The Bible Says
Acts 27:39-44 Meaning

In Acts 27:39-44, Paul and his fellow passengers on the doomed ship finally escape the sea and set foot on land, where they are safe, just as God promised.

After weeks in a storm on the Mediterranean Sea, land has been sighted in the middle of the night. Paul encouraged all aboard to eat up, because their chance to escape was coming soon. The crew was cheered up, then dumped the rest of their cargo overboard to help the ship along.

At last, the sun rises:

When day came, they could not recognize the land; but they did observe a bay with a beach, and they resolved to drive the ship onto it if they could (v. 39).

The winds have not stopped, though perhaps they are less severe at this moment, but the storm has died down enough for the sailors to be able to see again. During the two-week storm, there were many days when they could not see the sun or stars (Acts 27:20). Now they can see the sun and the approaching island When day came, when the sun rose at dawn.

But they could not recognize the land; these sailors who presumably have navigated the Mediterranean Sea more than once, have no idea where they are. They have been blown so far off course that they’re approaching a land they have never seen before. They are able to make out the lay of the land, however: but they did observe a bay with a beach.

A bay is somewhat like a lake between a landmass and the open sea, where two corners of the land stick out far enough to create a border on either side of the bay. It is distinct from the open sea because of the half-circle of land wrapping around it on two sides, and its waters are typically calmer and shallower. The bay also had a beach, a shore of sand or soil, as opposed to cliffs or sheer rock.

There is some hope left to preserve the ship, probably not with the idea that the ship can be sailed again (they had just thrown away the last of the cargo and would soon throw away their anchors); the ship is probably too damaged beyond repair by the violent two-week storm. But the closer they can get to the land via the ship, even going all the way onto the beach, would be ideal, if possible, if they could. So they resolved to drive the ship as far as she would go, even to the beach itself.

The sailors make preparations for this landing:

And casting off the anchors, they left them in the sea while at the same time they were loosening the ropes of the rudders; and hoisting the foresail to the wind, they were heading for the beach (v. 40).

First, they began casting off the anchors, meaning they cut them loose and left them in the sea. This was another measure to lighten the ship so that it would speed up and reach the shore, rather than fall back into the open sea. They were at the same time also loosening the ropes of the rudders, which dropped the rudders into the water so that they could use them to steer. The rudders may have been lifted out of the ocean during the storm since they were no match against the violent wind and could be torn apart by the chaotic waves. The sailors also became busy hoisting the foresail to the wind. The foresail was a low-set sail, but large, helpful for steering. With these preparations made, they were heading for the beach. The sailors had done what they could to help in their own survival. For a moment, the ship was heading in the right direction, and seemed like it may carry them all the way.

But the ship would not make it to the beach:

But striking a reef where two seas met, they ran the vessel aground; and the prow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern began to be broken up by the force of the waves (v. 41).

The ship became stuck where the bay began and the open ocean ended. Luke (the author of Acts) records it in this way: the ship became stuck by striking a reef where the seas met, meaning the ship hit hard against an unseen line of rock beneath the surface where the outer foundation of the island began. By striking this reef, the ship can go no further. Luke writes that they ran the vessel aground.

They are aground insofar that the ship is stuck on a ground beneath the water, but they are on the other side of the bay and not yet to the shore. The prow, which is the front part of the ship, stuck fast on the reef and remained immovable. The sailors probably attempted to free the ship or steer it, but it soon became evident that the ship had gone as far as it could. It could not be moved.

Now stuck fast, the ship is victim to the violence of the stormy sea. Since it cannot move along in submission to the power of the water and wind, it is now pushing back at the force of the waves. All that can happen now is for the ship to be beaten to pieces. The stern, the back portion of the ship, began to be broken up by the stormy waves. There is now a sense of urgency to get off the ship before it falls apart and takes everyone down into the water.

The Roman soldiers panic:

The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim away and escape (v. 42).

In the ancient world, soldiers could be put to death if they allowed prisoners to escape (Acts 12:19), so these soldiers were likely only thinking of themselves now, fearing the prisoners might swim ashore and run away, and escape their captors. It became apparent that the soldiers’ plan to prevent this was to simply kill the prisoners, so that none of them could slip away. They may have drawn their swords and approached the prisoners with observable murderous intent.

Julius the centurion did not give them this command. They were acting out of their own desperation:

but the centurion, wanting to bring Paul safely through, kept them from their intention, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land (v. 43).

The centurion was committed to bring Paul safely through to Rome. He and his soldiers had listened to Paul’s warning the night before that if some of the sailors successfully escaped on the ship’s spare boat, then the Romans would die too. At Paul’s word, the centurion and his men cut loose the boat so no one could use it (Acts 27:31-32). Julius clearly trusted Paul’s claims, though they were of a spiritual, prophetic nature, believing that Paul’s message from God was true (Acts 27:22-26), and that they would all be delivered if everyone on board the ship stuck together. To kill the prisoners would violate that and lead to their own deaths. It was equally true that killing the prisoners was unnecessary and in breach of Julius’s authority. He had not commanded them to execute anyone. They were out of line.

