1 But when it had been determined that we should sail to Italy, they delivered up Paul and certain other prisoners to a centurion, by name Julius, of Augustus' company.
2 And going on board a ship of Adramyttium about to navigate by the places along Asia, we set sail, Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us.
3 And the next day we arrived at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and suffered him to go to his friends and refresh himself.
4 And setting sail thence we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were contrary.
5 And having sailed over the waters of Cilicia and Pamphylia we came to Myra in Lycia:
6 and there the centurion having found a ship of Alexandria sailing to Italy, he made us go on board her.
7 And sailing slowly for many days, and having with difficulty got abreast of Cnidus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under the lee of Crete abreast of Salmone;
8 and coasting it with difficulty we came to a certain place called Fair Havens, near to which was [the] city of Lasaea.
9 And much time having now been spent, and navigation being already dangerous, because the fast also was already past, Paul counselled them,
10 saying, Men, I perceive that the navigation will be with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.
11 But the centurion believed rather the helmsman and the shipowner than what was said by Paul.
12 And the harbour being ill adapted to winter in, the most counselled to set sail thence, if perhaps they might reach Phoenice to winter in, a port of Crete looking north-east and south-east.
13 And [the] south wind blowing gently, supposing that they had gained their object, having weighed anchor they sailed close in shore along Crete.
14 But not long after there came down it a hurricane called Euroclydon.
15 And the ship being caught and driven, and not able to bring her head to the wind, letting her go we were driven [before it].
16 But running under the lee of a certain island called Clauda, we were with difficulty able to make ourselves masters of the boat;
17 which having hoisted up, they used helps, frapping the ship; and fearing lest they should run into Syrtis and run aground, and having lowered the gear they were so driven.
18 But the storm being extremely violent on us, on the next day they threw cargo overboard,
19 and on the third day with their own hands they cast away the ship furniture.
20 And neither sun nor stars appearing for many days, and no small storm lying on us, in the end all hope of our being saved was taken away.
21 And when they had been a long while without taking food, Paul then standing up in the midst of them said, Ye ought, O men, to have hearkened to me, and not have made sail from Crete and have gained this disaster and loss.
22 And now I exhort you to be of good courage, for there shall be no loss at all of life of [any] of you, only of the ship.
23 For an angel of the God, whose I am and whom I serve, stood by me this night,
24 saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted to thee all those that sail with thee.
25 Wherefore be of good courage, men, for I believe God that thus it shall be, as it has been said to me.
26 But we must be cast ashore on a certain island.
27 And when the fourteenth night was come, we being driven about in Adria, towards the middle of the night the sailors supposed that some land neared them,
28 and having sounded found twenty fathoms, and having gone a little farther and having again sounded they found fifteen fathoms;
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Acts 27
Commentary on Acts 27 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 27
This whole chapter is taken up with an account of Paul's voyage towards Rome, when he was sent thither a prisoner by Festus the governor, upon his appeal to Caesar.
Act 27:1-11
It does not appear how long it was after Paul's conference with Agrippa that he was sent away for Rome, pursuant to his appeal to Caesar; but it is likely they took the first convenience they could hear of to do it; in the mean time Paul is in the midst of his friends at Caesarea-they comforts to him, and he a blessing to them. But here we are told,
Act 27:12-20
In these verses we have,
Act 27:21-44
We have here the issue of the distress of Paul and his fellow-travellers; they escaped with their lives and that was all, and that was for Paul's sake. We are here told (v. 37) what number there were on board-mariners, merchants, soldiers, prisoners, and other passengers, in all two hundred and seventy-six souls; this is taken notice of to make us the more concerned for them in reading the story, that they were such a considerable number, whose lives were now in the utmost jeopardy, and one Paul among them worth more than all the rest. We left them in despair, giving up themselves for gone. Whether they called every man on his God, as Jonah's mariners did, we are not told; it is well if this laudable practice in a storm was not gone out of fashion and made a jest of. However, Paul among these seamen was not, like Jonah among his, the cause of the storm, but the comforter in the storm, and as much a credit to the profession of an apostle as Jonah was a blemish to the character of a prophet. Now here we have,