NETBible KJV GRK-HEB XRef Names Arts Hymns

Discovery Box

Acts 27:1-28

Context

Paul and Company Sail for Rome

27:1 When it was decided we¹ would sail to Italy,² they handed over Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion³ of the Augustan Cohort⁴ named Julius. 27:2 We went on board⁵ a ship from Adramyttium⁶ that was about to sail to various ports⁷ along the coast of the province of Asia⁸ and put out to sea,⁹ accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian¹⁰ from Thessalonica.¹¹ 27:3 The next day we put in¹² at Sidon,¹³ and Julius, treating Paul kindly,¹⁴ allowed him to go to his friends so they could provide him with what he needed.¹⁵ 27:4 From there we put out to sea¹⁶ and sailed under the lee¹⁷ of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 27:5 After we had sailed across the open sea¹⁸ off Cilicia and Pamphylia,¹⁹ we put in²⁰ at Myra²¹ in Lycia.²² 27:6 There the centurion²³ found²⁴ a ship from Alexandria²⁵ sailing for Italy, and he put us aboard it. 27:7 We sailed slowly²⁶ for many days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus.²⁷ Because the wind prevented us from going any farther,²⁸ we sailed under the lee²⁹ of Crete off Salmone.³⁰ 27:8 With difficulty we sailed along the coast³¹ of Crete³² and came to a place called Fair Havens that was near the town of Lasea.³³

Caught in a Violent Storm

27:9 Since considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous³⁴ because the fast³⁵ was already over,³⁶ Paul advised them,³⁷ 27:10 “Men, I can see the voyage is going to end³⁸ in disaster³⁹ and great loss not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.”⁴⁰ 27:11 But the centurion⁴¹ was more convinced⁴² by the captain⁴³ and the ship’s owner than by what Paul said.⁴⁴ 27:12 Because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided⁴⁵ to put out to sea⁴⁶ from there. They hoped that⁴⁷ somehow they could reach⁴⁸ Phoenix,⁴⁹ a harbor of Crete facing⁵⁰ southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. 27:13 When a gentle south wind sprang up, they thought⁵¹ they could carry out⁵² their purpose, so they weighed anchor⁵³ and sailed close along the coast⁵⁴ of Crete. 27:14 Not long after this, a hurricane-force⁵⁵ wind called the northeaster⁵⁶ blew down from the island.⁵⁷ 27:15 When the ship was caught in it⁵⁸ and could not head into⁵⁹ the wind, we gave way to it and were driven⁶⁰ along. 27:16 As we ran under the lee of⁶¹ a small island called Cauda,⁶² we were able with difficulty to get the ship’s boat⁶³ under control. 27:17 After the crew⁶⁴ had hoisted it aboard,⁶⁵ they used supports⁶⁶ to undergird the ship. Fearing they would run aground⁶⁷ on the Syrtis,⁶⁸ they lowered the sea anchor,⁶⁹ thus letting themselves be driven along. 27:18 The next day, because we were violently battered by the storm,⁷⁰ they began throwing the cargo overboard,⁷¹ 27:19 and on the third day they threw the ship’s gear⁷² overboard with their own hands. 27:20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and a violent⁷³ storm continued to batter us,⁷⁴ we finally abandoned all hope of being saved.⁷⁵

27:21 Since many of them had no desire to eat,⁷⁶ Paul⁷⁷ stood up⁷⁸ among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me⁷⁹ and not put out to sea⁸⁰ from Crete, thus avoiding⁸¹ this damage and loss. 27:22 And now I advise⁸² you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only the ship will be lost.⁸³ 27:23 For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong⁸⁴ and whom I serve⁸⁵ came to me⁸⁶ 27:24 and said,⁸⁷ ‘Do not be afraid, Paul! You must stand before⁸⁸ Caesar,⁸⁹ and God has graciously granted you the safety⁹⁰ of all who are sailing with you.’ 27:25 Therefore keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God⁹¹ that it will be just as I have been told. 27:26 But we must⁹² run aground on some island.”

27:27 When the fourteenth night had come, while we were being driven⁹³ across the Adriatic Sea,⁹⁴ about midnight the sailors suspected they were approaching some land.⁹⁵ 27:28 They took soundings⁹⁶ and found the water was twenty fathoms⁹⁷ deep; when they had sailed a little farther⁹⁸ they took soundings again and found it was fifteen fathoms⁹⁹ deep.

[27:1] ¹sn The last “we” section in Acts begins here and extends to 28:16 (the previous one ended at 21:18).