So he kept his soldiers from their intention, ordering them to leave the prisoners alone. He then made a decision to ensure that the soldiers’ fears would not come true—where some of the prisoners might swim away and escape. Julius commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land. This command must have been directed at his soldiers, who were under his authority. This way, those of the soldiers who could swim would be first on the beach and could receive the prisoners into their custody again, once the prisoners also swam to land:

and the rest should follow, some on planks, and others on various things from the ship. And so it happened that they all were brought safely to land (v. 44).

Luke writes and so it happened. The soldiers capable of swimming went first, creating a reception party on the beach. The rest of the passengers, sailors and prisoners all, fashioned life preservers out of planks of wood from the deteriorating ship and from various things from the ship—other materials which could float, such as more wood from crates and barrels and the like. In this way, all were brought safely to land on the beach at the end of the bay, swimming and paddling among the debris. As Paul had assured them, by God’s promise, all 276 souls who were on that ship reached the safety of the island, saved from the storm and the sea.

Paul’s sea voyage, while a real event, is also rife with symbols and spiritual truths found throughout the Bible. The sea is often used in prophetic visions and poetic language to represent the world, its chaos, the chaos of humanity, the chaos of sin, the chaos of rebellion against God (Genesis 1:2, Psalm 74:13-14, Isaiah 27:1, Daniel 7:2-3). The sailors who piloted Paul’s ship thought they could master the sea and navigate it successfully, but the sea and its storms were untamable. The stormy weather drove their ship wherever it wanted.

When we go our own way, thinking we can overcome evil, temptation, or live in this world on our own terms, we are reminded that there is effectively nothing in our control and that the world and sin will treat us as storm-tossed ship, seeking to bring us down into the depths (Proverbs 5:22-23, Genesis 4:7, 1 John 2:15-17).

But in this storm, God made a promise to Paul that he would survive. God would deliver Paul; Paul would live through God’s mercy (Psalm 86:13, Titus 3:5). One of the few things we can control is who we trust, and Paul trusted God.

By extension, everyone with Paul was promised survival (Acts 27:24). God did not have to save the others on that boat; God does not have to save anyone; but because of His rich mercy, He chose to save not only Paul but the Roman soldiers and pagan sailors. This is a picture seen elsewhere in scripture—the faith and obedience of one righteous man causing a ripple of blessings to those around him (Job 42:7-9, Hebrews 11:7, Genesis 19:29, 39:5, Exodus 32:9-14, Romans 5:18-19). Faithfully obeying God can have a domino effect; it can multiply and spread blessing to those around us. The use of the metaphor of “salt” to describe the mission of believers also indicates that the faithful witness of believers has a preserving effect on their communities (Matthew 5:13).

Paul treats everyone on board with respect, even when they ignore his good advice (Acts 27:9-10). These men are not his friends; they are his jailors. Yet he encourages his fellow passengers, he directs them to act to their own blessing and benefit, and he intervenes and speaks the truth to prevent harm (Acts 27:22, 34-36).

Paul had been a prisoner for years at this point, and was patiently and faithfully obeying God’s will that he should be taken to Rome. Paul trusted that he would be brought safely to his destination because God promised it would happen. When Paul told the Roman soldiers to stop the sailors from abandoning the ship, they listened, taking action based on their faith that Paul was right (Acts 27:30-32). They believed Paul’s word that God would not deliver them if they disobeyed God’s design, which was for everyone to stay together on the ship, in harmony, rather than break apart and venture into the disharmony of the sea.

God’s design and will brings all things into harmony. Only by faithfully obeying Him can we live correctly in step with His good design (1 Peter 3:8-12). When things are apart from God’s design, disharmony, chaos, and turmoil ensue, like the waves of a stormy sea, ultimately leading to death for those who drift away (Hebrews 2:1, Isaiah 57:20-21).

But by following Paul’s words, which were from God, in faith and obedience, and harmony with one another, every man aboard that doomed ship on that hateful sea was delivered to life.

In writing this detailed explanation of Paul’s experience on this ill-fated journey, we get a front row seat due to Luke having been a passenger and experiencing it firsthand. The thorough account furthers Luke’s aim to write a detailed, factual, and chronological account that proves Paul’s apostolic authority. We saw earlier that Luke recorded numerous acts of the Apostle Peter, then demonstrated that all Peter did was also done by Paul. We saw Paul’s calling on the road to Damascus, where Paul met Jesus and was directly commissioned by Him.

Jesus asserted to Ananias that Paul was a “chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel” (Acts 9:15). Paul left from Caesarea, in Judea, where he was a witness before numerous Roman rulers. We see now in this supernatural deliverance from the storm, in the presence of many witnesses, that God preserved Paul that he might be a witness before the greatest ruler of that time, Caesar.

In the following and final chapter of Acts, Luke will record their time on the island, which turns out to be Malta, where God will continue to protect Paul and display His power through him, before the last leg of the journey to Rome where Paul will stand before Caesar.