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Texts -- Acts 27:3-44 (NET)

Context
27:3 The next day we put in at Sidon , and Julius , treating Paul kindly , allowed him to go to his friends so they could provide him with what he needed . 27:4 From there we put out to sea and sailed under the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 27:5 After we had sailed across the open sea off Cilicia and Pamphylia , we put in at Myra in Lycia . 27:6 There the centurion found a ship from Alexandria sailing for Italy , and he put us aboard it . 27:7 We sailed slowly for many days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus . Because the wind prevented us from going any farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone . 27:8 With difficulty we sailed along the coast of Crete and came to a place called Fair Havens that was near the town of Lasea .
Caught in a Violent Storm
27:9 Since considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous because the fast was already over , Paul advised them, 27:10 “Men , I can see the voyage is going to end in disaster and great loss not only of the cargo and the ship , but also of our lives .” 27:11 But the centurion was more convinced by the captain and the ship’s owner than by what Paul said . 27:12 Because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in , the majority decided to put out to sea from there . They hoped that somehow they could reach Phoenix , a harbor of Crete facing southwest and northwest , and spend the winter there. 27:13 When a gentle south wind sprang up, they thought they could carry out their purpose , so they weighed anchor and sailed close along the coast of Crete . 27:14 Not long after this, a hurricane-force wind called the northeaster blew down from the island . 27:15 When the ship was caught in it and could not head into the wind , we gave way to it and were driven along . 27:16 As we ran under the lee of a small island called Cauda , we were able with difficulty to get the ship’s boat under control . 27:17 After the crew had hoisted it aboard, they used supports to undergird the ship . Fearing they would run aground on the Syrtis , they lowered the sea anchor , thus letting themselves be driven along . 27:18 The next day , because we were violently battered by the storm , they began throwing the cargo overboard , 27:19 and on the third day they threw the ship’s gear overboard with their own hands . 27:20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and a violent storm continued to batter us, we finally abandoned all hope of being saved . 27:21 Since many of them had no desire to eat , Paul stood up among them and said , “Men , you should have listened to me and not put out to sea from Crete , thus avoiding this damage and loss . 27:22 And now I advise you to keep up your courage , for there will be no loss of life among you , but only the ship will be lost. 27:23 For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve came to me 27:24 and said , ‘Do not be afraid , Paul ! You must stand before Caesar , and God has graciously granted you the safety of all who are sailing with you .’ 27:25 Therefore keep up your courage, men , for I have faith in God that it will be just as I have been told . 27:26 But we must run aground on some island .” 27:27 When the fourteenth night had come , while we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea , about midnight the sailors suspected they were approaching some land . 27:28 They took soundings and found the water was twenty fathoms deep; when they had sailed a little farther they took soundings again and found it was fifteen fathoms deep. 27:29 Because they were afraid that we would run aground on the rocky coast , they threw out four anchors from the stern and wished for day to appear . 27:30 Then when the sailors tried to escape from the ship and were lowering the ship’s boat into the sea , pretending that they were going to put out anchors from the bow , 27:31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers , “Unless these men stay with the ship , you cannot be saved .” 27:32 Then the soldiers cut the ropes of the ship’s boat and let it drift away . 27:33 As day was about to dawn , Paul urged them all to take some food , saying , “Today is the fourteenth day you have been in suspense and have gone without food ; you have eaten nothing . 27:34 Therefore I urge you to take some food , for this is important for your survival . For not one of you will lose a hair from his head .” 27:35 After he said this , Paul took bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all , broke it, and began to eat . 27:36 So all of them were encouraged and took food themselves. 27:37 (We were in all two hundred seventy-six persons on the ship .) 27:38 When they had eaten enough to be satisfied , they lightened the ship by throwing the wheat into the sea .
Paul is Shipwrecked
27:39 When day came , they did not recognize the land , but they noticed a bay with a beach , where they decided to run the ship aground if they could . 27:40 So they slipped the anchors and left them in the sea , at the same time loosening the linkage that bound the steering oars together. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and steered toward the beach . 27:41 But they encountered a patch of crosscurrents and ran the ship aground ; the bow stuck fast and could not be moved , but the stern was being broken up by the force of the waves. 27:42 Now the soldiers ’ plan was to kill the prisoners so that none of them would escape by swimming away . 27:43 But the centurion , wanting to save Paul’s life, prevented them from carrying out their plan . He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land , 27:44 and the rest were to follow, some on planks and some on pieces of the ship . And in this way all were brought safely to land .

