Acts 27:9-44 - Corps Notes - January 18, 1977
Acts 27:9-44 January 18, 1977 There are over 50 nautical words or terms in the 27th chapter of Acts. I would just like to sometime get all those nautical terms down and give you a piece of paper with all 52 or 53 terms on it. I think we closed with verse 8 the last time, so tonight we go with verse 9. Acts 27:9 “now” - already “the fast” - the fast was the atonement. It was the day of Atonement and the Day of Atonement was always the 10th day of the 7th month. The reason this is recorded here is because they registered their days by the fast - like we say January 1st. According to history, the middle of September to November is a really dangerous period to travel by ship in this area. This fast perhaps occurred, according to the best of my reckoning, about October the 5th. Acts 27:10 “sirs” – men “perceive” - see “voyage” – sailing “damage” – loss “lading” – cargo “also of our lives” – of our lives also Acts 27:11 “nevertheless” - but “master” – captain “by” - of Acts 27:12 “commodious” - ideal “depart” - launch “south west and north west” - depends on where you are standing and how you’re looking; whether you’re on shore looking out or whether you’re in a boat looking in. Phenice was about 40 miles from Fair Heavens northwest. It was on the south shore of Crete and really at best it only should have taken them a few hours to get there. Acts 27:13 “loosing thence” - loosing anchors “close by Crete” – nearby, or; as close into Crete as possible Acts 27:14 “tempestuous”- tuphōnikos – it was a wind that had the force of a typhoon. That period when the wind blew softly must have just been the quiet before the storm. Maybe they were right in the eye of the typhoon; it was really quiet. “Euroclydon” - it was a north by northeast wind of tremendous force Acts 27:15 “could not bear up into” – could not face into “we let her drive” – they just turned her loose; they couldn’t hold it Acts 27:16 “under” - under the lee of - they ran right under the lee of it, the cover of it.
From this work
easier instead of tying it on the bow of the ship. “wished” - prayed. You and I know they’re going to land on Melita. This happens to be 476 miles from where they 442 started out. It’s 476 miles from Clauda to Melita and those boys, for except the first 23, were in nothing but a typhoon; for fourteen days. That’s quite a ship ride. That’s quite a ride any which way you go. No wonder some of those fellows were praying. Acts 27:30 “shipmen” - seamen Paul had told them, “there shall be no loss of a life among you but of the ship.” Yet, now these seamen are getting ready to skip out and they let down that boat; that little boat that they always trailed behind the ship. They always took it up when they sailed except here in this record in Acts, where it was so rough. When they left this city and they only had 40 miles to go, they never picked the boat up, because it was just a short distance