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Paul’s Voyage to Rome
This chapter presents the thrilling saga of Paul’s voyage from Caesarea to Malta, en route to Rome. If Paul had not been on this trip, we would never have heard of the trip, or the shipwreck. It is apparent from Luke’s use of the word “we” that Luke was with Paul on this journey. The journey began at Caesarea. Paul was placed in the custody of an officer named Julius. This centurion was attached to the Augustan Regiment, a distinguished legion of the Roman Army. There were other prisoners on board who, like Paul, were being taken to Rome for trial. This Aristarchus of Macedonia, in verse 2, was the same man who was dragged into the amphitheater at the beginning of the riot in Ephesus (19:29; 20:4; Philemon 1:24). The ship on which they embarked was from Adramyttium, a city of Mysia in the northwest corner of Asia Minor. It was scheduled to sail north and west, making stops at ports along the coasts of Proconsular Asia, the western province of Asia Minor.
The ship sailed north along the coast of Palestine, coming in a Sidon, seventy miles from Caesarea. Julius, the centurion kindly permitted Paul to go ashore and visit friends and to refresh himself. From Sidon, the route cut across the northeast corner of the Mediterranean, passing Cyprus on the left and thus taking advantage of the side of the island sheltered from the wind. In spite of the winds being contrary, the ship crossed over to the southern coast of Asia Minor, then sailed westward past Cilicia and Pamphylia until it arrived at Myra, a port city of Lycia. At Lycia, Julius transferred his prisoners to another ship since the first one would not take them any closer to Italy; it would rather sail up the western coast of Asia Minor to its home port. The second ship was from Alexandria, on the northern coast of Africa. It carried 276 people, both crew and passengers, and cargo of wheat.
For many days travel was slow, due to the adverse wind conditions. It was with difficulty that the crew brought the ship over against the harbor of Cnidus, a port on the extreme southwest corner of Asia Minor. Since the wind was against them, they headed south and sailed along the sheltered east side of the island of Crete. Rounding cape Salmone, they turned westward and bucked heavy winds until they came to Fair Havens, a harbor near the city of Lasea, on the south central coast of Crete. By now considerable time had been lost due to the bad sailing conditions. The approach of the winter weather made traveling much more dangerous. It must have been late September or early October, since the Fast (the Day of Atonement) was already over. Paul warned the crew that navigation was unsafe and that if this voyage were continued, there would be the danger of losing the cargo, the ship, and even the lives of some on board.
However, the helmsman and the owner of the ship wanted to proceed, and over ruled Paul’s warning. Julius accepted their judgment and most of the others agreed with them too. It was felt that the harbor was not as suitable as Phenice would be as a place to spend the winter. Phenice was located forty miles west of fair haven, at the southwest tip of Crete. Its harbor opened toward the southwest and northwest.
When the south wind blew softly, the seamen thought they could make the extra distance to Phenice. They weighted anchor, and sailed westward, hugging the shore. Then a violent northeaster (Euroclydon) beat down upon them from the cliffs along the coast. Unable to steer the desired course, the crew was forced to let the ship be driven by the gale. They were driven southwest to a small island called Clauda, twenty to thirty miles from Crete. While they were south of the island they hauled in the lifeboat which was normally pulled in tow but now was probably full of water. When they reached the protected side of the island, they had difficulty securing the life boat which they had been towing. But finally they were able to hoist it on board. Then they tied cables around the hull of the ship to keep it from being torn apart by the sea and the storm. What they feared the most was that they would be driven south of Syrtis, (shallow sandbar) a gulf on the coast of Africa noted for its dangerous quicksand. To prevent this they lowered their (navigation) gear (sails and rigging) and were driven away from the direction of the sandbars.
After a day of drifting at the mercy of the storm, they began to throw cargo overboard to lighten the ship. On the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard. Doubtless the ship had taken a lot of water and it was therefore necessary to lighten its load to prevent the ship from sinking. For many days they were tossed about helplessly without sight of sun or stars, and thus without the ability to make their bearings and find out where they were. They began to lose hope. Despair was becoming more prominent by hunger. The men had not eaten for many days. Most of their time was spent working to save the ship and bailing out water. Perhaps there were no cooking facilities. Sickness, fear, and discouragement robbed them of their appetite. There was no shortage of food, but neither was there an eagerness to eat.
Despite all hard work and fear that overcame them, Paul stood in the midst of them with a message of hope. First Paul reminded them that they should not have sailed from Crete. Then he assured them that though the ship would be lost, there would be no loss of life. Paul knew of such facts, because an angel of the Lord appeared to him that night, assuring him that he would yet stand before Caesar in Rome. God had assured Paul all those who sailed with him, in the sense that they, too would be preserved. Therefore, they should cheer up. The Apostle believed that all would be well, even though they would be shipwrecked on a certain island.
