and a few other prisoners into the custody of Julius, a Captain of the Augustan battalion;
Act 27:2 and going on board a ship of Adramyttium which was about to sail to the ports of the province of Asia, we put to sea; Aristarchus, the Macedonian, from Thessalonica, forming one of our party.
Act 27:3 The next day we put in at Sidon. There Julius treated Paul with thoughtful kindness and allowed him to visit his friends and profit by their generous care.
Act 27:4 Putting to sea again, we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us;
Act 27:5 and, sailing the whole length of the sea that lies off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we reached Myra in Lycia.
Act 27:6 There Julius found an Alexandrian ship bound for Italy, and put us on board of her.
Notes: v.1. Because of the "we"mentioned in v.1 we assume that Luke was there accompanying Paul of this Journey to Rome. They also had Aristarchus, the Macedonian, from Thessalonica, forming one of our party.
Barnes : Aristarchus "He went with him to Rome, and was a fellow-prisoner with him there Col_4:10, and is mentioned Phm_1:24 as Paul’s fellow-laborer. It was doubtless a great comfort to Paul to have with him two such valuable friends as Luke and Aristarchus; and it was an instance of great affection for him that they were not ashamed of his bonds, but were willing to share his dangers, and to expose themselves to peril for the sake of accompanying him to Rome.
prisoners into the custody of Julius, a Captain of the Augustan battalion;
A centurion - A commander of 100 men.
Of Augustus’ band - For the meaning of the word “band,” see the Mat_27:27 note; Act_10:1 note. It was a division in the Roman army consisting of from 400 to 600 men. This was called “Augustus’ band” in honor of the Roman emperor Augustus (see the notes on Act_25:21), and was probably distinguished in some way for the care in enlisting or selecting them.
Act 27:3 The next day we put in at Sidon. There Julius treated Paul with thoughtful kindness and allowed him to visit his friends and profit by their generous care.
Julius courteously entreated Paul - At the conclusion of the preceding chapter, it has been intimated that the kind treatment which Paul received, both from Julius and at Rome, was owing to the impression made on the minds of Agrippa and Festus, relative to his innocence. It appears that Julius permitted him to go ashore, and visit the Christians which were then at Sidon, without using any extraordinary precautions to prevent his escape. He was probably accompanied with the soldier to whose arm he was chained; and it is reasonable to conclude that this soldier would fare well on St. Paul’s account.
Act 27:6 There Julius found an Alexandrian ship bound for Italy, and put us on board of her.
A ship of Alexandria - It appears, from Act_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. A.C. This ship was large carrying 276 souls.
Act 27:7 It took several days of slow sailing for us to come with difficulty off Cnidus; from which point, as the wind did not allow us to get on in the direct course, we ran under the lee of Crete by Salmone.
Act 27:8 Then, coasting along with difficulty, we reasched a place called 'Fair Havens,' near the town of Lasea.
Act 27:9 Our voyage thus far had occupied a considerable time, and the navigation being now unsafe and the Fast also already over, Paul warned them.
Act 27:10 "Sirs," he said, "I perceive that before long the voyage will be attended with danger and heavy loss, not only to the cargo and the ship but to our own lives also."
Act 27:11 But Julius let himself be persuaded by the pilot and by the owner rather than by Paul's arguments;
Act 27:12 and as the harbour was inconvenient for wintering in, the majority were in favour of putting out to sea, to try whether they could get to Phoenix--a harbour on the coast of Crete facing north-east and south-east--to winter there.
When much time was spent. How long a time had passed since the embarkation cannot be told, but so long that sailing was now dangerous. On account of the season of year. In the winter, not only the storms, but the clouds and darkness, interfered with navigation. Mariners, in the absence of the compass, needed the sun and stars to direct their course.
Because the fast was . . . past. That of the Atonement, which came in October.
Sirs, I perceive. Paul's experience taught him the danger of proceeding. It was the stormy and tempestuous season. He therefore volunteered his advice.
Centurion gave more heed. The master, or captain, and the owner, were both aboard, and it was but natural that their wishes would prevail with the centurion. The chief argument for proceeding was that Fair Havens was not a good harbor, and they hoped to reach a better one.
Phenice. This place, Phoenix in the Revision, was never reached, but would have been a good place for wintering, for the excellent harbor there remains to this day.
When the south wind blew. When this wind arose, they supposed they could attain their purpose, and sailed along the southern shore of Crete to reach, if possible, Phoenix.
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| Old Phoenix S. Crete |
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