14 But before long, a tempestuous wind beat down from shore, which is called Euroclydon.{Or, "a northeaster."}
15 When the ship was caught, and couldn't face the wind, we gave way to it, and were driven along.
16 Running under the lee of a small island called Clauda, we were able, with difficulty, to secure the boat.
17 After they had hoisted it up, they used cables to help reinforce the ship. Fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis sand bars, they lowered the sea anchor, and so were driven along.
18 As we labored exceedingly with the storm, the next day they began to throw things overboard.
19 On the third day, they threw out the ship's tackle with their own hands.
20 When neither sun nor stars shone on us for many days, and no small tempest pressed on us, all hope that we would be saved was now taken away.
21 When they had been long without food, Paul stood up in the middle of them, and said, "Sirs, you should have listened to me, and not have set sail from Crete, and have gotten this injury and loss.
22 Now I exhort you to cheer up, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.
23 For there stood by me this night an angel, belonging to the God whose I am and whom I serve,
24 saying, 'Don't be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar. Behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.'
25 Therefore, sirs, cheer up! For I believe God, that it will be just as it has been spoken to me.
26 But we must run aground on a certain island."
27 But when the fourteenth night had come, as we were driven back and forth in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors surmised that they were drawing near to some land.
28 They took soundings, and found twenty fathoms.{20 fathoms = 120 feet = 36.6 meters} After a little while, they took soundings again, and found fifteen fathoms.{15 fathoms = 90 feet = 27.4 meters}.
29 Fearing that we would run aground on rocky ground, they let go four anchors from the stern, and wished for daylight.
30 As the sailors were trying to flee out of the ship, and had lowered the boat into the sea, pretending that they would lay out anchors from the bow,
31 Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, "Unless these stay in the ship, you can't be saved."
32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the boat, and let it fall off.
33 While the day was coming on, Paul begged them all to take some food, saying, "This day is the fourteenth day that you wait and continue fasting, having taken nothing.
34 Therefore I beg you to take some food, for this is for your safety; for not a hair will perish from any of your heads."
35 When he had said this, and had taken bread, he gave thanks to God in the presence of all, and he broke it, and began to eat.
36 Then they all cheered up, and they also took food.
37 In all, we were two hundred seventy-six souls on the ship.
38 When they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea.
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,