Acts 27:10

And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(10) Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt.—The tone is clearly that of a man who speaks more from the foresight gained by observation than from a direct supernatural prediction. St. Paul had had, it will be remembered, the experience of three shipwrecks (2Corinthians 11:25), and the Epistle to Titus, though probably written later, shows an acquaintance with Crete which suggests that he may have had some knowledge even of the very harbour in which they had found refuge. His advice accordingly was to remain where they were, in comparative safety, in spite of the drawbacks referred to in Acts 27:12. The word for “hurt,” which properly means “outrage,” is used here in the sense of a violent calamity.

Not only of the lading.—The cargo probably consisted chiefly of corn coming from Alexandria to Rome. (Comp. Notes on Acts 27:18; Acts 27:38.)

But also of our lives.—No lives were actually lost (Acts 27:44), but the Apostle speaks now, as above, from the stand-point of reasonable opinion. When his counsel was rejected he gave himself to prayer, and to that prayer (Acts 27:24) he attributes the preservation of his companions not less than his own.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

27:1-11 It was determined by the counsel of God, before it was determined by the counsel of Festus, that Paul should go to Rome; for God had work for him to do there. The course they steered, and the places they touched at, are here set down. And God here encourages those who suffer for him, to trust in him; for he can put it into the hearts of those to befriend them, from whom they least expect it. Sailors must make the best of the wind: and so must we all in our passage over the ocean of this world. When the winds are contrary, yet we must be getting forward as well as we can. Many who are not driven backward by cross providences, do not get forward by favourable providences. And many real Christians complain as to the concerns of their souls, that they have much ado to keep their ground. Every fair haven is not a safe haven. Many show respect to good ministers, who will not take their advice. But the event will convince sinners of the vanity of their hopes, and the folly of their conduct.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Sirs - Greek: Men.

I perceive - It is not certain that Paul understood this by direct inspiration. He might have perceived it from his own knowledge of the danger of navigation at the autumnal equinox, and from what he saw of the ship as unsuited to a dangerous navigation. But there is nothing that should prevent our believing also that he was guided to this conclusion by the inspiration of the Spirit of God. Compare Acts 27:23-24.

Will be with hurt - With injury or hazard. It is not meant that their lives would be lost, but that they would be jeoparded.

The lading - The freight of the ship. It was laden with wheat, Acts 27:38. Paul evidently, by this, intended to suggest the propriety of remaining where they were until the time of dangerous navigation was past.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

10. Sirs, I perceive, that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, &c.—not by any divine communication, but simply in the exercise of a good judgment aided by some experience. The event justified his decision.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Paul did not say this so much by reason of the time of the year, and the tempests which do usually attend it, as by a prophetical spirit: God intending to provide for Paul in this tedious and difficult journey, endues him with the gift of prophecy; which (especially when they saw it verified) could not but beget a great respect toward him, and might be a means of salvation to many that were with him.

But also of our lives; so it had been, their lives had been lost as well as the ship and goods, had not God given the lives of all in the ship unto Paul, and saved them for his sake; as Acts 27:24.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive,.... Not only by the tempestuous weather which they had met with, and still continued, and which they must expect to have, if they continued on their voyage; but by a spirit of prophecy, which he was endued with, by which he foresaw, and so foretold, as follows;

that this voyage will be with hurt, and with much damage not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives; or of our persons, or bodies, that is, of the health of them; for certain it is that it was revealed to the apostle, that not one life should be lost; but yet through the shipwreck, what with the fright of it, and being in the water, much damage must accrue to their persons, as well as the ship and all its freight be lost.

Geneva Study Bible

And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

Acts 27:10-11. Θεωρῶ] when I view the tumult of the sea.

ὅτι … μέλλειν ἔσεσθαι] A mixing of two constructions, of which the former is neglected as the speech flows onward. See Heind. ad Plat. Phaed. p. 63 C; Winer, p. 318 [E. T. 426]; Raphel, Polyb. in loc. Comp. on Acts 19:27, Acts 23:23 f.

μετὰ ὕβρεως] with presumption. Paul warns them that the continuance of the voyage will not take place without temerity. Accordingly μετὰ ὕβρ. contains the subjective, and (μετὰ) πολλῆς ζημίας οὐ μόνον κ.τ.λ. the objective, detriment with which the voyage would be attended. The expositors (Ewald, however, takes the correct view) understand μετὰ ὕβρ. of the injuria or saevitia tempestatis. But as the definition tempestatis has no place in the text, the view remains a very arbitrary one, and has no corresponding precedent even in poets (comp. Pind. Pyth. i. 73: ναυσίστονον ὕβριν ἰδών, Anthol. iii. 22. 58: δείσασα θαλάττης ὕβριν). The whole utterance is, moreover, the natural expression of just fear, in which case Paul could say ἡμῶν without mistrusting the communication which he received in Acts 23:11; for by πολλῆς the ζημία τῶν ψυχῶν is affirmed, not of all, but only of a great portion of the persons on board. He only received at a later period the higher revelation, by which this fear was removed from him, see Acts 27:23-24. He speaks here in a way inclusive of others (ἡμῶν), on account of their joint interest in the situation. A special “entering into the fellowship of the Gentiles” (Baumgarten) is as little indicated as is the assumption that he did not preach out of grief over the Jews. The present time and situation were not at all suitable for preaching.

ἐπείθετο μᾶλλον] τοῖς ἐμπείρως ἔχουσι μᾶλλον πρὸς τὸ πλεῖν, ἢ ἐπιβάτῃ ἀπείρῳ ναυτικῆς, Oecumenius. So the opposite view of the steersman and the captain of the ship (ναύκληρος) prevailed with the centurion. By reason of the inconvenience of the haven for wintering, the majority of those on board came to the resolution, etc., Acts 27:12.

