Acts 27:41

Tuesday, 28 May 2024

But striking a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the prow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern was being broken up by the violence of the waves. Acts 27:41

A more literal rendering is, “And having fallen into a place – two seas – they urged on the vessel, and, indeed, the prow having stuck fast remained immovable, and the stern was loosed under the force of the waves.” (CG).

In the previous verse, the anchors were abandoned to the sea and the rudders were loosed. After that the foresail was hoisted and the sailors headed the ship for the shore. With that, words that are filled with detail come rushing forth, beginning with, “And having fallen into a place.”

The words “having fallen,” as in English, signify “ o encounter.” Someone might say, “I fell into trouble on the way h ome.” The meaning is that he encountered trouble on the way home. This is the intent here. They were heading like a speeding train to the coast, but as they did so, they fell into a particular place that was unnoticed until it was too late, “two seas.”

Despite the great efforts of preparation, there was a problem which dashed their overall hopes. The ship was caught in a location where two seas met. The word so translated is rare, dithalassos, or literally “two seas.” It is found only here and one other known ancient Greek writing. 

Luke is describing a ship coming in from the sea and heading into St. Paul’s Bay. There is a point of land, once called Koura Point, off to the left which was actually used as an aerial training aid in WWII.

To the right, there is a small island, previously known as Salmonetta. Nowadays it is called il-Gzejjer ta' san Pawl. The sailors must have thought that it was a part of Malta itself as it is very close to the main island. However, it is separated by a narrow channel about 100 yards wide.

It is at this point, the sailors probably realized there was trouble. Because of the obvious break between the land and this small island, Luke next records that “they urged on the vessel.” Most translations here say that they ran the ship aground, but that is a consequence of going through the two seas.

Rather, when they realized there was this shallow spot, they probably pulled the sail in as close to the wind as possible, raised the rudders a bit, and so forth. In other words, these skilled sailors saw every possibility of running aground. In hopes of avoiding that, they made like a jet fighter with movable wings, pulling them in close and working to eke out every bit of speed and remove every possible inch of contact with the seabed below.

The word used to describe this is epokelló. It is only used here in the Bible. It comes from epi, on or upon, and okello, to urge. The sense is that they forced the ship forward. Luke also uses another unique word here, naus, to describe the ship. It signifies a ship or vessel of considerable size. Luke is hinting at why the ship would have difficulty.

A smaller ship might get through, but this one was quite sizable. Therefore, despite their best efforts to break through the two seas, Luke next records, “and, indeed, the prow having stuck fast.”

 This is the consequence of having passed through the two seas. The ship was too deep to pass through and it finally stuck fast. Here Luke uses the word próra, or prow, for the second and last time. It was first used in Acts 27:30. It signifies the forward part, meaning the front, bow, prow, etc. of a ship.

To get a sense of the action, the Pulpit Commentary says that “When, however, she was just coming upon the beach for which she was making, she would come opposite to this open channel, and the sea from the north would break upon her and meet the sea on the south side of the island, where the ship was. Here, then, they ran the vessel aground.”

Also, Luke uses another unique word here, ereidó. It is of obscure affinity and means something like “to prop.” Therefore, used reflexively, it means to stick fast. One can see the ship racing through the two seas and the sailors can feel it touching upon the seabed. And so, they continue pulling the sheets, raising the rudders, and urging the ship on.

However, the prow of the ship suddenly jerks, indicating solid contact. With that, the stern would leap in an upward motion, causing the ship to prop upwards. The words are all very exciting and extremely detailed.

Of this word, ereidó, the Pulpit Commentary notes that it was common in classical Greek and is “not very different from its frequent medical meaning of a disease ‘fixing itself’ and ‘settling’ in some particular part of the body.” It is another clue to the authenticity of Luke’s authorship because of his use of words that have medical connections in order to describe other things.

Once the prow had stuck fast, Luke next records that the ship “remained immovable.” The word is asaleutos. It is only seen here and in Hebrews 12:28 which speaks of the unshakeable kingdom that we shall receive. It signifies to be unshakeable, immovable, etc.

The ship had come to a full stop, but it was not at the shore. Thus, there was a difficulty that would have to be dealt with quickly. This is because Luke next notes, “and the stern was loosed under the force of the waves.”

The word prumna, or stern, is used for the third and last time in the New Testament. It signifies the hinder part of the ship. Also, the word bia, force, is seen for the fourth and last time. All four uses were in Acts. It signifies violence, force, or strength. One can see an etymological connection to the word bio, the life force of things.

As for Luke’s description, it is telling us that the constant battering of the waves upon the stern of the ship was quickly taking its toll. The entire hinder part of the ship, therefore, was loosed from the main body of the ship and would quickly disintegrate by this pummeling.

Life application: What is amazing is how accurately Luke’s writings reflect what we can still see today. If one goes to Google Maps, he can almost insert himself into a ship as it heads for this disastrous spot where the two seas meet. Once at this location, the ship ran aground. The front of the ship got stuck in the seabed, and would not budge another inch.

Take time to go to such a map and look at the location. You can also see images by doing an image search. This will give you a better perspective of exactly what Luke is describing. Be sure that just because the words are from antiquity, it does not mean that they are either fables or somehow in error. We have a sure word that has proven the test of time.

Be confident that the word of God is reliable. Take it in daily and rejoice in the marvelous detail we have been given concerning real people and real events that have come together in the stream of history to be a part of the story of what God is doing in the process of the redemption of man.

Lord God, what a marvelous word You have given us. It is as reliable as any book written at any time in history, even more so, because it has been protected by Your hand throughout the ages. We don’t need to fret about whether the story of Jesus is true or not. No! Rather, we can be confident that our hope is sure, fixed, and immovable. Hooray for Jesus! Amen.