Pericope

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Bible Dictionary

  • Crete

    [ebd] now called Candia, one of the largest islands in the Meditterranean, about 140 miles long and 35 broad. It was at one time a very prosperous and populous island, having a "hundred cities." The character of the people is desc...
    [isbe] CRETE - kret (Krete, ethnic Kretes, Acts 2:11; Tit 1:12): An island bounding the Aegean Sea on the South. It stretches from 34 degrees 50' to 35 degrees 40' North latitude and from 23 degrees 30' to 26 degrees 20' East long....
    [nave] CRETE An island in the Mediterranean Sea. Visited by Paul, Acts 27:7, 12, 13, 21; Titus, Tit. 1:5. Character of the inhabitants of, Acts 2:11; Tit. 1:12.

  • Ships

    [ebd] early used in foreign commerce by the Phoenicians (Gen. 49:13). Moses (Deut. 28:68) and Job (9:26) make reference to them, and Balaam speaks of the "ships of Chittim" (Num. 24:24). Solomon constructed a navy at Ezion-geber b...

  • Luke

    [nave] LUKE A disciple. A physician, Col. 4:14. Wrote to Theophilus, Luke 1:1-4; Acts 1:1, 2. Accompanies Paul in his tour of Asia and Macedonia, Acts 16:10-13; 20:5, 6; to Jerusalem, Acts 21:1-18; to Rome, Acts 27; 28; 2 Tim. 4:...

  • FALL

    [isbe] FALL - fol (vb.): The idea of falling is most frequently expressed in Hebrew by naphal, but also by many other words; in Greek by pipto, and its compounds. The uses of the word in Scripture are very varied. There is the lite...

  • ACTS OF THE APOSTLES, 8-12

    [isbe] ACTS OF THE APOSTLES, 8-12 - VIII. The Speeches in Acts. This matter is important enough to receive separate treatment. Are the numerous speeches reported in Acts free compositions of Luke made to order a la Thucydides? Are ...

  • Paul

    [nave] PAUL Called also Saul, Acts 8:1; 9:1; 13:9. Of the tribe of Benjamin, Rom. 11:1; Phil. 3:5. Personal appearance of, 2 Cor. 10:1, 10; 11:6. Born in Tarsus, Acts 9:11; 21:39; 22:3. Educated at Jerusalem in the school of Ga...

  • PAUL, THE APOSTLE, 5

    [isbe] PAUL, THE APOSTLE, 5 - V. Work. 1. Adjustment: There was evidently a tumult in Paul's soul. He had undergone a revolution, both intellectual and spiritual. Before he proceeded farther it was wise to think through the most im...

  • Prisoners

    [nave] PRISONERS Joseph, Gen. 39:20-23; 40; 41:1-44. Jeremiah, Jer. 38:6-28; 39:14. John the Baptist, Matt. 11:2; 14:3-12; Mark 6:17; Luke 3:20. Jesus, Matt. 26:47-75; 27; Mark 14:43-72; 15; Luke 22:47-71; 23; John 18:3-40; 19. ...

  • Ship

    [smith] No one writer in the whole range of Greek and Roman literature has supplied us with so much information concerning the merchant-ships of the ancients as St. Luke in the narrative of St. Paul?s voyage to Rome. Acts 27,28. It i...
    [nave] SHIP Built by Noah, Gen. 6:13-22; by Solomon, 1 Kin. 9:26; 2 Chr. 8:17; by Jehoshaphat, 1 Kin. 22:48; 2 Chr. 20:35, 36; of gopher wood, Gen. 6:14; of fir wood, Ezek. 27:5; of bulrushes, Isa. 18:2; sealed with pitch, Gen. 6:1...

  • Lycia

    [ebd] a wolf, a province in the south-west of Asia Minor, opposite the island of Rhodes. It forms part of the region now called Tekeh. It was a province of the Roman empire when visited by Paul (Acts 21:1; 27:5). Two of its towns ...
    [isbe] LYCIA - lish'-i-a (Lukia): An ancient country forming the southeast portion of Asia Minor. The surface of Lycia is exceedingly rugged, and its lofty mountains rise almost directly from the sea. Over them several trade routes...
    [smith] (land of Lycus) is the name of that southwestern region of the peninsula of Asia Minor which is immediately opposite the island of Rhodes. The Lycians were incorporated in the Persian empire, and their ships were conspicuous ...
    [nave] LYCIA A province of Asia Minor. Paul visits, Acts 27:5.

