Acts 27 17

Acts 27:17 kjv

Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven.

Acts 27:17 nkjv

When they had taken it on board, they used cables to undergird the ship; and fearing lest they should run aground on the Syrtis Sands, they struck sail and so were driven.

Acts 27:17 niv

so the men hoisted it aboard. Then they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Because they were afraid they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along.

Acts 27:17 esv

After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear, and thus they were driven along.

Acts 27:17 nlt

Then the sailors bound ropes around the hull of the ship to strengthen it. They were afraid of being driven across to the sandbars of Syrtis off the African coast, so they lowered the sea anchor to slow the ship and were driven before the wind.

Acts 27 verses

Acts 27 17 Meaning

Acts 27:17 details the desperate measures taken by the sailors aboard the ship carrying Paul, as they navigated a severe tempest. After securing the ship's skiff, they employed heavy ropes to "undergird" the hull, strengthening it against the violent waves and preventing it from breaking apart. Driven by a deep fear of running aground on the perilous sandbanks of the Syrtis off the North African coast, they then lowered much of the ship's rigging and main equipment, surrendering control and allowing the ship to drift passively at the mercy of the wind and current. This verse powerfully illustrates the extreme peril, human ingenuity, and ultimate helplessness of the mariners in the face of nature's overwhelming force.

Acts 27 17 Context

Acts chapter 27 describes Paul's perilous sea journey from Caesarea to Rome as a prisoner, ultimately destined to stand trial before Caesar. Paul had already warned the centurion and ship owner that the voyage would be disastrous (Acts 27:10). However, the professional mariners dismissed his prophetic counsel, choosing instead to heed the owner's advice, likely because of the perceived safety of reaching a larger port. Having left Fair Havens after the Day of Atonement, a violent northeastern storm, the "Euraquilo" or Euroclydon (Acts 27:14), quickly descended upon them. By verse 17, they have already been battling the storm for some time, managing to secure the smaller boat, and are now engaged in last-ditch efforts to save the ship itself. Their actions highlight a deep-seated fear rooted in both the known dangers of the Mediterranean Sea, particularly treacherous shoals like the Syrtis, and the sheer unpredictability and overwhelming force of the storm, which threatened to tear their wooden vessel apart. This specific verse takes place as the ship is being violently driven southwest, making the danger of the Syrtis an immediate and existential threat.

Acts 27 17 Word analysis

• When they had hoisted it up (ἀνακρεμάσαντες - anakremasantes): From ἀνακρεμάννυμι (anakremannymi), meaning "to hang up" or "to hoist." In context, this refers to lifting the skiff (small boat or dinghy) on board the ship.

  • Significance: This was a crucial first step for survival. Small boats towed behind a ship in a storm were almost always swamped, damaged, or lost, becoming a dangerous drag or even a means of unintended escape rather than salvation. Securing it on board was a necessary precaution before attempting more radical measures for the ship itself.

• they used supports (βοηθείαις ἐχρῶντο - boētheiais echrōnto):

  • βοηθείαις (boētheiais): Dative plural of βοήθεια (boētheia), meaning "helps," "aids," or "supports." In ancient nautical context, this specifically refers to large ropes or cables.
  • ἐχρῶντο (echrōnto): Imperfect passive/middle indicative of χράομαι (chraomai), "to use."
  • Significance: This term identifies the tools—heavy cables—they deployed for their next drastic action, underscoring the practical, yet desperate, nature of their efforts.

• to undergird the ship (ὑποζωννύντες - hypozōnnynontes): Present active participle of ὑποζώννυμι (hypozōnnumi), meaning "to gird under," "to frap," or "to pass ropes under and around a vessel."

  • Significance: This was a well-documented ancient maritime technique. Sailors would pass strong ropes or chains beneath the hull from one side to the other, securing them tautly over the deck. This technique acted like a compression bandage, preventing the wooden hull planks from working loose, twisting, or being entirely pulled apart by the tremendous forces of the storm. It was a clear sign that the ship was feared to be on the verge of structural failure.

• and fearing that they might run aground (φοβούμενοί τε μὴ ἐκπέσωσιν - phoboumenoi te mē ekpesōsin):

  • φοβούμενοί (phoboumenoi): Present middle/passive participle of φοβέομαι (phobeomai), "to fear." Expresses their constant state of dread.
  • ἐκπέσωσιν (ekpesōsin): Aorist active subjunctive of ἐκπίπτω (ekpiptō), meaning "to fall out/off," "to be cast out," or nautically, "to run aground" or "be stranded."
  • Significance: This phrase vividly communicates the sailors' immediate, overwhelming fear. It's not just discomfort but a terror of shipwreck. Running aground meant instant destruction of the ship and probable loss of all on board.

