There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy, and he put us on board.
Parallel Translations
-
There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy, and he put us on board.
-
And there the vnder captayne founde a shippe of Alexander redy to sayle into Italy and put vs therin.
-
And there the Centurion found a ship of Alexandria, sayling into Italie, and put vs therein.
Cross-references (4)
Passages linked to Acts 27:6 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Acts 28:11 After three months, we set sail in a ship of Alexandria which had wintered in the island, whose sign was “The Twin Brothers.”
- Acts 6:9 But some of those who were of the synagogue called “The Libertines”, and of the Cyrenians, of the Alexandrians, and of those of Cilicia and Asia arose, disputing with Stephen.
- Acts 18:24 Now a certain Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by race, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus. He was mighty in the Scriptures.
- Acts 27:1 When it was determined that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners to a centurion named Julius, of the Augustan band.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (13 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
Saved on this device only — never synced or sent anywhere.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 6 And there the centurion found a ship of…
6 And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing into Italy; and he put us therein.
Ver. 6. Sailing into Italy] To show that they had a terrible tempestuous time of it all along, from Sidon to Malta. So have the saints of God here, for the most part, ab utero ad urnam, from the womb to the tomb, from the birth to the burial. This made Solomon prefer his coffin before his cradle, Ecc 7:1, yea, before his crown; as Queen Elizabeth also did; for indeed, this life is pestered with so many miseries and molestations, satanical and secular, that it were to be accounted little better than hell were it not for the hopes of heaven, that sweetest harbour and haven of happiness. (Bernard.)
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Alexandria; a famous port town in Egypt, formerly called…
Alexandria; a famous port town in Egypt, formerly called No, of which we read, Jer 46:25; unto this place the ship did belong, which was now in the road or haven of Myra, intending for Italy, whither they carried corn, and Persian and Indian commodities, from thence.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria,....…
And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria,.... Alexandria was the chief city in Egypt, built by Alexander the great, from whom it took its name; it was situated near the sea, and had a famous haven or port, which R. Benjamin (n) calls , "the port of Alexandria"; from hence ships were sent into several parts for trade and commerce, and one of these Julius found at Myra: the top sail was a distinguishing sign of a ship of Alexandria, for none might spread their top sails but ships of Alexandria (o); these were not obliged to strike sail when they came into a port: the Jewish writers make frequent mention of , "a ship of Alexandria" (p); by which they intend a ship of a large bulk, which had a cistern in it for fresh water for a long voyage; and by this they distinguish ships of bulk from those small ones, that were used about their coasts; a ship of Alexandria with them was a ship that went from the land of Israel to Alexandria; whereas here it seems to design one that belonged to Alexandria, and went from thence to other parts: and this ship was
sailing into Italy; and it was usual for ships to go from Alexandria to Puteoli in Italy, and from thence to Alexandria upon trade and business (q).
Read full note →
and he put us therein; the centurion removed Paul and his companions, and the rest of the prisoners, with whatsoever soldiers were under his care, out of the ship of Adramyttium, into the ship of Alexandria; that is, he ordered them to remove out of one into the other.
(n) Itinerar. p. 121. (o) Senec. Ep. 77. Alex. ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 4. c. 2. (p) T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 35. 1. & Erubin, fol. 14. 2. & Gloss. in ib. Misn. Ohalot, c. 8. sect. 1. & Celim, c. 15. sect. 1. & Maimon. & Bartenora in ib. (q) Senec. Ep. 77. Philo in Flaccum, p. 968, 969.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 6. A ship of Alexandria] It appears, from…
Verse 6. A ship of Alexandria] It appears, from Ac 27:38, that this ship was laden with wheat, which she was carrying from Alexandria to Rome. We know that the Romans imported much corn from Egypt, together with different articles of Persian and Indian merchandise.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain A ship of Alexandria - A ship belonging to…
A ship of Alexandria - A ship belonging to Alexandria. Alexandria was in Egypt, and was founded by Alexander the Great. It appears from Act 27:38 that the ship was laden with wheat. It is well known that great quantities of wheat were imported from Egypt to Rome, and it appears that this was one of the large ships which were employed for that purpose. Why the ship was on the coast of Asia Minor is not known But it is probable that it had been driven out of its way by adverse winds or tempests.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain there . . . found a ship of Alexandria,…
there . . . found a ship of Alexandria, sailing into Italy, and he put us therein--(See on Act 27:2). As Egypt was the granary of Italy, and this vessel was laden with wheat (Act 27:35), we need not wonder it was large enough to carry two hundred seventy-six souls, passengers and crew together (Act 27:37). Besides, the Egyptian merchantmen, among the largest in the Mediterranean, were equal to the largest merchantmen in our day. It may seem strange that on their passage from Alexandria to Italy they should be found at a Lycian port. But even still it is not unusual to stand to the north towards Asia Minor, for the sake of the current.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 2. From Myra to Fair Havens, Act_27:6-12.