  • Mariner

    [nave] MARINER. 1 Kin. 9:27; 2 Chr. 8:18; Isa. 42:10; Ezek. 27:27. Perils of, Psa. 107:23-30; Jonah 1:5; Acts 27:17-44. Cowardice of, Acts 27:30. See: Commerce; Sailors; Ship.

  • Prophecy

    [nave] PROPHECY Concerning Jesus, See: Jesus. Concerning church, See: Church, Prophecies Concerning Prosperity of. Relating to various countries, nations, and cities, see under their respective titles. Respecting individuals, see...

  • SHIPS AND BOATS

    [isbe] SHIPS AND BOATS - || I. THE HEBREWS AND THE SEA II. SHIPS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT AND THE APOCRYPHA 1. Among the Hebrews (1) In Early Times (2) During the Monarchy (3) In Later Times 2. Among Neighboring Nations (1) Egypt (2) A...

  • PHOENIX

    [isbe] PHOENIX - fe'-niks (Phoinix; the King James Version Phenice): A harbor in Crete (Acts 27:12). The Alexandrian corn ship carrying Paul and the author of Acts, after it left Myra in Lycia, was prevented by adverse winds from h...

  • Myra

    [ebd] one of the chief towns of Lycia, in Asia Minor, about 2 1/2 miles from the coast (Acts 27:5). Here Paul removed from the Adramyttian ship in which he had sailed from Caesarea, and entered into the Alexandrian ship, which was...
    [isbe] MYRA - mi'-ra (Mura): A city of the ancient country of Lycia about 2 1/2 miles from the coast. Here, according to Acts 27:6, Paul found a grain ship from Alexandria. The city stood upon a hill formed by the openings of two v...
    [smith] an important town in Lycia, on the southwest coast of Asia Minor, on the river Andriacus, 21 miles from its mouth referred to in (Acts 27:5) Myra (named Dembra by the Greeks) Is remarkable still for its remains of various per...
    [nave] MYRA A city of Lycia. Paul visits, Acts 27:5, 6.

  • Trouble

    [nave] TROUBLE. Borrowing Matt. 6:25-34; Mark 5:35, 36; John 14:1; John 16:6, 7; Phil. 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:7 See: Affliction; Suffering. Instances of Israelites at the Red Sea, Ex. 14:10-12; about water, Ex. 15:23-25; 17:2, 3; Num. 2...

  • Meteorology and Celestial Phenomena

    [nave] METEOROLOGY AND CELESTIAL PHENOMENA. Gen. 2:5, 6; Gen. 27:39; Job 9:7; Job 26:7, 8, 11; Job 27:20, 21; Job 28:24-27; Job 29:19; Job 36:27-33; Job 37:6-22; Job 38:9 [with vs. 8-11.] Job 38:22, 24-29, 31-35, 37; Psa. 18:8-15;...

  • ACTS OF THE APOSTLES, 13-OUTLINE

    [isbe] ACTS OF THE APOSTLES, 13-OUTLINE - XIII. Analysis. 1. The connection between the work of the apostles and that of Jesus (Acts 1:1-11). 2. The equipment of the early disciples for their task (Acts 1:12 through 2:47). (a) The ...

  • Julius

    [ebd] the centurion of the Augustan cohort, or the emperor's body-guard, in whose charge Paul was sent prisoner to Rome (Acts 27:1, 3, 43). He entreated Paul "courteously," showing in many ways a friendly regard for him.
    [isbe] JULIUS - joo'-li-us (Ioulios): The centurion of the Augustan cohort under whose charge Paul was sent a prisoner to Rome (Acts 27:1,3). See ARMY, ROMAN; AUGUSTAN BAND.
    [smith] (soft-haired), the centurion of "Augustus? band," to whose charge St. Paul was delivered when he was sent prisoner from Caesarea to Rome. (Acts 27:1,3) (A.D. 60.)
    [nave] JULIUS, a centurion, Acts 27:1, 3, 43.

