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27
Paul sent to Rome
1 Now when it was decided that we*I take it that Luke has been around all the time. should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners to a centurion named Julius, of the imperial cohort. 2 So we embarked in a ship of Atramytium, being about to sail to points along the Asian coast, and we put to sea; Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us. 3 The next day we landed at Sidon; Julius treated Paul kindly and permitted him to go to his friends and receive care. 4 Putting to sea from there, we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were contrary. 5 And when we had sailed across the sea that is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 When we had sailed slowly many days and scarcely arrived opposite Cnidus, the wind did not allow us to go forward, so we sailed for the lee of Crete†They had been sailing west along the coast of Asia Minor and now turn south to Crete. by way of Salmone; 8 sailing along it with difficulty we came to a certain place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.
A difference of opinion
9 Much time had been lost and sailing was already dangerous, because even the Fast had already taken place; Paul repeatedly warned them 10 saying, “Men, I perceive that the voyage is about to be with damage and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but even of our lives.” 11 But the centurion‡It appears that the centurion had the last word. was persuaded by the pilot and ship owner rather than by what Paul said. 12 And since the harbor was not suitable to winter in, the majority advised sailing on, to see if they could get to Phoenix in order to winter, it being a harbor of Crete facing southwest and northwest.§I suppose the point to be that it was completely open to the west; there is such a spot on the present coastline of Crete, though the name ‘phoenix’ has disappeared.
The storm
13 So when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to shore. 14 But not long after, a cyclonic wind blasted down from the land (it is called Euroclydon). 15 Well the ship was caught and could not head into the wind, so we gave up and were driven along.*The blast of wind was sudden and they were too close to the shore to have much room to maneuver. To remain broadside to the wind was to be swamped, so they turned tail and the wind drove them out to the open Mediterranean. I imagine that a little supernatural activity was involved. 16 Running under the lee of a small island called Clauda, we barely managed to secure the skiff; 17 when they had hoisted it aboard, they used cables to undergird the ship; and fearing that they might fall into the Syrtis,†By the time they finished undergirding the ship they were probably about a fifth of the way across the Mediterranean (the wind was driving them south, in a hurry). The Syrtis evidently referred to two shallow bays on the African coast that had shifting sand bars and liked to snare boats. The sea anchor was presumably dropped off the stern to provide drag and slow their progress. they lowered the sea anchor and so were driven along. 18 We were being so violently battered by the storm that the next day they began to jettison things, 19 and on the third we threw off the ship's tackle with our own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and a major storm was still pounding us, all hope that we would be saved was now taken away.
21 Now after long abstinence from food, Paul stood up in the midst of them and said: “Well men, it would have been better to take my advice and not sail from Crete, only to ‘gain’ this damage and loss.‡Paul's ‘I told you so’ is really quite bland, and is followed by good news. 22 But now I urge you to take heart, because there will be no loss of life among you, only of the ship. 23 This night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood by me 24 and said: ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. Furthermore, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ 25 So take courage, men, because I believe in God that it will be just as it was told me. 26 Also, we must run aground on a certain island.”
27 Now when the fourteenth night had come, as we were being driven here and there in the Adriatic,§This term presumably took in a larger area than it does today. about midnight the sailors sensed that they were nearing some land. 28 They took a sounding and found twenty fathoms; going on a little they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms. 29 So fearing that we might be driven into a rocky area, they dropped four anchors from the stern and started praying for day to come. 30 Now under pretense of putting out anchors from the prow, the sailors lowered the skiff into the sea, intending to flee from the ship; 31 so Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, “Unless these stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers severed the ropes of the skiff and let it fall away.*This seems a pity, since a skiff would have been useful in getting people to land later. But in any case, the centurion believed him!
33 While the day was coming on, Paul started urging them all to receive food, saying: “Today is the fourteenth day of waiting—you continue without eating, having taken nothing. 34 Therefore I urge you to take nourishment, because this is for our survival, since not a hair will fall from the head of any of you.” 35 Upon saying this he picked up some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all; then he broke it and began to eat. 36 So they all were encouraged and took food themselves. 37 (In all, we were two hundred seventy-six souls on the ship.) 38 So when they had eaten enough, they started lightening the ship by throwing out the wheat into the sea.
39 When it was day, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, onto which they planned to run the ship, if possible. 40 Casting off the anchors they left them in the sea, at the same time untying the rudder ropes; and hoisting the foresail to the wind, they made for the beach. 41 But they fell into a place where two seas met and ran the vessel aground; the prow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern began to be broken up by the violence of the waves.
42 Now the plan of the soldiers was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim away and escape. 43 But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, stopped them from doing it and ordered those who could swim to jump in first and go toward the land, 44 followed by the rest, some on planks and some on things from the ship. And in this way they all escaped safely to the land.

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*27:1 I take it that Luke has been around all the time.

†27:7 They had been sailing west along the coast of Asia Minor and now turn south to Crete.

‡27:11 It appears that the centurion had the last word.

§27:12 I suppose the point to be that it was completely open to the west; there is such a spot on the present coastline of Crete, though the name ‘phoenix’ has disappeared.

*27:15 The blast of wind was sudden and they were too close to the shore to have much room to maneuver. To remain broadside to the wind was to be swamped, so they turned tail and the wind drove them out to the open Mediterranean. I imagine that a little supernatural activity was involved.

†27:17 By the time they finished undergirding the ship they were probably about a fifth of the way across the Mediterranean (the wind was driving them south, in a hurry). The Syrtis evidently referred to two shallow bays on the African coast that had shifting sand bars and liked to snare boats. The sea anchor was presumably dropped off the stern to provide drag and slow their progress.

‡27:21 Paul's ‘I told you so’ is really quite bland, and is followed by good news.

§27:27 This term presumably took in a larger area than it does today.

*27:32 This seems a pity, since a skiff would have been useful in getting people to land later. But in any case, the centurion believed him!

© 2016 Wilbur N. Pickering, ThM, PhD