69 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
But when the fourteenth night was come,.... From their setting out from the Fair Havens in Crete, or from the beginning of the storm: as they were driven up and down in Adria: or "in the Adriatic sea", as the Syriac version renders it: the Adriatic sea is now called by the Turks the gulf of Venice, and the straits of Venice, and sometimes the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And sounded,.... Or let down their plummet, or sounding line; which was a line with a piece of lead at the end of it, which they let down into the water, and by that means found what depth it was, by which they could judge whether they were near land or not. The sounding line, with the ancients, was called by different names; sometimes bolis, and...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms. They found that the water was shallowing very quickly, so they knew that they were getting near the shore.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then fearing lest they should have fallen upon rocks,.... Or rough places, as shelves, rocks, or sands, as they might well fear, when the water shallowed so fast, from 20 to 15 fathoms: they cast four anchors out of the stern; or hinder part of the ship; the Ethiopic version calls it, "the head of the ship": and adds, "where the governor sat";...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day. Then they “wished for the day, “and how often the Christian throws his great anchor out, and wishes for the day, — waiting “till the day break”, and the shadows flee away.” Well, it will not be long. If night lasts through the whole...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship,.... To save their lives, concluding that it was in the utmost danger, and that it would quickly, notwithstanding the anchors cast out, break away, and fall upon the rocks, and split to pieces: when they had let down the boat into the sea; which before they had taken up into the ship, Acts...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out the foreship — These cowardly sailors meant to get away, and leave the prisoners and passengers and soldiers to perish.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Paul said to the centurion, and to the soldiers,.... He did not direct his speech to the governor and owner of the ship, who very likely, being sensible of the danger, were in the scheme with the mariners, and at the head of them; but to Julius the centurion, and the soldiers under him, who having no knowledge of maritime affairs, were not...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved. Yet God had said that they should be, so that it is quite consistent to believe in divine predestination and yet to see the utility, nay, the necessity, of the use of means: “Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.”
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat,.... With which it had been fastened to the sides of the ship, and by which the mariners were letting it down, in order to get into it, and go off: and let her fall off; from the sides of the ship into the sea, and so prevented the shipmen quitting the ship; for now they gave more credit to Paul than...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off. So that the sailors could not get away.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And while the day was coming on,.... Between midnight and break of day: Paul besought them all to take meat; to sit down and eat a meal together: saying, this day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried; or have been waiting for, or expecting; that is, as the Arabic version expresses it, a shipwreck; for fourteen days past, ever since the storm...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing. Wherefore I pray you to take some meat; for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you. What a grand speech this is! It is the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Wherefore I pray you to take some meat,.... To sit down composedly, and eat meat cheerfully and freely: for this is for your health; the Alexandrian copy reads, "for our health"; it was for the health of them all, that they might be better able to bear the shock and fatigue of the shipwreck, and be in better spirits, and in a better capacity to...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And when he had thus spoken he took bread,.... A piece of bread, of common bread, into his hands; for this could never be the eucharist, or Lord's supper, which the apostle now celebrated, as some have suggested, but such sort of bread that seafaring men commonly eat: mention is before made of "meat" or "food", which the apostle entreated them to...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat. He would not eat without giving thanks to God. There are some who do, even as the swine do; but the Christian finds it good at all times, before he eats, to bless the God that gave the food to him. It is a...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then were they all of good cheer,.... Encouraged by the apostle's words and example: and they all took some meat; and made a comfortable meal, which they had not done for fourteen days past.
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat. Courage is contagious, as well as timidity. The holy bravery of one good man may make many others brave.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And we were in all in the ship,.... Reckoning the master and owner of the ship, and the centurion and the soldiers, and the apostle and his company, with whatsoever passengers there might be: two hundred and threescore and sixteen souls; the Alexandrian copy reads, "two hundred seventy and five"; and the Ethiopic version, "two hundred and six"....
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls. And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea. And when it was day, they knew not the land: but they discovered a certain creek with a shore, into the which they were minded, if it were possible to thrust in the ship. They wanted...