Acts 27:16

And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat:

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(16) And running under a certain island which is called Clauda.—Some MSS. give the various-reading Cauda, which agrees more closely with the form Gaudos found in Pliny and Suidas. This, in its turn, has passed into the modern Gozzo. The island lay about twenty-three miles to the south-west of Crete. Here they got under the lee of the shore, and availed themselves of the temporary shelter to prepare the ship more thoroughly than had been possible before to encounter the fury of the storm. The first step was to get the boat, which hitherto apparently had been towed through the waves, on board the ship. This, as St. Luke says, was a matter of much work (literally, we were with difficulty able to get hold of the boat), partly, we may believe, because it was not easy to keep the vessel with her head to the wind, and so avoid the motion which would have impeded the operation, partly, because the boat was probably full of water.

Benson Commentary

Acts 27:16-19. Running under a certain island called Clauda — A little to the south of the western coast of Crete. Such was the violence of the storm, that we had much work — Great difficulty to become masters of the boat, so as to secure it from being staved; which when they had taken up, they used helps — Not only all such instruments as were fit for their purpose, but all hands too; undergirding the ship — With cables, to keep it from bulging, and enable it to ride out the storm; and fearing — As the wind had varied more to the north, and blew them toward Africa; lest they should fall into the quick-sands — The greater or the lesser Syrtis, those quick-sands on the African shore, so famous for the destruction of mariners and vessels; they strake sail — That so their progress might be slower, and some more favourable weather, in the mean time, might come to their relief; and so were driven — Before the wind, as before. And the next day they lightened the ship — Casting the heavy goods with which she was laden into the sea. And the third day we cast out the tackling of the ship — Cutting away even those masts that were not absolutely necessary, and throwing them overboard with their furniture.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

27:12-20 Those who launch forth on the ocean of this world, with a fair gale, know not what storms they may meet with; and therefore must not easily take it for granted that they have obtained their purpose. Let us never expect to be quite safe till we enter heaven. They saw neither sun nor stars for many days. Thus melancholy sometimes is the condition of the people of God as to their spiritual matters; they walk in darkness, and have no light. See what the wealth of this world is: though coveted as a blessing, the time may come when it will be a burden; not only too heavy to be carried safely, but heavy enough to sink him that has it. The children of this world can be prodigal of their goods for the saving their lives, yet are sparing of them in works of piety and charity, and in suffering for Christ. Any man will rather make shipwreck of his goods than of his life; but many rather make shipwreck of faith and a good conscience, than of their goods. The means the sailors used did not succeed; but when sinners give up all hope of saving themselves, they are prepared to understand God's word, and to trust in his mercy through Jesus Christ.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And running under - Running near to an island. They ran near to it, where the violence of the wind was probably broken by the island,

Which is called Clauda - This is a small island about 20 miles southwest of Crete.

We had much work - Much difficulty; we were scarcely able to do it.

To come by the boat - This does not mean that they attempted here to land in the boat, but they had much difficulty in saving the small boat attached to the ship by lifting it into the ship. The importance of securing the small boat is known by all seamen.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

16, 17. under—the lee of.

a certain—"small"

island … Clauda—southwest of Crete, now called Gonzo; about twenty-three miles to leeward.

we had much work to come by—that is, to hoist up and secure.

the boat—now become necessary. But why was this difficult? Independently of the gale, raging at the time, the boat had been towed between twenty and thirty miles after the gale sprang up, and could scarcely fail to be filled with water [Smith].

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Clauda; called also Claudos, and by some Gaudos, and now Gozo, an island near unto Crete.

We had much work to come by the boat; in this stress of weather they would take up the boat, lest it should have been staved or beat in pieces against the ship.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And running under a certain island,.... Or below a certain island and hard by, it or under the sea shore of it, where the sea might be smoother, the wind not being there so strong:

which is called Clauda: by Ptolomy (x) it is called Claudus, and was near the island of Crete, and now called Gozo. The Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions, and some copies, read "Cauda"; and there was an island near to Crete, which was called Gaudos (y), and is thought to be the place here meant:

we had much work to come by the boat; which they had with them to go ashore in, or to betake themselves to in case of shipwreck; and which in this storm was in danger of being dashed to pieces against the ship, or lost; and it was with some difficulty that they came at it, and took it up into the ship.

(x) Geograph. l. 3. c. 17. (y) Mela, l. 2. c. 7. Plin. l. 4. c. 12.

Geneva Study Bible

And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat:

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

Acts 27:16. Κλαύδη, or according to Ptol. iii. 7 Κλαῦδος, or according to Mela ii. 7 and Plin. iv. 20 Gaudos, according to Suidas Καυδώ, was the name of the modern Gozzo to the south of Crete. From the different forms of the name given by the ancients must be explained the variations in the codd. and vss., among which Καῦδα is attested by B א** Syr. Aeth. Vulg., adopted by Lachmann, and approved by Ewald. We cannot determine how Luke originally wrote the name; still, as most among the ancients have transmitted it without λ, the λ, which has in its favour A G H א* vss. and the Greek Fathers, has probably been deleted by subsequent, though in itself correct, emendation.

