Acts 27:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore.

NIV: When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete.

NASB: When a moderate south wind came up, thinking that they had attained their purpose, they weighed anchor and began sailing along Crete, closer to shore.

CSB: When a gentle south wind sprang up, they thought they had achieved their purpose. They weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete.

NLT: 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.

KJV: And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete.

NKJV: When the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their desire, putting out to sea, they sailed close by Crete.

Paul and Aristarchus are on an Alexandrian ship, likely a grain ship, in the custody of Julius, a Roman centurion. They're headed to Rome to have their charges tried in Caesar's court. Luke is sailing with them (Acts 27:1-–6).

They moored at Fair Havens on the southern shore of Crete. The winter storms are starting, and they need to find a safe place to stay. The harbor at Fair Havens isn't sufficient. For some reason, they don't backtrack to the harbor at Lasea. Instead, the ship's owner and pilot decide to go on to Phoenix, and the centurion agrees—despite Paul's warning that if they leave, they could lose everything (Acts 27:8–12).

The southern coastline of Crete is largely lined by mountain ranges which shield ships from the northern winds. The winds have been from the north or northwest. About three miles west of Fair Havens, the east-west coastline suddenly turns north. The southern winds are welcome; when the ship rounds the point, the pilot is able to steer them straight for Phoenix.

This lasts for only a short while. Not long after the point, the mountains disappear into a flat plane. As they pass this area, winds shift and come from the northeast. The low hills in the center of the island are flanked by two high ranges that perfectly funnel the winds onto the plane and straight to the ship. The ship turns suddenly as the winds drive it toward the sandbar off the coast of Libya. Then the ship and passengers are driven into the storm (Acts 27:14–20).

Julius already respected Paul (Acts 27:3); now he realizes Paul knows what he's talking about when it comes to travel. From this point forward he takes Paul's advice and, although the ship and cargo are lost, everyone survives.

Acts 27:13–20 switches Luke's narrative back from Paul to the sea voyage. Paul, Aristarchus, and Luke are on a ship for Rome, but the winds keep pushing them south. They've reached a harbor to wait out the winter and Paul wants to stay. The crew refuses. They set sail and promptly hit a powerful wind which pushes them into a typhoon-like winter storm. The sailors do what they can to stay afloat, but the storm rages for days. The passengers and crew lose hope, but Paul doesn't (Acts 23:11).

Acts 27 is an account of a famous sea voyage. Paul, Luke, and Aristarchus travel from Caesarea Maritima on their way to Rome. False charges and two years of imprisonment in Caesarea led Paul to appeal his case to a higher Roman court, and he is now on his way to that court. The chapter can be divided into seven paragraphs, alternating between descriptions of the sea voyage and Paul trying to keep everyone alive during a horrific storm. Eventually, they shipwreck on Malta. The ship and cargo are a complete loss, but no one dies.

Twice the Sanhedrin brought unfounded charges against Paul. In both cases, the ruling governor knew Paul was innocent but refused to let him go. Finally, Paul appealed his case to Caesar (Acts 24:22–27; 25:1–12). He, Luke, Aristarchus, and 273 others sail for Rome. But they shipwreck on a reef off the island of Malta. When they finally reach Rome, Paul will meet with Jewish leaders and tell them how Jesus fulfills the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah. Some will believe and some won't. This leads Paul to resolve, once again, to focus his efforts on the Gentiles (Acts 28).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.