Acts 27:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land.

NIV: Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the Northeaster, swept down from the island.

NASB: But before very long a violent wind, called Euraquilo, rushed down from the land;

CSB: But before long, a fierce wind called the "northeaster" rushed down from the island.

NLT: But the weather changed abruptly, and a wind of typhoon strength (called a 'northeaster') burst across the island and blew us out to sea.

KJV: But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.

NKJV: But not long after, a tempestuous head wind arose, called Euroclydon.

It's hard to imagine what's going through the mind of the Alexandrian ship's owner. He had been in Myra on the southwest coast of Turkey likely with wheat destined for Rome. A centurion appeared with several soldiers and prisoners asking for passage. It was a good deal: he'd get a bonus for the passengers plus soldiers to protect his cargo. The winds were strong out of the northwest, but they made it to the south side of Crete and moored at Fair Havens (Acts 27:6–8).

Before long, they all realized it was too late in the year to go any farther because of the winter storms. But they couldn't stay in Fair Havens because their harbor wasn't suited for the rough weather. The owner, the shipmaster, and the centurion all agreed to try to go on to Phoenix which had two suitable harbors in the wind shadow of a tall mountain range (Acts 27:11–12).

Especially irritating to the ship owner must have been that Paul, one of the prisoners, kept harassing him. The man insisted if the ship owner left Fair Havens he was going to lose everything—possibly even all the lives on the ship (Acts 27:10). This prisoner had traveled extensively, but he wasn't a sailor. Why was he so adamant?

About three miles west of Fair Havens, the ship rounds the point and starts northwest for Phoenix. They catch a gentle south wind that should take them in easily (Acts 27:13). Then they reach the one part of the southern coast that isn't protected by mountains right as the winds shift and start coming in from the northeast. The winds catch the flat northern coast, funnel through the valley between the two central mountain ranges, and roar across the central plains right into the ship. The pilot tries to turn the ship to face the winds head-on, but it's too late. They can't let the winds hit from the side or risk capsizing. They turn to put the wind at their backs and let it drive them on—right toward the giant underwater sandbar off the Libyan coast.

"Tempestuous" is the Greek word typhōnikos. It is a derivative of the same root word that is the source of the English "typhoon."

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.