  • Anchor

    [ebd] From Acts 27:29, 30, 40, it would appear that the Roman vessels carried several anchors, which were attached to the stern as well as to the prow. The Roman anchor, like the modern one, had two teeth or flukes. In Heb. 6:19 t...
    [smith] (Acts 27:29)
    [nave] ANCHOR, Acts 27:29, 30. Figurative Heb. 6:19.
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Arts

Questions

  • The imprisonment of Paul had a great impact on his ministry. In the first place, we know that there were several imprisonments. Scholars debate about how many, but we know that Paul was, for a short time, in prison in Philipi...
  • It is made clear in Acts 27 that Paul was familiar with "all the learning of the Greeks." Tarsus, his native city, was a famous seat of learning and philosophical research, and he probably had the advantage of training in its...
  • I just taught on Noah and the flood this past Sunday. I do think that very often the New Testament writers had Old Testament texts and concepts in their minds as they wrote their works. Having said this, some is very subtle, ...

Sermon Illustrations

A Servant’s Heart; Matthew 22:20-21; I Believe God

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • 1:4 The prophet now began speaking to his readers and telling them what the Lord had said to him. Throughout this book, an indication that the Lord had told Jeremiah something is often the sign of a new pericope, as here (cf....
  • 1:4 Jonah subjected himself to dangers that Israel and the entire ancient Near East viewed as directly under divine control when he launched out on the sea. The sea to them was the embodiment of the chaotic forces that humans...
  • The Pharisees criticized Jesus' conduct in the previous pericope. Now John's disciples criticized the conduct of Jesus' disciples and, by implication, Jesus.9:14 The people who questioned Jesus here were disciples of John the...
  • Several factors indicate that the writer of this Gospel was the same person who wrote the Book of Acts. First, a man named Theophilus was the recipient of both books (Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1). Second, Acts refers to a previous wor...
  • This section brings the parallel stories of John's birth and Jesus' birth together. The two sons had their own identities and individual greatness, but Jesus was superior. John began his ministry of exalting Jesus in his moth...
  • 21:10-11 Luke's interruption of Jesus' teaching suggests a break of some kind in His thought. It seems clear from what follows, in verse 11 especially, that Jesus now broadened His perspective from the wars that would precede...
  • Jesus now proceeded to use the miracle that He had just performed as the background for important instruction. John presented Jesus doing this many times in this Gospel. The repetition of this pattern in the epilogue is an ev...
  • Two lines of argument lead to the conclusion that Luke, the friend, fellow missionary, and physician of Paul wrote this book under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. First, there is the internal evidence, the passages writte...
  • Longenecker identified five phenomena about the structure of Acts that the reader needs to recognize to appreciate what Luke sought to communicate."1. It begins, like the [Third] Gospel, with an introductory section of distin...
  • I. The witness in Jerusalem 1:1-6:7A. The founding of the church 1:1-2:461. The resumptive preface to the book 1:1-52. The command to witness 1:6-83. The ascension of Jesus 1:9-114. Jesus' appointment of a twelfth apostle 1:1...
  • The key to the apostles' successful fulfillment of Jesus' commission was their baptism with and consequent indwelling by the Holy Spirit. Without this divine enablement they would only have been able to follow Jesus' example,...
  • Luke now moved from describing what took place on a particular day to a more general description of the life of the early Jerusalem church (cf. 4:32-5:11; 6:1-6). Interestingly he gave comparatively little attention to the in...
  • Luke recorded this incident to show the method and direction of the church's expansion to God-fearing Gentiles who were attracted to Judaism at this time. This man had visited Jerusalem to worship, was studying the Old Testam...
  • 9:10-12 Evidently Ananias was not a refugee from Jerusalem (22:12) but a resident of Damascus. He, too, received a vision of the Lord Jesus (v. 17) to whom he submitted willingly (cf. 1 Sam. 3:4, 10). Jesus gave Ananias speci...
  • 10:1 Caesarea stood on the Mediterranean coast about 30 miles north of Joppa. Formerly its name was Strato's Tower, but Herod the Great renamed it in honor of Augustus Caesar, his patron and the adopted heir of Julius Caesar....
  • Luke recorded the events of Paul's first missionary journey to document the extension of the church into new territory and to illustrate the principles and methods by which the church grew. He also did so to show God's supern...