Fourteen days had elapsed since they left Fair Havens. They were drifting helplessly in a part of the Mediterranean known as the Ionian, the sea between Greece, Italy, and Africa. About midnight the crew sensed that they were drawing near some land. When they first measured the depth they found it to be twenty fathoms (120 feet), then a little further it was fifteen fathoms (90 feet). To prevent running the ship aground, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. The crew wanted to escape and leave the passengers to drown. Fearing such, the crew plotted to get ashore in the life boat. They were in the process of lowering the lifeboat from the bow of the ship by pretending they were putting out more anchors when Paul reported their plot to Julius the centurion.
Paul warned that unless the sailors remained on board the rest would not be saved. Then the soldiers cut away the ropes attached to the boat and let it fall off. The sailors were now compelled to try and save their own lives on board ship, as well as the lives of the other people. Shortly before daybreak, Paul encouraged the people to eat, reminding them that they had gone two weeks without food. The time had come for them to eat, their health depended on it. Paul assured them no one would lose a single hair on their head. Paul set an example for them by taking bread, giving thanks to God publicly and eating. By being encouraged by Paul’s action they took food themselves. There were 276 people on the ship. After eating they lighten the ship by throwing wheat overboard. Land was nearby, but they could not recognize it. The decision was made to beach the ship, as far on shore as possible. They let go the anchors, leaving them in the sea. Then they untied the rudders that had previously been raised and lowered them into position. Hoisting the mainsail, they made for shore and drove the ship aground at a place where two seas met—probably in a channel between two islands. The bow stuck fast in the sand, but the stern soon began to break apart by the violence of the waves.
The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners to prevent escape, but Julius wanting to save Paul, overruled the soldiers. He ordered all who could swim to make for shore. The rest were told to float in on boards or other parts of the ship. In this way, every one of the crew and passengers escaped safely to land.
Questions/Answers
1- What is a Euroclydon?
A fierce tempestuous wind often experienced by navigators especially in the spring in the Eastern Mediterranean sometimes of a hurricane or typhoon force.
2- Does the city Phenice have another name?
Yes in the King James Version it is also known as Phoenix
Note: God provided for the non-swimmers, too, fulfilling his promise of verses 22-24.
This chapter presents the thrilling saga of Paul’s voyage from Caesarea to Malta, en route to Rome. If Paul had not been on this trip, we would never have heard of the trip, or the shipwreck. It is apparent from Luke’s use of the word “we” that Luke was with Paul on this journey. The journey began at Caesarea. Paul was placed in the custody of an officer named Julius. This centurion was attached to the Augustan Regiment, a distinguished legion of the Roman Army. There were other prisoners on board who, like Paul, were being taken to Rome for trial. This Aristarchus of Macedonia, in verse 2, was the same man who was dragged into the amphitheater at the beginning of the riot in Ephesus (19:29; 20:4; Philemon 1:24). The ship on which they embarked was from Adramyttium, a city of Mysia in the northwest corner of Asia Minor. It was scheduled to sail north and west, making stops at ports along the coasts of Proconsular Asia, the western province of Asia Minor.
The ship sailed north along the coast of Palestine, coming in a Sidon, seventy miles from Caesarea. Julius, the centurion kindly permitted Paul to go ashore and visit friends and to refresh himself. From Sidon, the route cut across the northeast corner of the Mediterranean, passing Cyprus on the left and thus taking advantage of the side of the island sheltered from the wind. In spite of the winds being contrary, the ship crossed over to the southern coast of Asia Minor, then sailed westward past Cilicia and Pamphylia until it arrived at Myra, a port city of Lycia. At Lycia, Julius transferred his prisoners to another ship since the first one would not take them any closer to Italy; it would rather sail up the western coast of Asia Minor to its home port. The second ship was from Alexandria, on the northern coast of Africa. It carried 276 people, both crew and passengers, and cargo of wheat.
For many days travel was slow, due to the adverse wind conditions. It was with difficulty that the crew brought the ship over against the harbor of Cnidus, a port on the extreme southwest corner of Asia Minor. Since the wind was against them, they headed south and sailed along the sheltered east side of the island of Crete. Rounding cape Salmone, they turned westward and bucked heavy winds until they came to Fair Havens, a harbor near the city of Lasea, on the south central coast of Crete. By now considerable time had been lost due to the bad sailing conditions. The approach of the winter weather made traveling much more dangerous. It must have been late September or early October, since the Fast (the Day of Atonement) was already over. Paul warned the crew that navigation was unsafe and that if this voyage were continued, there would be the danger of losing the cargo, the ship, and even the lives of some on board.