[27:1] ²sn Sail to Italy. This voyage with its difficulty serves to show how God protected Paul on his long journey to Rome. From the perspective of someone in Palestine, this may well picture “the end of the earth” quite literally (cf. Acts 1:8).

[27:1] ³sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:1] ⁴tn According to BDAG 917 s.v. σεβαστός, “In σπεῖρα Σεβαστή 27:1 (cp. OGI 421) Σεβαστή is likew. an exact transl. of Lat. Augusta, an honorary title freq. given to auxiliary troops (Ptolem. renders it Σεβαστή in connection w. three legions that bore it: 2, 3, 30; 2, 9, 18; 4, 3, 30) imperial cohort.” According to W. Foerster (TDNT 7:175), “In Ac. 27:1 the σπεῖρα Σεβαστή is an expression also found elsewhere for ‘auxiliary troops.’” In no case would this refer to a special imperial bodyguard, and to translate “imperial regiment” or “imperial cohort” might give this impression. There is some archaeological evidence for a Cohors Augusta I stationed in Syria during the time of Augustus, but whether this is the same unit is very debatable.

[27:2] ⁵tn Grk “Going on board.” The participle ἐπιβάντες (epibante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:2] ⁶sn Adramyttium was a seaport in Mysia on the western coast of Asia Minor.

[27:2] ⁷tn Grk “places.”

[27:2] ⁸tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.

[27:2] ⁹tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4 states, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”

[27:2] ¹⁰sn A Macedonian. The city of Thessalonica (modern Salonica) was in the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[27:2] ¹¹map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[27:3] ¹²tn BDAG 516 s.v. κατάγω states, “Hence the pass., in act. sense, of ships and seafarers put in εἴς τι at a harbor…εἰς Σιδῶνα Ac 27:3.”

[27:3] ¹³sn Sidon is another seaport 75 mi (120 km) north of Caesarea.

[27:3] ¹⁴tn BDAG 1056 s.v. φιλανθρώπως states, “benevolently, kindly φιλανθρώπως χρῆσθαί (τινι) treat someone in kindly fashion…Ac 27:3.”

[27:3] ¹⁵tn Grk “to go to his friends to be cared for.” The scene is an indication of Christian hospitality.

[27:4] ¹⁶tn Grk “putting out to sea.” The participle ἀναχθέντες (anacqente") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4 states, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”

[27:4] ¹⁷tn BDAG 1040 s.v. ὑποπλέω states, “sail under the lee of an island, i.e. in such a way that the island protects the ship fr. the wind Ac 27:4, 7.” Thus they were east and north of the island.

[27:5] ¹⁸tn Grk “the depths,” the deep area of a sea far enough from land that it is not protected by the coast (L&N 1.73).

[27:5] ¹⁹sn Pamphylia was a province in the southern part of Asia Minor; it was west of Cilicia (see BDAG 753 s.v. Παμφυλία).

[27:5] ²⁰tn BDAG 531 s.v. κατέρχομαι 2 states, “Of ships and those who sail in them, who ‘come down’ fr. the ‘high seas’: arrive, put in…ἔις τι at someth. a harbor 18:22; 21:3; 27:5.”

[27:5] ²¹sn Myra was a city on the southern coast of Lycia in Asia Minor. This journey from Sidon (v. 3) was 440 mi (700 km) and took about 15 days.

[27:5] ²²sn Lycia was the name of a peninsula on the southern coast of Asia Minor between Caria and Pamphylia.

[27:6] ²³sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:6] ²⁴tn Grk “finding.” The participle εὑρών (Jeurwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:6] ²⁵sn Alexandria (modern Alexandria) was a great city of northern Egypt which was a center for grain trade to Rome. Therefore this type of travel connection was common at the time. For a winter journey (considered hazardous) there were special bonuses and insurance provided (Suetonius, Life of Claudius 18.1-2).

[27:7] ²⁶tn The participle βραδυπλοοῦντες (braduploounte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:7] ²⁷sn Cnidus was the name of a peninsula on the southwestern coast of Asia Minor. This was about 130 mi (210 km) from Myra.

[27:7] ²⁸tn This genitive absolute construction with προσεῶντος (prosewnto") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle. L&N 13.139 translates the phrase μὴ προσεῶντος ἡμᾶς τοῦ ἀνέμου (mh prosewnto" Jhma" tou anemou) as “the wind would not let us go any farther.”

[27:7] ²⁹tn BDAG 1040 s.v. ὑποπλέω states, “sail under the lee of an island, i.e. in such a way that the island protects the ship fr. the wind Ac 27:4, 7.”

[27:7] ³⁰sn Salmone was the name of a promontory on the northeastern corner of the island of Crete. This was about 100 mi (160 km) farther along.