• on the Syrtis (εἰς τὴν Σύρτιν - eis tēn Syrtin):

  • Σύρτιν (Syrtin): Accusative singular of Σύρτις (Syrtis), referring to the Greater Syrtis, a notorious region off the coast of North Africa (modern-day Gulf of Sidra).
  • Significance: The Syrtis was infamous among ancient mariners for its shallow, shifting sandbanks and shoals. These features were a deadly trap for ships driven by storms, far worse than simply being adrift in open sea. Its mention immediately conveyed to ancient readers the extreme, specific danger faced by the ship.

• they lowered the gear (χαλάσαντες τὸ σκεῦος - chalasantes to skeues):

  • χαλάσαντες (chalasantes): Aorist active participle of χαλάω (chalaō), "to loosen," "to let down," or "to lower."
  • τὸ σκεῦος (to skeues): Neuter singular noun, "the gear," "equipment," or "vessel." In a nautical context, it broadly refers to sails, yards, or the ship's entire mast and rigging system. Most scholarly consensus favors lowering the main mast and/or sail yardarm to reduce wind resistance ("windage"). Some minor interpretations suggest lowering dragging anchors to slow drift.
  • Significance: This action signified a complete surrender to the storm. By reducing wind resistance, they minimized the risk of capsizing or having their rigging ripped apart. However, it also meant giving up any attempt at steering or sailing, committing the ship to passive drifting. They ceased being a "sailing ship" and became a "drift-boat," an extreme measure indicating complete helplessness.

• and thus were driven along (οὕτως ἐφέροντο - houtōs ephēronto):

  • οὕτως (houtōs): Adverb, "thus," "in this manner."
  • ἐφέροντο (ephēronto): Imperfect passive indicative of φέρω (pherō), "to carry," "to bear," or in passive voice, "to be carried," "to be borne along," "to be driven."
  • Significance: This concluding phrase captures the ship's ultimate fate under the storm's power. Despite their heroic human efforts to save the ship itself (hoisting skiff, undergirding), they were utterly at the mercy of the elements, drifting wherever the wind and current carried them, their own steering abilities nullified. This helplessness contrasts starkly with God's ultimate control, which will become evident through Paul later in the chapter.

• Words-group Analysis (measures of desperation and surrender):

  • "hoisted it up... used supports to undergird the ship": These actions collectively represent the apex of human nautical skill and desperate measures. They secured all possible movable parts and physically strengthened the very frame of the vessel against an overpowering force. It showcases resourcefulness, yet also profound vulnerability.
  • "fearing that they might run aground on the Syrtis": This phrase links the reason for their desperation—the specific, terrifying geographic threat—with the actions they subsequently took. It paints a picture of dread being the primary motivator.
  • "they lowered the gear and thus were driven along": This pair signifies the transition from proactive struggle to passive survival. Having exhausted their technical solutions to reinforce the ship and prevent collision with specific dangers, they resorted to letting the ship drift as best it could, admitting complete lack of control over their trajectory. This phase foreshadows Paul's message of trusting in a higher power later on.

Acts 27 17 Bonus section

The practice of "undergirding" (hypozonnyō) was so crucial that it was often depicted in ancient ship imagery and described in technical manuals of the time. This technique was essentially wrapping the ship to prevent the planking and timbers from springing apart under the intense stress of a storm. Naval engineers have confirmed the effectiveness of such a method for ancient wooden ships. It speaks volumes about the quality of the ship's construction (or perhaps its age) that such extreme measures were necessary within a relatively short period of sailing into the storm. The fear of Syrtis was not arbitrary; this area was famous in the classical world as a treacherous zone for ships, often mentioned by ancient historians and geographers for its shallow, shifting sands that would quickly destroy any ship unfortunate enough to be driven onto them. This was a place where any sailor would be justified in extreme fear for their life. The detailed nautical language used by Luke (e.g., Acts 27:14, Euroclydon; 27:40, letting go the anchors, hoisting the foresail) demonstrates a profound understanding of maritime practices, suggesting either personal experience or meticulous research by the author.

Acts 27 17 Commentary

Acts 27:17 is a vivid snapshot of desperate survival tactics employed by ancient mariners in the face of an annihilating storm. The details—hoisting the skiff, undergirding the ship with ropes, and the specific fear of the Syrtis sandbanks—are all precisely attested nautical practices and geographic dangers of the era, lending incredible authenticity to Luke's narrative. Undergirding was a last-resort maneuver, showing the ship was believed to be on the verge of breaking apart. The dread of the Syrtis (modern Gulf of Sidra) was very real; its shallow, shifting shoals had wrecked countless vessels. Finally, lowering the gear (likely the main mast or yardarm and sail) was an act of surrender, sacrificing any directional control for sheer structural survival, turning the ship into a drifting hulk. This verse sets the stage for God's sovereign intervention through Paul, highlighting the utter insufficiency of human skill and technology against the raw power of nature, and thereby magnifying the divine comfort and promise of salvation that is soon to come. It underscores that while humans can strive, ultimate deliverance often lies beyond their capabilities, requiring a reliance on God's Providence.