The Bible Says
Acts 27:1-8 Meaning

In Acts 27:1-8, Paul’s voyage to Rome begins. Luke, the author of Acts, goes with him. The weather slows down all progress, growing increasingly hostile and dangerous.

After two years of imprisonment in Caesarea, Judea, the Apostle Paul is on his way to Rome, Italy. On two occasions, before two different Roman governors, the Jewish authorities tried to prosecute Paul and have him extradited to Jerusalem, where they could end his life. But Paul had received a vision from Jesus, telling him he would be His witness in Rome (Acts 23:11). At his second trial, Paul appealed to the governor to be judged by the emperor Caesar, which was Paul’s right as a Roman citizen.

At last, transportation has been secured for this journey to Rome.

Paul will never return to Israel, as far as the historical record shows. This is his last time to look upon her shores. His destiny lies in the west, in Europe, where he will continue to preach the gospel despite his imprisonment, and eventually be martyred for his faith.

Paul’s jailor, the governor Festus, has finally arranged for him to depart from Caesarea. Luke, the author of Acts, writes in the first person, identifying himself as a fellow passenger on this voyage:

When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, they proceeded to deliver Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan cohort named Julius (v. 1).

Luke uses we to indicate his personal eyewitness testimony elsewhere in Acts. On Paul’s second missionary journey, Luke also wrote in the first person, traveling with Paul from Troas, Asia Minor, across the Aegean Sea to Philippi, Macedonia (Acts 16:11-12).

Luke reappeared, writing in the first person, at the end of Paul’s third missionary journey, when he accompanied Paul from Philippi all the way to Jerusalem (Acts 20:6, 21:17). After Paul was arrested and transported from Jerusalem to Caesarea, the then-governor Felix allowed friends to visit him (Acts 24:23). Luke may have been among the friends who visited Paul in prison in Caesarea. Two years passed, by which point Luke was certainly with Paul and went aboard the ships which carried him to Rome.

The Romans decided to begin Paul’s journey to Italy when a ship became available, putting him in a grouping with some other prisoners. The Mediterranean Sea was the fastest way to navigate the ancient world under Roman rule, bordered by Europe, Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), the Middle East, Egypt, and the northern coast of Africa.

There are other prisoners sent on this journey, but the ship itself is probably not a prisoner transport. It was probably a merchant ship. The Mediterranean Sea was abundant with merchant ships full of cargo to sell and buy across the empire. To commission a ship just for prisoner transport may have been a waste of resources. Nor will this be the only ship on which Paul will make his passage. This group from Caesarea—Paul, his friends, the other prisoners, and their Roman escort—will board another ship after making port in Lycia in Acts 27:5.

Luke writes that they proceeded to deliver Paul to a centurion. The they he references are probably Governor Festus and his soldiers. The centurion (a Roman military captain) is named Julius. He belonged to the Augustan cohort, a prestigious military battalion named after the revered Caesar Augustus, who was emperor when Jesus was born, some sixty years before the events of Acts 27. This centurion, Julius, is likely named after the famous Julius Caesar, Augustus’ predecessor. The centurion in charge of Paul—Julius—seems to be a devout, patriotic Roman through and through, but he will prove to treat Paul with respect, will protect his life to fulfill his duty, and will ultimately listen to Paul’s advice during crisis.

Because Luke is with Paul in person for this sea voyage, the details in this chapter are plentiful. He makes note of the make of the ship they board in Caesarea and its itinerary, as well as another believer who accompanied Paul:

And embarking in an Adramyttian ship, which was about to sail to the regions along the coast of Asia, we put out to sea accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica (v. 2).

The ship in Caesarea upon which they were embarking was an Adramyttian ship, meaning it was built or commissioned from Adramyttium, a port city in a gulf on the western seaboard of the Roman province of Asia (western modern-day Turkey). This ship was about to sail to the regions along the coast of Asia (v. 2), which makes sense based on its city of origin, to where it was probably returning, and would take them much of the distance to Rome.

