than to his Word most surely plunge themselves into mischief and shame. We owe great thanks to him for our daily bread, as well as for our hopes or enjoyment of remarkable deliverances. Yet how tasteless is our necessary provision when all hope of life is taken away, and there is like to be no more occasion for it; and insignificant is all the wealth of this world when a storm of raging elements may make us glad to part with it for our own preservation.— Sailors had need to live in union to Christ and fellowship with God, who alone can preserve them from the jaws of destruction. And it is proper that all should sympathize with them that do business in great waters. —But thrice happy are those souls which are made to renounce the broken covenant of works, and their own self-righteousness and strength, that, through Jesus' merits and grace, they may, through much tribulation, get safe to the celestial country.