Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition)
Paul Forelelleth much Disaster, ACTS XXVIl. but Encouragelk the Ship's Crew from the same cause as before, the westerly current and head-whuls. came to . . . the Fair Havens—an anchorage near the centre of the south coast, and a little east 6f Cape Matala, the southernmost point of the Island, wigli ^hereunto was tlie city Liasea—Identified, but quite rebodies by day or by night; so that they could not tell where they were, all hope that wc should be saved was taken away—'Their exertions to subdue the leak had been unavailing; they could not tell wliich way to make for the nearest land, in order to run their sliip ashore, the only resource for a sinlcing ship: but unless they did make the land, they must founder at sea. Their apprehensions, therefore, were not so much caused by the fury of the tempest, as by the state of the ship.' [Smith.] From the inferiority of ancient to modern naval architecture, leaks were sprung much more easily, and the means of repairing them were fewer tlian now. Hence the far greater number of shipwrecks from this cently, by the Rev. George Brown [Smith's Voyayes and Shipwreck of St. Paul, App. ill., 2d Ed., 1856. To this Invaluable book all recent commentators on this chapter, and these notes, are mostly indebted]. 9, 10. when much time was spent—since leaving Csesarea. But for unforeseen delays they might have reached the Italian coast before the stormy season, and sailing (the navigation of the open sea) was now dangerous, because the fast was now . . . pastthat of the day of atonement, answering to the end of September and beginning of Octocause. 21-26. But after long abstinence—See on v. 33.
' The hardships whicli the crew endured during a gale of such continuance, and their exhaustion from labouring ber, about which time the navigation is pronounced unat the pumps and hunger, may be imagined, but are not safe by writers of authority. Since all hope of completing the voyage during that season was abandoned, the quesdescribed.' [Smith.] Paul stood fortli in tlie midst of them, and said. Sirs, ye should liave hearkened to me, &c.—not meaning to reflect on them for the past, but tion next was, whether they should winter at Fair Havens, or move to Port Phenice, a harbour about forty miles to the westward. St. Paul assisted at the consultation and strongly urged them to winter where they were. to claim their confidence for what he was now to say . . . there stood by me this night the angel of Ciod (as ch.
16. 9 and 23. 11). wliosc I am (1 Corinthians 6. 19, 20) and whom I serve (in the sense of ti'orship or religious conse-
Sirs, I perceive, that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, &c.—not by any Divine communicacration: see on ch. 13. 2), saying. Fear not, Paul; thon must be brought before Csesar ; and, lo, God hath given thee all . . . that sail with thee—Wliile the crew were toiling at the pumps, Paul was wrestling In prayer, not for himself only and the cause in wliich he was going a prisoner to Rome, but with true magnanimity of soul tion, but simply in the exercise of a good judgment aided by some experience. The event justified his decision.
11. Nevertheless the centurion believed tlie master and owner . . . more than Paul—He would naturally think them best able to judge, and there was much to say for their opinion, as the bay at Fair Havens, beingopen to nearly one-half of the compass, could not beagood winter harbour. Phenice ('Phenix,' now called LiUro) which for all his shipmates; and God heard him, "giving him" (remarkable expression !) all that sailed with him. 'When the cheerless day came he gatliered the sailors (and passengers) around him on tlie deck of the labouring vessel, and raising his voice above the storm' [Hows], reported the Divine communication he had received; adding with a noble simplicity, "for I believe Qod that it lietli toward tlie sonth-west and north-west—If this mean tliat it was open to the west, It would certainly not be good anchorage. It Is thought therefore to mean that a wind from that quarter would lead into it, or that it lay in an ra.»<e)-?2/ direction from such a Wind. [Smith.] The next verse seems to confirm this. 13. when the south wind blew softly, supposing they had attained' their purpose—With such a wind they had every prospect of reacliing their destination in a few hours. 14, 15. a tempestuous (' typlionlc') wind — i. e., like a typhon or tornado, causing a whirling of the clouds, owing to the meeting of opposite currents of air. called Enroclydon—The true reading appears to \>e Euro-aquilo, or east-north-east, which answers all the eflects here ascribed to it. could not bear np into (or 'face') tlie wind, we let her drift—before the gale. 16, 17. nnder (the lee of) a certain ('small') island . . . Clanda— south-west of Crete, now called Oonzo; about twentythree miles to leeward, we had much work to come by (i. e., to hoist up and secure) the boat—now become necessary. But why was this diflicult? Independently of the gale, raging at the time, the boat had been towed between twenty and thirty miles after the gale sprung up, and could scarcely fail to be filled with water. [Smith.] nndergirding the ship—i. e., passing four or five turns of a cable-laid rope round the hull or frame of the ship, to, enable her to resist the violence of the seas, an operation rarely resorted to in modern seamanship, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands— sliall be even as It was told me," and encouraging all on board to "be of good cheer" in the same confidence. What a contrast to this is the speech of C'sesar in similar circumstances to his pilot, bidding him keep up liis spirit because he carried Csesar and Ceesar's fortune! [Plutarch.] The Roman general knew no better name for the Divine Providence, by which he liad been so often preserved, than Ctesar's fortune. [Humphry.] From the explicit particulars—that the ship would be lost, but not one that sailed in it, and that they " must be cast on a certain island"—one would conclude that a visional rep reseiitation of a total wreck, a mass of human beings struggling with the angry elements, and one and all of those whose figures and countenances had daily met Ills eye on deck, standing on some unknown island shore. From what follows, It would seem that Paul from this time was regarded with a deference akin to awe. 27-29. when the fourteenth night was come (fromthe time tliey left Fair Havens), as we were driven (drifting) up and down in Adria—tlie Adriatic, that sea which lies between Greece, Italy, and Africa, about midnight the shipmen deemed (no doubt from the peculiar sound of the breakers) that tliey drew near some country (' tliat some land was approaching them'). This nautical language gives a graphic character to the narrative, they cast four anchors out of the stern—The ordinary way was to cast the anchor, as now, from the bow : but aucient ships, built with both ends alike, were fitted with hawseholes in the stern, so that in case of need they could anchor either way. And when the fear was, as here, that they might fall on the rocks to leeward, and the intention was to run tlie ship ashore as soon as daylight enaL-lod them to fix upon a safe spot, the very best thing they could do was to anchor by the stern. [Smith.] In stormy weather two anchors were used, and we have instances of four being employed, as here, and wished ('anxiously' or 'devoutly wished') for day—the remark this of one present, and with ^11 his shipmates alive to the horrors of their condition. 'The ship might go down ai her anchors, or the coast to leeward might be iron-bound, affording no beach on which they could laud with safety.
' be cast ashore' or stranded upon the Syrtis;' the Syrlis Major, a gulf on the African coast, south-west of Crete, the dread of mariners, owing to its dangerous shoals, they strake (struck) sail —This cannot be the meaning, for to strike sail would have driven them directly towards the Syrtis. Tlie meaning must be, 'lowered the gear' (appurtenances of every kind); here, perhaps, referring to the lowering of the heavj' raainyard with the sail attached to it. [Smith.] 18-SiO. cast out with our own hands (passengers and crew togetlier) the tackling of the ship—whatever they could do without that carried weight. This further effort to lighten the sliip seems to show that it was now in a leaking condition, as will presently appear more evident, neither sun nor stars appeared many ('gcvcr.il') days probably most of the fourteen days mentioned t'. 'Z7. This continued thickness of the atmosphere prevented their making the necessary observations of the heavenly