[27:8] ³¹tn Grk “sailing along the coast…we came.” The participle παραλεγόμενοι (paralegomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. L&N 54.8, “παραλέγομαι: (a technical, nautical term) to sail along beside some object – ‘to sail along the coast, to sail along the shore.’ …‘they sailed along the coast of Crete’ Ac 27:13.”

[27:8] ³²tn Grk “it”; the referent (Crete) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[27:8] ³³sn Lasea was a city on the southern coast of the island of Crete. This was about 60 mi (96 km) farther.

[27:9] ³⁴tn Or “unsafe” (BDAG 383 s.v. ἐπισφαλής). The term is a NT hapax legomenon.

[27:9] ³⁵sn The fast refers to the Jewish Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. It was now into October and the dangerous winter winds would soon occur (Suetonius, Life of Claudius 18; Josephus, J. W. 1.14.2-3 [1.279-281]).

[27:9] ³⁶tn The accusative articular infinitive παρεληλυθέναι (parelhluqenai) after the preposition διά (dia) is causal. BDAG 776 s.v. παρέρχομαι 2 has “διὰ τὸ τὴν νηστείαν ἤδη παρεληλυθέναι because the fast was already over Ac 27:9.”

[27:9] ³⁷tn Grk “Paul advised, saying to them.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated. On the term translated “advised,” see BDAG 764 s.v. παραινέω, which usually refers to recommendations.

[27:10] ³⁸tn Grk “is going to be with disaster.”

[27:10] ³⁹tn Or “hardship,” “damage.” BDAG 1022 s.v. ὕβρις 3 states, “fig. hardship, disaster, damage caused by the elements…w. ζημία Ac 27:10.”

[27:10] ⁴⁰tn Grk “souls” (here, one’s physical life).

[27:11] ⁴¹sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:11] ⁴²tn Or “persuaded.”

[27:11] ⁴³tn BDAG 456 s.v. κυβερνήτης 1 has “one who is responsible for the management of a ship, shipmaster…W. ναύκληρος, the ‘shipowner’…Ac 27:11” See further L. Casson, Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World, 316-18.

[27:11] ⁴⁴tn Grk “than by what was said by Paul.” The passive construction has been converted to an active one to simplify the translation.

[27:12] ⁴⁵tn BDAG 181-82 s.v. βουλή 2.a, “β. τίθεσθαι (Judg 19:30; Ps 12:3) decide 27:12 (w. inf. foll.).”

[27:12] ⁴⁶tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”

[27:12] ⁴⁷tn Grk “from there, if somehow” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun here in the translation and the introductory phrase “They hoped that” supplied (with the subject, “they,” repeated from the previous clause) to make a complete English sentence.

[27:12] ⁴⁸tn Grk “if somehow, reaching Phoenix, they could…” The participle καταντήσαντες (katanthsante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:12] ⁴⁹sn Phoenix was a seaport on the southern coast of the island of Crete. This was about 30 mi (48 km) further west.

[27:12] ⁵⁰tn Or “a harbor of Crete open to the southwest and northwest.”

[27:13] ⁵¹tn Grk “thinking.” The participle δόξαντες (doxante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:13] ⁵²tn Or “accomplish.” L&N 68.29, for κρατέω, has “to be able to complete or finish, presumably despite difficulties – ‘to accomplish, to do successfully, to carry out.’ …‘thinking that they could carry out their purpose’ Ac 27:13.”

[27:13] ⁵³tn Or “departed.”

[27:13] ⁵⁴tn L&N 54.8, “παραλέγομαι: (a technical, nautical term) to sail along beside some object – ‘to sail along the coast, to sail along the shore.’…‘they sailed along the coast of Crete’ Ac 27:13.” With the addition of the adverb ἆσσον (asson) this becomes “sailed close along the coast of Crete.”

[27:14] ⁵⁵tn Grk “a wind like a typhoon.” That is, a very violent wind like a typhoon or hurricane (BDAG 1021 s.v. τυφωνικός).

[27:14] ⁵⁶sn Or called Euraquilo (the actual name of the wind, a sailor’s term which was a combination of Greek and Latin). According to Strabo (Geography 1.2.21), this was a violent northern wind.

[27:14] ⁵⁷tn Grk “from it”; the referent (the island) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:15] ⁵⁸tn Or “was forced off course.” Grk “The ship being caught in it.” The genitive absolute construction with the participle συναρπασθέντος (sunarpasqento") has been taken temporally; it could also be translated as causal (“Because the ship was caught in it”).

