NLT Illustrated Study Bible - Book of Acts - Flipbook - Page 74
A cts 2 7 : 1 0
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sea travel because it was so late in the fall,*
and Paul spoke to the ship’s officers about it.
10 “Men,” he said, “I believe there is trouble
ahead if we go on—shipwreck, loss of cargo,
and danger to our lives as well.” 11 But the
officer in charge of the prisoners listened
more to the ship’s captain and the owner
than to Paul. 12 And since Fair Havens was an
exposed harbor—a poor place to spend the
winter—most of the crew wanted to go on to
Phoenix, farther up the coast of Crete, and
spend the winter there. Phoenix was a good
harbor with only a southwest and northwest
exposure.
The Storm at Sea
13 When a light wind began blowing from
the south, the sailors thought they could
make it. So they pulled up anchor and
sailed close to the shore of Crete. 14 But the
weather changed abruptly, and a wind of
typhoon strength (called a “northeaster”)
burst across the island and blew us out to
sea. 15 The sailors couldn’t turn the ship into
the wind, so they gave up and let it run be
fore the gale.
16 We sailed along the sheltered side of
a small island named Cauda,* where with
great difficulty we hoisted aboard the life
boat being towed behind us. 17 Then the
sailors bound ropes around the hull of the
ship to strengthen it. They were afraid of
being driven across to the sandbars of Syr
tis off the African coast, so they lowered the
sea anchor to slow the ship and were driven
before the wind.
18 The next day, as gale-force winds contin
ued to batter the ship, the crew began throw
ing the cargo overboard. 19 The following day
they even took some of the ship’s gear and
threw it overboard. 20 The terrible storm
raged for many days, blotting out the sun
and the stars, until at last all hope was gone.
21 No one had eaten for a long time. Finally,
Paul called the crew together and said, “Men,
you should have listened to me in the first
place and not left Crete. You would have
avoided all this damage and loss. 22 But take
courage! None of you will lose your lives,
even though the ship will go down. 23 For last
night an s angel of the God to whom I belong
and whom I serve stood beside me, 24 and he
said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely
stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God
in his goodness has granted safety to every
one sailing with you.’ 25 So take courage! For
I believe God. It will be just as he said. 26 But
we will be shipwrecked on an island.”
27:14
Mark 4:37
27:18
Jon 1:5
27:21
Acts 27:10
27:23
Acts 18:9; 23:11
2 Tim 4:17
s angelos (0032)
1
Cor 4:9
27:24
Acts 23:11
27:25
Rom 4:2021
27:26
Acts 28:1
27:34
Matt 10:30
Luke 12:7
The Shipwreck at Malta
27 About midnight on the fourteenth night
of the storm, as we were being driven across
the Sea of Adria,* the sailors sensed land was
near. 28 They dropped a weighted line and
found that the water was 120 feet deep. But
a little later they measured again and found
it was only 90 feet deep.* 29 At this rate they
were afraid we would soon be driven against
the rocks along the shore, so they threw out
four anchors from the back of the ship and
prayed for daylight.
30 Then the sailors tried to abandon the
ship; they lowered the lifeboat as though
they were going to put out anchors from the
front of the ship. 31 But Paul said to the com
manding officer and the soldiers, “You will
all die unless the sailors stay aboard.” 32 So
the soldiers cut the ropes to the lifeboat and
let it drift away.
33 Just as day was dawning, Paul urged
everyone to eat. “You have been so wor
ried that you haven’t touched food for two
weeks,” he said. 34 “Please eat something
27:9 Greek because the fast was now already gone by. This fast was associated with the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), which
occurred in late September or early October. 27:16 Some manuscripts read Clauda. 27:27 The Sea of Adria includes the central
portion of the Mediterranean. 27:28 Greek 20 fathoms . . . 15 fathoms [37 meters . . . 27 meters].
27:1011 Paul realized what would hap
pen if they went on. He warned the ship’s
officers, but they and the Roman officer
were unlikely to listen to an imprisoned
Jewish rabbi with no experience as a sea
man. Later, however, they would respect
him more (27:3036, 4243).
27:12 The prevailing southeasterly
winds made Fair Havens an unsafe place
for ships to harbor in the winter, but
Phoenix, a town farther up the coast of
Crete, offered a better harbor.
27:1416 The storm, called a “northeaster,” was of typhoon strength, very
threatening to both the cargo and the
crew. Forced to let the ship run before
T H E P E N TAT E U C H
the gale, they sailed past a small island
called Cauda (known today as Gaudos),
south of Crete.
27:17 Binding ropes around the ship’s
hull (called frapping in nautical terms)
was intended to strengthen it against
the tremendous pressure of the storm.
• Syrtis refers to the shallow bays filled
with sandbars off the coast of North
Africa west of Cyrene.
27:1820 The violence and persistence
of the storm led to throwing the cargo
overboard (cp. Jon 1:5) and the crew’s
abandoning hope.
27:2126 Paul addressed the crew, first
scolding them for not listening to him
ISRAEL’S HISTORY
(27:1012) and then encouraging them
with the angel’s assurance of survival for
all of them.
27:27 The Sea of Adria, south of Italy
and Greece and between Malta and
Crete, is now known as the Ionian Sea.
27:3032 This time the soldiers listened
to Paul (cp. 27:1011).
27:3335 Paul’s words and actions are
those of a true leader who personally
assesses a perilous situation, decides on
action, and leads others in solving the
problem (cp. Neh 1–3; contrast Jon 1).
Paul’s positive example and strong faith
in God (Acts 27:2225) encouraged the
others to eat and take heart.
POETRY & WISDOM