Expositor's Greek Testament

Acts 27:10. θεωρῶ: here used of the result of experience and observation, not of a revelation, cf. Acts 17:22; Acts 19:26; Acts 21:20.—θεωρῶ ὅτι … μέλλειν ἔσεσθαι: anacoluthon. ὅτι: forgotten by the number of words intervening in the flow of speech—a vivid dramatic touch; cf. Xen., Hell., ii., 2, 2, see Blass, Gram., p. 279, Winer-Moulton, xliv., 8, A 2. μέλλειν ἔσεσθαι, cf. Acts 11:28, Acts 24:15; Acts 24:25, only in Luke, Simcox, Language of the N.T., p. 120. μετὰ ὕβρεως καὶ πολλῆς ζημίας, cf. Acts 27:21 : “with injury and much loss,” A. and R.V. ὕβρις: used of the injury inflicted by the elements, injuria tempestatis, cf. Jos., Ant., iii., 6, 4. τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ὄμβρων ὕβριν: Anthol., vii., 291, 3. δείσασα θαλάττης ὕβριν: Grimm-Thayer renders “injury inflicted by the violence of a tempest,” and this well combines the active and passive shades of meaning; for the passive signification of ὕβρις cf. 2 Corinthians 12:10. ζημίαν: only elsewhere in Paul, cf. Php 3:7-8. οὐ μόνον: occurs regularly with the infinitive in the N.T. instead of μὴ μόνον, Burton, p. 183. φόρτου, see critical note, if we read φορτίου the word which is dim. in form not in significance is often found of the freight of a ship; but see also Blass and Wetstein, in loco, for distinction between φορτίον and φόρτος.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

10. Sirs, I perceive that this (R. V. the) voyage will be with hur, and much damage (R. V. injury and much loss)]. Evidently the character of the Apostle had won him the regard and respect of those in charge of the vessel as well as of the centurion. He must have had some experience of sailing in the Mediterranean, and so was fitted to speak on the question which was now being debated. We should bear in mind too that he had seen more of perils by sea already than we gather from the Acts. For some time before this voyage to Rome, he wrote to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 11:25), “Thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep.”

The verb rendered “I perceive” implies the results of observation, and does not refer to any supernatural communication which the Apostle had received. This is clear from the end of the verse where St Paul speaks of hurt to the lives of those on board, which did not come to pass (Acts 27:44).

Bengel's Gnomen

Acts 27:10. Αὐτοῖς, unto them) to the centurion and the rest.—ὅτι—μέλλιεν) ὅτι sometimes has an infinitive. Polybius writes, διαδοθείσης φήμης, ὅτι τὰ θηρία τοὺς πλείστους διαφθεῖραι. Raphelius adduces more instances from him.—ὕβρεως) ὕβρις, Latin injuria, is often said with respect to one suffering who had not deserved the injury, even though the operating (agent) cause be not culpable. This word, ὓβρις, especially has regard to the ship: ζημία has regard both to the ship and to the souls in it.—μέλλειν ἔσεσθαι) μέλλει makes the language modal [see Append. Sermo Modalis], is likely to be, is liable to be: and savours of modesty. [He does not expressly say that it ought or must be done; with which comp. Acts 27:21; but merely indicates the danger impending from the course which they were choosing to adopt. So also in Acts 27:31.—V. g.]

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 10. - The, for this, A.V.; injury for hurt, A.V.; loss for damage, A.V.; the ship for ship, A.V. Sirs, I perceive; etc. St. Paul's opinion and reasons are evidently not fully given; only the result, that he strongly advised against the course to which they were inclined, and foretold disaster as likely to ensue from it. I perceive (θεωρῷ), as John 4:19; John 12:19; Acts 17:22. In all these places something actually seen or heard leads to the inference or conclusion stated. So here the angry state of the weather and of the sea - perhaps they had walked as far as Cape Matala, and seen the rough waves - convinced him of the rashness of the enterprise contemplated. Injury (ὕβρεως, and at ver. 21); literally, violence, rough usage - properly of persons to persons (as 2 Corinthians 12:10), but metaphorically here transferred to inanimate objects. Compare the use of ὑβρίζω (Matthew 22:6; Luke 18:32; Acts 14:5; 1 Thessalonians 2:2), and the phrases ναυσίστονον ὕβριν (Pindar), θαλάττης ὕβριν (Anthol.), ὀμβρῶν ὕβρις (Josephus), quoted in Kninoel and Meyer. Meyer's explanation of ὕβρις, as meaning "presumption" or "temerity" on the part of the navigators, is quite inadmissible, especially in view of ver. 21. Also of our lives. Observe the thorough honesty of the historian who thus records the words of the apostle, though they were not justified by the event (vers. 22, 24). Acts 27:10

Vincent's Word Studies

I perceive (θεωρῶ)

As the result of careful observation. See on Luke 10:18.

Hurt (ὕβρεως)

The word literally means insolence, injury, and is used here metaphorically: insolence of the winds and waves, "like our 'sport' or 'riot' of the elements" (Hackett). Some take it literally, with presumption, as indicating the folly of undertaking a voyage at that season; but the use of the word in Acts 27:21 is decisive against this.

Damage (ζημίας)

Better, as Rev., loss. Hurt and damage (A. V.) is tautological. See on the kindred verb, notes on lose, Matthew 16:26, and east away, Luke 9:25.