[27:15] ⁵⁹tn BDAG 91 s.v. ἀντοφθαλμέω states, “Metaph. of a ship τοῦ πλοίου μὴ δυναμένοι ἀ. τῷ ἀνέμῳ since the ship was not able to face the wind, i.e. with its bow headed against the forces of the waves Ac 27:15.”

[27:15] ⁶⁰sn Caught in the violent wind, the ship was driven along. They were now out of control, at the mercy of the wind and sea.

[27:16] ⁶¹tn BDAG 1042 s.v. ὑποτρέχω states, “run or sail under the lee of, nautical t.t.…Ac 27:16.” The participle ὑποδραμόντες (Jupodramonte") has been taken temporally (“as we ran under the lee of”). While this could also be translated as a participle of means (“by running…”) this might suggest the ship was still under a greater degree of control by its crew than it probably was.

[27:16] ⁶²sn Cauda. This island was located south of Crete, about 23 mi (36 km) from where they began. There are various ways to spell the island’s name (e.g., Clauda, BDAG 546 s.v. Κλαῦδα).

[27:16] ⁶³sn The ship’s boat was a small rowboat, normally towed behind a ship in good weather rather than stowed on board. It was used for landings, to maneuver the ship for tacking, and to lay anchors (not a lifeboat in the modern sense, although it could have served as a means of escape for some of the sailors; see v. 30). See L. Casson, Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World, 248f.

[27:17] ⁶⁴tn Grk “After hoisting it up, they…”; the referent (the ship’s crew) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:17] ⁶⁵tn The participle ἄραντες (arantes) has been taken temporally.

[27:17] ⁶⁶tn Possibly “ropes” or “cables”; Grk “helps” (a word of uncertain meaning; probably a nautical technical term, BDAG 180 s.v. βοήθεια 2).

[27:17] ⁶⁷tn BDAG 308 s.v. ἐκπίπτω 2 states, “drift off course, run aground, nautical term εἴς τι on someth….on the Syrtis 27:17.”

[27:17] ⁶⁸tn That is, on the sandbars and shallows of the Syrtis.

[27:17] ⁶⁹tn Or perhaps “mainsail.” The meaning of this word is uncertain. BDAG 927 s.v. σκεῦος 1 has “τὸ σκεῦος Ac 27:17 seems to be the kedge or driving anchor” while C. Maurer (TDNT 7:362) notes, “The meaning in Ac. 27:17: χαλάσαντες τὸ σκεῦος, is uncertain. Prob. the ref. is not so much to taking down the sails as to throwing the draganchor overboard to lessen the speed of the ship.” In spite of this L&N 6.1 states, “In Ac 27:17, for example, the reference of σκεῦος is generally understood to be the mainsail.” A reference to the sail is highly unlikely because in a storm of the force described in Ac 27:14, the sail would have been taken down and reefed immediately, to prevent its being ripped to shreds or torn away by the gale.

[27:18] ⁷⁰tn BDAG 980 s.v. σφόδρῶς states, “very much, greatly, violently…σφ. χειμάζεσθαι be violently beaten by a storm Ac 27:18.”

[27:18] ⁷¹tn Or “jettisoning [the cargo]” (a nautical technical term). The words “the cargo” are not in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[27:19] ⁷²tn Or “rigging,” “tackle”; Grk “the ship’s things.” Here the more abstract “gear” is preferred to “rigging” or “tackle” as a translation for σκεῦος (skeuos) because in v. 40 the sailors are still able to raise the (fore)sail, which they could not have done if the ship’s rigging or tackle had been jettisoned here.

[27:20] ⁷³tn Grk “no small storm” = a very great storm.

[27:20] ⁷⁴tn Grk “no small storm pressing on us.” The genitive absolute construction with the participle ἐπικειμένου (epikeimenou) has been translated as parallel to the previous genitive absolute construction (which was translated as temporal). BDAG 373 s.v. ἐπίκειμαι 2.b states, “of impersonal force confront χειμῶνος ἐπικειμένου since a storm lay upon us Ac 27:20.” L&N 14.2, “‘the stormy weather did not abate in the least’ or ‘the violent storm continued’ Ac 27:20.” To this last was added the idea of “battering” from the notion of “pressing upon” inherent in ἐπίκειμαι (epikeimai).

[27:20] ⁷⁵tn Grk “finally all hope that we would be saved was abandoned.” The passive construction has been converted to an active one to simplify the translation. This represents a clearly secular use of the term σῴζω (swzw) in that it refers to deliverance from the storm. At this point those on board the ship gave up hope of survival.

