1 And when our sailing to Italy was determined, they were delivering up both Paul and certain others, prisoners, to a centurion, by name Julius, of the band of Sebastus,
and I, having found him to have done nothing worthy of death, and he also himself having appealed to Sebastus, I decided to send him,
then Festus, having communed with the council, answered, `To Caesar thou hast appealed; to Caesar thou shalt go.'
and having found a certain Jew, by name Aquilas, of Pontus by birth, lately come from Italy, and Priscilla his wife -- because of Claudius having directed all the Jews to depart out of Rome -- he came to them,
but the centurion to the pilot and to the shipowner gave credence more than to the things spoken by Paul;
Salute all those leading you, and all the saints; salute you doth those from Italy:
Wherefore, also, I was hindered many times from coming unto you, and now, no longer having place in these parts, and having a longing to come unto you for many years, when I may go on to Spain I will come unto you, for I hope in going through, to see you, and by you to be set forward thither, if of you first, in part, I shall be filled. And, now, I go on to Jerusalem, ministering to the saints; for it pleased Macedonia and Achaia well to make a certain contribution for the poor of the saints who `are' in Jerusalem; for it pleased well, and their debtors they are, for if in their spiritual things the nations did participate, they ought also, in the fleshly things, to minister to them. This, then, having finished, and having sealed to them this fruit, I will return through you, to Spain; and I have known that coming unto you -- in the fulness of the blessing of the good news of Christ I shall come.
but the centurion, wishing to save Paul, hindered them from the counsel, and did command those able to swim, having cast themselves out first -- to get unto the land,
and there the centurion having found a ship of Alexandria, sailing to Italy, did put us into it,
and Paul having called near one of the centurions, said, `This young man lead unto the chief captain, for he hath something to tell him.'
And on the following night, the Lord having stood by him, said, `Take courage, Paul, for as thou didst fully testify the things concerning me at Jerusalem, so it behoveth thee also at Rome to testify.'
who, at once, having taken soldiers and centurions, ran down upon them, and they having seen the chief captain and the soldiers, did leave off beating Paul.
And when these things were fulfilled, Paul purposed in the Spirit, having gone through Macedonia and Achaia, to go on to Jerusalem, saying -- `After my being there, it behoveth me also to see Rome;'
And they said, `Cornelius, a centurion, a man righteous and fearing God, well testified to, also, by all the nation of the Jews, was divinely warned by a holy messenger to send for thee, to his house, and to hear sayings from thee.'
And the centurion having seen what was done, did glorify God, saying, `Really this man was righteous;'
And the centurion, and those with him watching Jesus, having seen the earthquake, and the things that were done, were exceedingly afraid, saying, `Truly this was God's Son.'
And Jesus having entered into Capernaum, there came to him a centurion calling upon him, and saying, `Sir, my young man hath been laid in the house a paralytic, fearfully afflicted,' and Jesus saith to him, `I, having come, will heal him.' And the centurion answering said, `Sir, I am not worthy that thou mayest enter under my roof, but only say a word, and my servant shall be healed; for I also am a man under authority, having under myself soldiers, and I say to this one, Go, and he goeth, and to another, Be coming, and he cometh, and to my servant, Do this, and he doth `it'.' And Jesus having heard, did wonder, and said to those following, `Verily I say to you, not even in Israel so great faith have I found;
Good for a man that he beareth a yoke in his youth.
Many `are' the purposes in a man's heart, And the counsel of Jehovah it standeth.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Acts 27
Commentary on Acts 27 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 27
This whole chapter is taken up with an account of Paul's voyage towards Rome, when he was sent thither a prisoner by Festus the governor, upon his appeal to Caesar.
Act 27:1-11
It does not appear how long it was after Paul's conference with Agrippa that he was sent away for Rome, pursuant to his appeal to Caesar; but it is likely they took the first convenience they could hear of to do it; in the mean time Paul is in the midst of his friends at Caesarea-they comforts to him, and he a blessing to them. But here we are told,
Act 27:12-20
In these verses we have,
Act 27:21-44
We have here the issue of the distress of Paul and his fellow-travellers; they escaped with their lives and that was all, and that was for Paul's sake. We are here told (v. 37) what number there were on board-mariners, merchants, soldiers, prisoners, and other passengers, in all two hundred and seventy-six souls; this is taken notice of to make us the more concerned for them in reading the story, that they were such a considerable number, whose lives were now in the utmost jeopardy, and one Paul among them worth more than all the rest. We left them in despair, giving up themselves for gone. Whether they called every man on his God, as Jonah's mariners did, we are not told; it is well if this laudable practice in a storm was not gone out of fashion and made a jest of. However, Paul among these seamen was not, like Jonah among his, the cause of the storm, but the comforter in the storm, and as much a credit to the profession of an apostle as Jonah was a blemish to the character of a prophet. Now here we have,