τῆς σκάφης] they could scarcely become masters (περικρατεῖς, Simmias in the Anthol. I. p. 137, Jacobs) of the boat (belonging to the ship) which swam attached to it, when they wished to hoist it up (Acts 27:17; Acts 27:30), that it might not be torn away by the storm.

Expositor's Greek Testament

Acts 27:16. ὑποδραμόντες: “and running under the lee of a small island,” R.V.J. Smith calls attention to the nautical accuracy of St. Luke’s terms; they ran before the wind to leeward of Cauda; ὑποδραμ., they sailed with a side wind to leeward of Cyprus and Crete, ὑπεπλεύσαμεν, Acts 27:4, see also Ramsay, Saint Paul, p. 328, to the same effect; here was calmer water, and the island (see below) would afford them a refuge for a time from the gale. Breusing, pp. 167, 168, 181, thinks that the great sail had been struck at once, and that the artemon or small foresail was kept up as a storm sail; otherwise the ship would have been simply the plaything of the waves. But Ramsay and others (see Farrar) think, on the contrary, that the one huge sail, in comparison with which all others were of little importance, was kept up, but that the strain of this great sail on the single mast was more than the hull could sustain; the timbers would have started, and the ship foundered, had she not gained the smooth water to the lee of Cauda.—μόλις ἰσχύσ.: “we were able with difficulty to secure the boat,” R.V., the boat had not been hauled in, as the storm was so sudden; and now as it was nearly filled with water, and battered by the waves and storm, it was hard work to haul it in at all (J. Smith), as Luke himself experienced (pressed into this service of hauling in the boat; note first person, Hackett, Ramsay, p. 327); clearly they could not afford to lose such a means of safety; even as it was, the boat was dragging along as a heavy weight retarding the ship (Breusing, p. 169).—περικ., cf. Susannah, ver. 39, A, for ἐγκρατεῖς in .—σκάφης: a small boat towed behind, only in this passage in N.T., cf. Acts 27:30; Acts 27:32, Latin, scapha; Cic., De Invent., ii., 51 (Humphry).—Κλαύδην, see critical note, an island twenty-three miles from Crete, nearly due south of Phœnice. Ramsay (but see on the other hand Wendt, p. 408, 1899) maintains that preference be given to the forms of the name in which the letter [416] is omitted, cf. the modern Gavdho in Greek, and Gozzo in Italian; not to be confounded with Gozzo near Malta (Renan, Saint Paul, p. 551), and see further on its present name, J. Smith, pp. 95, 259, 4th edition.

[416] Codex Angelicus (sæc. ix.), at Rome, collated by Tischendorf and others.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

16. And running under a certain island which is called Clauda] (R. V. And running under the lee of a small island, called Cauda”) For the verb cp. above on Acts 27:4; Acts 27:7. The word for “island” is here in the original a diminutive form, hence “small island.” The name “Cauda” which has the best MS. support agrees well with the form which the name has assumed in modern times, “Gozzo” and “Gaudo.” But the form in A.V. is warranted by the orthography of Ptolemy (Claudos) and Pliny (Glaudos).

we had much work to come by the boat] This is most idiomatic old English, but is changed in R. V. into “we were able, with difficulty, to secure the boat.” The boats in old times were not as in modern ships made fast round about the vessel, but were carried on in tow. In stormy weather, there was of course much danger that the boat would be washed away. This was the case here, and as soon as ever they had gained the shelter of the island, they set about making sure of its safety by hauling it on board, but this they were not able to do without much difficulty, probably because it had been already filled with water.

Bengel's Gnomen

Acts 27:16. Περικρατεῖς γένεσθαι τῆς σκαφῆς) to retain, and haul out of the sea, the boat, which heretofore had accompanied the ship: Acts 27:30; Acts 27:32.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 16. - Under the lee of for under, A.V.; small for certain, A.V. (νήσιον); called Cauda for which is called Clauda, A.V. and T.R; were able, with difficulty, to secure for had much work to come by, A.V. Running under the lee of; ὑποδραμόντες, only here in the New Testament, but common in classical Greek for "running under" or "between." (For the use of ὑπό in compound in the sense of "under the lee of," see ver. 7.) Cauda, or Caudos, as it is called by Pomp. Mela (2. 7)and Pliny ('Nat. Hist.,' 4. 12. 20), the modern Gozzo. Ptolemy (3:7) calls it Claudus. The manuscripts greatly vary. Clauda, or Cauda, was about twenty-three miles south-west of Crete. With difficulty (μόλις, as in vers. 7, 8). To secure the boat. The boat was doubtless being towed astern. But in the violence of the storm, there was a danger every moment of her being parted from the ship by the snapping of the hawser, or by being broken by the waves, and it was impossible to take her up. Under the lee of the little island, however, the sea was somewhat quieter; and so after greater efforts they secured the boat, and, as it is said in the next verse, "hoisted it up" on to the deck. Acts 27:16

Vincent's Word Studies

We had much work to come by the boat (μόλις ἰσχύσαμεν περικρατεῖς γενέσθαι τῆς σκάφης)

Lit., we were with difficulty able to become masters of the boat: i.e., to secure on deck the small boat which, in calm weather, was attached by a rope to the vessel's stern. Rev., we were able with difficulty to secure the boat. On with difficulty, see note on scarce, Acts 27:7.