[27:21] ⁷⁶tn Or “Since they had no desire to eat for a long time.” The genitive absolute construction with the participle ὑπαρχούσης (Juparcoush") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle. It could also be translated temporally (“When many of them had no desire to eat”). The translation of πολλῆς (pollhs) as a substantized adjective referring to the people on board the ship (“many of them”) rather than a period of time (“for a long time”; so most modern versions) follows BDAG 143 s.v. ἀσιτία, which has “πολλῆς ἀ. ὑπαρχούσης since almost nobody wanted to eat because of anxiety or seasickness…Ac 27:21.” This detail indicates how turbulent things were on board the ship.

[27:21] ⁷⁷tn Here τότε (tote) is redundant (pleonastic) according to BDAG 1012-13 s.v. τότε 2; thus it has not been translated.

[27:21] ⁷⁸tn Grk “standing up…said.” The participle σταθείς (staqeis) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:21] ⁷⁹tn L&N 36.12 has “πειθαρχήσαντάς μοι μὴ ἀνάγεσθαι ἀπὸ τῆς Κρήτης ‘you should have listened to me and not have sailed from Crete’ Ac 27:21.”

[27:21] ⁸⁰tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”

[27:21] ⁸¹tn The infinitive κερδῆσαι (kerdhsai) has been translated as resultative.

[27:22] ⁸²tn The same verb is used for Paul’s original recommendation in Ac 27:9.

[27:22] ⁸³tn Grk “except the ship.” Here “but” is used to translate the improper preposition πλήν (plhn; see BDAG 826 s.v. πλήν 2) since an exception like this, where two different categories of objects are involved (people and a ship), is more naturally expressed in contemporary English with an adversative (“but”). The words “will be lost” are also supplied for clarity.

[27:23] ⁸⁴tn Grk “of whom I am.” The relative clause with its possessive was translated following L&N 15.86 s.v. παρίσταμαι.

[27:23] ⁸⁵tn Or “worship.”

[27:23] ⁸⁶tn Or “stood by me.” BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 2.a.α states, “approach, come τινί (to) someone…Ac 9:39; 27:23.”

[27:24] ⁸⁷tn Grk “came to me saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:24] ⁸⁸tn BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 2.a.α states, “Also as a t.t. of legal usage appear before, come before…Καίσαρι σε δεῖ παραστῆναι you must stand before the Emperor (as judge) Ac 27:24.” See Acts 23:11. Luke uses the verb δεῖ (dei) to describe what must occur.

[27:24] ⁸⁹tn Or “before the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[27:24] ⁹⁰tn Grk “God has graciously granted you all who are sailing with you.” The words “the safety of” have been supplied to clarify the meaning of the verb κεχάρισται (kecaristai) in this context.

[27:25] ⁹¹tn BDAG 817 s.v. πιστεύω 1.c states, “w. pers. and thing added π. τινί τι believe someone with regard to someth….W. dat. of pers. and ὅτι foll…. πιστεύετέ μοι ὅτι ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ πατρί J 14:11a. Cp. 4:21; Ac 27:25.”

[27:26] ⁹²tn This is another use of δεῖ (dei) to indicate necessity (see also v. 24). Acts 28:1 shows the fulfillment of this.

[27:27] ⁹³tn Here “being driven” has been used to translate διαφέρω (diaferw) rather than “drifting,” because it is clear from the attempt to drop anchors in v. 29 that the ship is still being driven by the gale. “Drifting” implies lack of control, but not necessarily rapid movement.

[27:27] ⁹⁴sn The Adriatic Sea. They were now somewhere between Crete and Malta.

[27:27] ⁹⁵tn Grk “suspected that some land was approaching them.” BDAG 876 s.v. προσάγω 2.a states, “lit. ὑπενόουν προσάγειν τινά αὐτοῖς χώραν they suspected that land was near (lit. ‘approaching them’) Ac 27:27.” Current English idiom would speak of the ship approaching land rather than land approaching the ship.

[27:28] ⁹⁶tn Grk “Heaving the lead, they found.” The participle βολίσαντες (bolisante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. See also BDAG 180 s.v. βολίζω. Although the term is used twice in this verse (and thus is technically not a NT hapax legomenon), it occurs nowhere else in the NT.

[27:28] ⁹⁷sn A fathom is about 6 feet or just under 2 meters (originally the length of a man’s outstretched arms). This was a nautical technical term for measuring the depth of water. Here it was about 120 ft (36 m).

[27:28] ⁹⁸tn L&N 15.12, “βραχὺ δὲ διαστήσαντες ‘when they had gone a little farther’ Ac 27:28.”

[27:28] ⁹⁹sn Here the depth was about 90 ft (27 m).