The regions along the coast of Asia meant that the ship was going to trace along the Asian coast, making port in or near many places where Paul had preached the gospel. So, at last, Paul put out to sea to leave the shores of Israel forever, and head toward God’s ordained destination of Rome. He was accompanied not only by Luke, but also by Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica (v. 2). 

Aristarchus the Macedonian of Thessalonica has been mentioned before in Acts several times, and appears in some of Paul’s letters. He was a faithful friend and co-minister of Paul’s. Years before the events of Acts 27, he was briefly taken hostage by the rioting Ephesians in the theater of Ephesus (Acts 19:29). Despite this life-threatening moment, Aristarchus continued to live out his faith obediently to God. As someone from Thessalonica, he was well acquainted with persecution from enemies of the gospel (Acts 17:4-8, 1 Thessalonians 2:14).

Aristarchus the Macedonian was among the group of Gentile believers (Acts 20:4) who accompanied Paul back to Jerusalem before Paul’s “bonds and afflictions” when he was attacked and arrested (Acts 20:23, 21:32-33). Two years later, Aristarchus has continued to stick with Paul. Aristarchus is also named in two letters which Paul wrote during his house arrest in Rome. Paul describes Aristarchus as his “fellow prisoner,” and Aristarchus sends his greetings to the audiences of both letters (Philemon 1:24, Colossians 4:10).

The ship traces the Israeli coast northward, then harbors in a Phoenician city: The next day we put in at Sidon; and Julius treated Paul with consideration and allowed him to go to his friends and receive care (v. 3).

It was the next day when the ship put in at Sidon, an ancient Canaanite/Phoenician city which stands to this day (in modern-day Lebanon). The word Sidon first appears in the Bible as the name of Canaan’s first son (Genesis 10:15). The city was given by God as an inheritance as a part of the Promised Land to the tribe of Asher, which failed to conquer the Sidonians and receive the inheritance (Judges 1:31). Queen Jezebel was a princess of Sidon (1 Kings 16:31).

Decades earlier, churches were founded in Phoenicia during the persecution against believers after Stephen was stoned to death and the believers fled Jerusalem (Acts 11:19). On his previous journey back to Jerusalem, before he was arrested, Paul visited with believers in the city of Tyre, which is around 20 miles south of Sidon (Acts 21:3). He stayed with the Tyrians for a week, and they went with him to the shore and prayed over him before he continued his way to Jerusalem. Here, Paul is given the opportunity to go to his friends in Sidon, implying that a church was planted there as well at some point and was populated by believers who knew and loved Paul.

Julius, the centurion who is in charge of transporting Paul and the other prisoners to Rome, treated Paul with consideration (Greek, “philanthrōpōs,” “kindly” or “courteously”). Julius may have known Paul during part or all of his imprisonment in Caesarea, where Paul was afforded some freedoms and was allowed to be visited by his friends. Julius, trusting Paul, allowed him to go to his friends and receive care. The word for care is “epimeleia” which has the connotation of hospitality. The friends whom Paul was visiting were probably believers in the local Sidonian church. Paul was permitted to visit them, to perhaps have dinner with them and spend much of the layover in Sidon with them. He was most likely accompanied by some of the Roman guards.

Paul’s friends probably prayed over him and encouraged him, and vice versa, in this brief but precious opportunity to say goodbye.

When the ship was ready to continue the voyage, Paul, Luke, and Aristarchus boarded again:

From there we put out to sea and sailed under the shelter of Cyprus because the winds were contrary (v. 4).

After the stop in Sidon, the ship put out to sea and sailed northwest into the open waters of the Mediterranean, then continued north to sail under the shelter of the island nation of Cyprus where Paul preached the gospel during his first missionary journey (Acts 13:4). The best course of action was to sail under the shelter of Cyprus because the winds were contrary. Cyprus’s landmass served as a windbreak, allowing for progress not easily made sailing on the open sea where the winds blew fiercely against westbound vessels. It appears that the ship sailed along Cyprus’ eastern shore, continuing north and cutting across a brief spot of open sea to then sail along the shores of Cilicia and Pamphylia:

When we had sailed through the sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia (v. 5).