However, the helmsman and the owner of the ship wanted to proceed, and over ruled Paul’s warning. Julius accepted their judgment and most of the others agreed with them too. It was felt that the harbor was not as suitable as Phenice would be as a place to spend the winter. Phenice was located forty miles west of fair haven, at the southwest tip of Crete. Its harbor opened toward the southwest and northwest.
When the south wind blew softly, the seamen thought they could make the extra distance to Phenice. They weighted anchor, and sailed westward, hugging the shore. Then a violent northeaster (Euroclydon) beat down upon them from the cliffs along the coast. Unable to steer the desired course, the crew was forced to let the ship be driven by the gale. They were driven southwest to a small island called Clauda, twenty to thirty miles from Crete. While they were south of the island they hauled in the lifeboat which was normally pulled in tow but now was probably full of water. When they reached the protected side of the island, they had difficulty securing the life boat which they had been towing. But finally they were able to hoist it on board. Then they tied cables around the hull of the ship to keep it from being torn apart by the sea and the storm. What they feared the most was that they would be driven south of Syrtis, (shallow sandbar) a gulf on the coast of Africa noted for its dangerous quicksand. To prevent this they lowered their (navigation) gear (sails and rigging) and were driven away from the direction of the sandbars.
After a day of drifting at the mercy of the storm, they began to throw cargo overboard to lighten the ship. On the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard. Doubtless the ship had taken a lot of water and it was therefore necessary to lighten its load to prevent the ship from sinking. For many days they were tossed about helplessly without sight of sun or stars, and thus without the ability to make their bearings and find out where they were. They began to lose hope. Despair was becoming more prominent by hunger. The men had not eaten for many days. Most of their time was spent working to save the ship and bailing out water. Perhaps there were no cooking facilities. Sickness, fear, and discouragement robbed them of their appetite. There was no shortage of food, but neither was there an eagerness to eat.
Despite all hard work and fear that overcame them, Paul stood in the midst of them with a message of hope. First Paul reminded them that they should not have sailed from Crete. Then he assured them that though the ship would be lost, there would be no loss of life. Paul knew of such facts, because an angel of the Lord appeared to him that night, assuring him that he would yet stand before Caesar in Rome. God had assured Paul all those who sailed with him, in the sense that they, too would be preserved. Therefore, they should cheer up. The Apostle believed that all would be well, even though they would be shipwrecked on a certain island.
Fourteen days had elapsed since they left Fair Havens. They were drifting helplessly in a part of the Mediterranean known as the Ionian, the sea between Greece, Italy, and Africa. About midnight the crew sensed that they were drawing near some land. When they first measured the depth they found it to be twenty fathoms (120 feet), then a little further it was fifteen fathoms (90 feet). To prevent running the ship aground, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. The crew wanted to escape and leave the passengers to drown. Fearing such, the crew plotted to get ashore in the life boat. They were in the process of lowering the lifeboat from the bow of the ship by pretending they were putting out more anchors when Paul reported their plot to Julius the centurion.
Paul warned that unless the sailors remained on board the rest would not be saved. Then the soldiers cut away the ropes attached to the boat and let it fall off. The sailors were now compelled to try and save their own lives on board ship, as well as the lives of the other people. Shortly before daybreak, Paul encouraged the people to eat, reminding them that they had gone two weeks without food. The time had come for them to eat, their health depended on it. Paul assured them no one would lose a single hair on their head. Paul set an example for them by taking bread, giving thanks to God publicly and eating. By being encouraged by Paul’s action they took food themselves. There were 276 people on the ship. After eating they lighten the ship by throwing wheat overboard. Land was nearby, but they could not recognize it. The decision was made to beach the ship, as far on shore as possible. They let go the anchors, leaving them in the sea. Then they untied the rudders that had previously been raised and lowered them into position. Hoisting the mainsail, they made for shore and drove the ship aground at a place where two seas met—probably in a channel between two islands. The bow stuck fast in the sand, but the stern soon began to break apart by the violence of the waves.
The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners to prevent escape, but Julius wanting to save Paul, overruled the soldiers. He ordered all who could swim to make for shore. The rest were told to float in on boards or other parts of the ship. In this way, every one of the crew and passengers escaped safely to land.
Questions/Answers
1- What is a Euroclydon?
A fierce tempestuous wind often experienced by navigators especially in the spring in the Eastern Mediterranean sometimes of a hurricane or typhoon force.
2- Does the city Phenice have another name?
Yes in the King James Version it is also known as Phoenix
Note: God provided for the non-swimmers, too, fulfilling his promise of verses 22-24.
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