Acts 27:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board.

NIV: There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board.

NASB: There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy, and he put us aboard it.

CSB: There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board.

NLT: There the commanding officer found an Egyptian ship from Alexandria that was bound for Italy, and he put us on board.

KJV: And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing into Italy; and he put us therein.

NKJV: There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing to Italy, and he put us on board.

Julius is a centurion of the Roman army. He has been tasked with bringing a group of prisoners from Caesarea Maritima to Rome. He boarded a ship in Caesarea which sailed north to Sidon. The ship then swung around the northeast corner of the island of Cyprus and hugged the shadow of the mountains on the southern coast of modern-day Turkey. They then landed in Myra. Myra is a good choice to find a ship to Rome. It sits directly north of Alexandria, Egypt, which is the major provider of grain for Rome.

The average Alexandrian grain ship is up to 180 by 50 feet, or about 55 by 15 meters, in size. These vessels are about nearly as tall from the deck to the bottom of the hold as they are wide. At the time Luke writes this account, Rome has well over a million residents; the city consumes around 175,000 tons, or 160 million kilograms, of grain a year. Because of the importance of the cargo, grain ships often hire security; it may be Julius takes this vessel as part of a second job. Or, since centurions do not normally transport prisoners, this may be his original intent.

Julius finds a suitable ship in Myra for his soldiers and his prisoners. Among the incarcerated are Paul and Aristarchus; Luke is traveling with them. After ignoring Paul's warning once, Julius learns to trust Paul. Because of that trust, though the sailors will lose their ship and all their cargo (Acts 27:18–19, 38, 41), everyone will survive (Acts 27:22, 43–44).

Acts 27:1–8 records the first leg of Paul, Luke, and Aristarchus's sea voyage to Rome. After two governors refused to give Paul justice, he appealed his case to Rome. The trio board at Caesarea Maritima under the custody of Julius, a centurion. After changing to a larger ship, the weather turns uncooperative in Myra and the winds blow the ship into a ferocious storm. Paul spends the voyage reassuring the passengers and encouraging the crew to make wise choices. They eventually crash on the island of Malta: the ship and cargo are destroyed, but everyone lives.

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.