All three of these locations (Cilicia, Pamphylia, Lycia) are a part of modern-day Turkey. Cilicia is where Paul was born, in the city of Tarsus. He spent many years in Tarsus after becoming a believer in Jesus Christ, before he was summoned to Syrian Antioch to teach at the church there (Acts 9:30, 11:25). Paul had passed through Cilicia on foot on his second missionary journey and visited local churches to share the letter written by the elders in Jerusalem (Acts 15:23, 41).

The ship sailed west along the coast of Cilicia, apparently because this was still the safest and best way to make progress in spite of the contrary winds blowing on the Mediterranean. Passing Cilicia’s shores, they then moved along the coast of Pamphylia, which is where, on Paul’s first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas went after their time in Cyprus, and where John Mark abandoned the missionary team (Acts 13:13). Paul likely thought and prayed over the many churches he had helped plant in Cilicia and in Galatia, which lay further north inland from Pamphylia, as the ship sailed along these coasts.

Luke writes that they landed at Myra in Lycia. Lycia was west of Pamphylia, though both Lycia and Pamphylia were considered one province (Lycia et Pamphylia) together under Roman rule. Of church-historical note, St. Nicholas would serve as the bishop of Myra about two hundred and sixty years after Paul’s ship made port there.

In Myra, it was time to change ships. The ship they had boarded in Caesarea may have been destined for Adramyttium, which would mean it would continue sailing along the coast of modern-day Turkey, turning north into the Aegean Sea, no longer sailing in the direction of Rome.

There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy, and he put us aboard it (v. 6).

Julius the centurion found a boat which would give passage to him, his battalion, his prisoners, and Luke and Aristarchus. This was an Alexandrian ship, a ship which had originated in Alexandria, Egypt.  But its destination was Italy, so, Luke writes, Julius put us aboard it. Alexandria was a major harbor used for exporting wheat grown in Egypt to Rome (Acts 27:38). This would be the last voyage of this Alexandrian ship, nor would it reach Italy.

Disembarking from Myra, the first part of the journey was not easy. It would only get worse:

When we had sailed slowly for a good many days, and with difficulty had arrived off Cnidus, since the wind did not permit us to go farther, we sailed under the shelter of Crete, off Salmone (v. 7).

The winds of the Mediterranean Sea continued to prove hostile to the western progress of Paul and company. Luke writes that they sailed slowly for a good many days, and with difficulty had arrived off Cnidus. Cnidus was a city on the coast of the Roman province of Asia (western modern-day Turkey). There are about 140 miles between Myra and Cnidus, and under good weather conditions it would have taken only a day or so to reach by boat. But because the winds were so contrary, pushing against the boat rather than carrying it forward, they moved slowly and it took a good many days simply to reach Cnidus.

The wind did not permit them to go farther west. Cnidus was built on a peninsula, and venturing any further west would bring them into the open waters of the Aegean Sea, with no coasts to shield them from the wind. Having arrived off Cnidus, the captain of the ship decided to turn south toward the island of Crete. This way they would be able to trace along the shelter of Crete’s southern coast and would not be sailing directly against the hostile headwinds which were severely hindering their progress. Luke notes that they passed Salmone, a city on the northeastern tip of Crete.

But Crete is a narrow island, and the shelter it provided as they sailed off Salmone did not prove to be effective as they began to move along its long southern shore:

and with difficulty sailing past it we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea (v. 8).

Luke continues to emphasize the difficulty with which they were sailing. It was difficult even to sail past or along Crete’s shores. They experienced difficulty sailing past the city of Salmone on Crete’s northeastern corner, and continued to crawl along the southern Cretan shore until they came to a place called Fair Havens, an ironic name given their present and future difficulties. Luke notes that Fair Havens was near to the city of Lasea, only a mile and a half away, roughly in the center of Crete’s southern shore.

In Fair Havens, the leaders of this voyage will confer. Winter is approaching. Though only a prisoner, Paul will try to influence the leaders to shelter in place and wait out the winter in Fair Havens/Lasea. The captain of the ship and the centurion will not listen to his advice, determining to press onto a Cretan city further west. But the journey will turn from difficult to disastrous.