Acts 27:38 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea.

NIV: When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.

NASB: When they had eaten enough, they began lightening the ship by throwing the wheat out into the sea.

CSB: When they had eaten enough, they began to lighten the ship by throwing the grain overboard into the sea.

NLT: After eating, the crew lightened the ship further by throwing the cargo of wheat overboard.

KJV: And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea.

NKJV: So when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship and threw out the wheat into the sea.

An Alexandrian ship headed for Rome carries Paul, Luke, and Aristarchus (Acts 27:1). Paul and Aristarchus are prisoners under the authority of the centurion Julius (Colossians 4:10). The ship has been in the middle of a fierce winter storm for two weeks—so violent, neither the crew nor the passengers have eaten anything. On the fourteenth night, the sailors realize they are near land. They manage to drop the anchors at the stern to keep the ship from going forward and presumably at the bow to keep the waves from turning them about. In the relative calm, Paul encourages everyone to eat. They still need to swim to shore, and they need the energy (Acts 27:27–36).

A couple of days after the ship entered the storm, the crew lowered the sails. The next day, they jettisoned some of the cargo, and the day after that, they threw the tackle overboard (Acts 27:17–19). Grain ships, what this vessel most likely is, are large and have a significant draft; they can be 180 feet by 50 feet, or 55 by 15 meters, and almost as far from the deck to the bottom of the hold as they are wide. Islands are often surrounded by rocks and hidden reefs. The crew needs to raise the boat as high as they can, so they throw out the rest of the cargo.

It's not enough. As the sun rises, the crew finds a bay with a beach. Hoping to run aground as close to the beach as possible, they raise the foresail and allow the wind to drive them in. Instead, they strike a reef some distance away. The bow is stuck fast and the surf tears apart the already-battered stern. Those who can, swim to shore; those who can't swim find some piece of flotsam to grab onto and kick their way in. Finally, they all make it (Acts 27:39–44).

Acts 27:33–38 places Paul at the center of the action once again. His ship has been storm-tossed and lost for two weeks. The 276 total passengers have finally reached land, but don't know what rocks or reefs are between them and safety. The centurion has prevented the crew's escape attempt (Acts 27:27–32). Now, Paul brings everyone together to do something they haven't been able to in fourteen days: eat. They share bread and jettison the remaining cargo. Once dawn breaks, the crew sails the ship closer to land, but the ship gets hung up on a reef. Eventually, however, everyone makes it to shore (Acts 27:39–44).

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.