Acts 27:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands.

NIV: On the third day, they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands.

NASB: and on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands.

CSB: On the third day, they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands.

NLT: The following day they even took some of the ship’s gear and threw it overboard.

KJV: And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship.

NKJV: On the third day we threw the ship’s tackle overboard with our own hands.

Paul, Luke, Aristarchus, and 273 others (Acts 27:37) are facing the prospect of drowning in a typhoon-like storm in the Mediterranean. The wind is driving them toward the coast of Libya. Between them and land is the Gulf of Syrtis, a wide area riddled with shoals and sandbars. The sailors have managed to drag up the lifeboat, reenforce the hull with ropes, and throw some of the cargo overboard. But they need to raise the ship even more or they'll run aground, so they toss the tackle (Acts 27:14–18).

Luke is not specific here as to what the sailors are doing. They have already "lowered the gear" (Acts 27:17) but Luke didn't explain that, either. Some think they lowered the sails and rigging. Other scholars think they threw the rigging into the water to act like a storm anchor to slow them down. They don't throw everything over; later they will raise the foresail (Acts 27:40). "With their own hands" suggests they manually remove the main spar and throw it into the water.

The crew and passengers will face the storm for two weeks. Passengers usually live on the deck and bring their own food, but no one will feel like eating. Everyone loses hope except Paul; he apparently prays. Because of his petition, God lets the storm take the ship and cargo, but every person survives (Acts 27:20, 22–25, 27, 33–34).

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.