  • Luke recorded Paul's vision of the Macedonian man to explain God's initiative in encouraging Paul and his companions to carry the gospel farther west into Europe.". . . this section [6:6-10] makes it overwhelmingly clear that...
  • 18:5 Maybe Paul was able to stop practicing his trade and give full time to teaching and evangelizing if Silas returned from Philippi with a monetary gift, as seems likely (cf. Phil. 4:14-16; 2 Cor. 11:9). Timothy had returne...
  • "The panel is introduced by the programmatic statement of 19:21-22 and concludes with the summary statement of 28:31. Three features immediately strike the reader in this sixth panel: (1) the disproportionate length of the pa...
  • Paul was undoubtedly wondering how he would ever get out of the mess in which he found himself. At this critical moment, during the night of the next day (Gr. te epiouse nykti), the Lord appeared to him again (cf. 9:4-6; 16:9...
  • 24:24 Sometime later Felix, along with his current wife, sent for Paul. Drusilla was the youngest daughter of Herod Agrippa I who had been king over Palestine from 37-44 A.D. It was he who had authorized the death of James, t...
  • 27:1 Luke appears to have remained with Paul from the time he left Philippi on his third missionary journey (20:5). He may have ministered to him during his entire two-year detention at Caesarea. We know he travelled with Pau...
  • 27:9-10 Evidently the captain waited for some time for the weather to improve in Fair Havens. The "Fast"refers to the day of Atonement that fell in the fall each year, sometimes as late as early October. People considered it ...
  • 27:27-28 The ancient name of the central part of the Mediterranean Sea was the Adriatic or Hadriatic Sea. People referred to what we now call the Adriatic Sea as the Gulf of Adria or Hadria or as the Ionian Sea.955The winds a...
  • 28:1-2 Malta, also called Melita (meaning refuge, which it proved to be for Paul and his companions), lies about 60 miles south of the island of Sicily. It is about 18 miles long and 8 miles wide. It is also about 500 miles w...
  • Luke's purpose in recording Paul's ministry in Rome included vindicating God's promises to Paul that he would bear witness there (23:11; 27:24). Even though a church already existed there, Paul's ministry in Rome was signific...
  • Paul was a Roman citizen who had appealed to Caesar and had gained the respect (to say the least) of his centurion escort. Therefore he was able to reside in a private rented residence with a Roman guard (v. 30).This is the e...
  • 28:23 Luke's concern in this pericope was to emphasize what Paul preached to these men and their reaction to it. The term "kingdom of God"probably means the same thing here as it usually does in the Gospels, namely Messiah's ...
  • Sermons and Speeches in Acts984SpeakersOccasions and or HearersCitiesReferencesPeter (1)Selection of successor to JudasJerusalem1:16-22Peter (2)Signs on the day of PentecostJerusalem2:14-36Peter (3)Healing of lame man in the ...
  • Sequence of Paul's ActivitiesDateEventReferenceBirth in TarsusActs 22:3Early life and theological education in Jerusalem under GamalielActs 22:334Participation in Stephen's stoning outside JerusalemActs 7:57-8:134Leadership i...
  • Sequence of Paul's ActivitiesDateEventReferenceBirth in TarsusActs 22:3Early life and theological education in Jerusalem under GamalielActs 22:334Participation in Stephen's stoning outside JerusalemActs 7:57-8:134Leadership i...
  • Paul may have visited Crete more than once. It seems unlikely that he would have had time to plant a church in Crete on his way to Rome as a prisoner (Acts 27:7-13, 21). One may have already been in existence then (cf. Acts 2...
  • "The previous paragraph [2:1-10] has been a challenge to the several groups in the Cretan churches to accept the specifically Christian pattern of behavior. Its presuppositions may at first sight seem prosaically humdrum and ...
  • Again the change in genre, this time from exhortation to exposition, signals a new literary unit within the epistle. Here the writer proceeded to expound the reliability of God's promise to Christians through Jesus Christ's h...
  • Peter proceeded to emphasize that the witness of the apostles, as well as the witness of Scripture, came from God. He did this to help his readers see that their choice boiled down to accepting God's Word or the word of men w...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete. 14. But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon. 15. And whe...
  • In such a time some hitherto unnoticed man of prompt decision, resource, and confidence, will take the command, whatever his position. Hope, as well as timidity and fear, is infectious, and one cheery voice will revive the dr...
  • There stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve.'--Acts 27:23.I TURN especially to those last words, Whose I am and whom I serve.'A great calamity, borne by a crowd of men in common, has a wonderfu...
  • 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,...
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