2. From Myra to Fair Havens, Act_27:6-12.
6. A ship of Alexandria—Egypt, with her fertile Nile-valley, was at this time the wheat field of Rome. During the navigable months her ships laden with merchandises in multitudes plied their merry way to the great metropolis. Their shortest route was along the coast of Africa until they neared the Syrtes, and then a northwest line. But when the autumnal west winds begin to grow powerful, they take the Syrian coast and avail themselves of the powerful western current along the shores of Asia Minor. Dr. Hackett has shown with great clearness that the season of Paul’s arrival at Myra would be the very height of the wheat trade from Egypt, when vessels from Alexandria would be surest found.
Read full note →
Into Italy— The direct route would have been past Rhodes, westward along south of Peloponnesus, through the straits of Messina to Puteoli.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 6. a ship of Alexandria] They found a means…
6. a ship of Alexandria] They found a means of transport into Italy sooner perhaps than they had expected. It may be that the same strong contrary winds from the west which had altered already the course of their voyage from Sidon, had carried this vessel across the Mediterranean to the Asiatic coast. Myra was certainly out of the way for persons sailing from N. Africa to Italy.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (6) A ship of Alexandria sailing into Italy.—A glance…
(6) A ship of Alexandria sailing into Italy.—A glance at the map will show that the ship, which was probably one of those engaged in the corn-trade between Egypt and Rome, must have been driven out of its course. This may have been owing to the prevalence of the westerly winds already noticed. The Alexandrian traders, however, as a rule, avoided taking the course along the coast of Africa, through fear of the quicksands of the great Syrtis, and took that between Crete and the Peloponnesus. The presence of this merchantship led to a change of plan. It seemed an easier and more expeditious route to go straight to Rome, instead of landing at Mysia, and then taking another ship to Macedonia in order to journey by land to the coast of the Adriatic. A local inscription describes Myra as a “horrea,” or store-house of corn (Lewin’s St. Paul, ii. p. 187), and the Alexandrian ship may therefore have gone thither to discharge part of its cargo. It has been assumed, but on insufficient grounds, that Aristarchus here parted from St. Paul, and went on in the Adramyttium ship.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain For, for into, A.V.. He put us therein; ejnebibasen,…
For, for into, A.V.. He put us therein; ejnebibasen, only here in the New Testament, and once in the LXX. (Pro_4:11) It is a nautical term for embarking men on board ship (Thucydides, Xenophon, Lucian, etc.), and is also used by medical writers for "placing patients in a bath." The corn-vessel (naris frumentaria) from Alexandria to Italy may very probably have been driven out of its direct course by the same contrary winds which forced St. Paul to sail under Cyprus (see Howson, vol. it. p. 325, note 5), or commercial objects may have brought it to Lycia, to carry Asiatic merchandize to Rome, in addition to its cargo of Egyptian wheat possibly "timber from the woody mountains of Lycia" (Lewin, vol. it. p. 188, note).
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain 6–8. Found a ship of Alexandria. The object was…
6–8. Found a ship of Alexandria. The object was to meet a vessel on a voyage to Italy. Here was found such a ship, one of the great grain ships that sailed from Egypt. These were often large, of from 500 to 1,000 tons burden.
Sailed slowly. On account of contrary winds. From Myra to Cnidus was only 137 miles, yet it required “many days.” The language seems to imply that the ship was not able to come into the port of Cnidus, a good harbor, fit for wintering, on the Carian coast. We sailed under Crete. From Cnidus, they ought to have sailed west, but the headwinds compelled them to direct their course to the south, where they took shelter under the lee of Crete. The winds were still evidently from the northwest.
Read full note →
With difficulty they reached a place called Fair Havens. On the south coast of Crete. It retains the same name to this day. It is a roadstead, near the city of Lasea. It was supposed that all trace of this city was lost until recently, but it is now known that the natives apply this name to the ruins of an ancient town about five miles from Fair Havens.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
William B. Godbey 1900 · Public Domain 6, 7. At that time Alexandria, Egypt, was one…
6, 7. At that time Alexandria, Egypt, was one of the greatest mercantile cities in the world; at the mouth of the Nile valley, the most productive country on the globe, it becomes the emporium whence vast quantities of wheat are shipped to Rome. Hence Egypt was pronounced the granary of Rome. So here Julius, finding an Alexandrian corn-ship bound for Rome, embarks with all of his prisoners. Cnidus is a peninsula at the entrance of the Aegean Sea between the islands of Cos and Rhodes, around which the ship is awfully impeded in her passage because of contrary winds. After many days of slow and toilsome progress they have succeeded in reaching the island of Crete opposite the city of Salmone, endeavoring to sail round on the north side of it, using it as a protection from the winds.
William B. Godbey, Commentary on the New Testament (1896–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. W. McGarvey 1914 · Public Domain See notes on verse 5
See notes on verse 5
J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.