Acts 28:11 kjv
And after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose sign was Castor and Pollux.
Acts 28:11 nkjv
After three months we sailed in an Alexandrian ship whose figurehead was the Twin Brothers, which had wintered at the island.
Acts 28:11 niv
After three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered in the island?it was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux.
Acts 28:11 esv
After three months we set sail in a ship that had wintered in the island, a ship of Alexandria, with the twin gods as a figurehead.
Acts 28:11 nlt
It was three months after the shipwreck that we set sail on another ship that had wintered at the island ? an Alexandrian ship with the twin gods as its figurehead.
Acts 28 11 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Acts 27:9 | Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because the fast was already over... | Dangers of winter sailing |
| Acts 27:12 | ...the harbor was not suitable for wintering... | Need for safe winter harbors |
| Acts 27:24 | "Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar..." | God's divine purpose for Paul's journey |
| Acts 27:44 | ...they all escaped safely to the land. | God's protective providence |
| Acts 28:1 | After we had escaped, we then learned that the island was called Malta. | Setting for Paul's three-month stay |
| Acts 28:2 | The native people showed us unusual kindness... | Maltans' hospitality |
| Acts 28:7-10 | Account of Paul's healings and ministry on Malta | Divine power manifested on Malta |
| Ps 37:23 | The steps of a man are established by the Lord... | God's guidance in our paths |
| Prov 16:9 | The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. | God's sovereignty over travel |
| Isa 43:2 | When you pass through the waters, I will be with you... | God's presence during challenges |
| Ps 107:23-30 | Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters... He stilled the storm... | God's control over sea and storms |
| Mk 4:39 | And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" | Jesus' power over storms |
| Jer 10:3-5 | The customs of the peoples are worthless. A tree from the forest is cut down... It cannot speak; it cannot move. | Folly of idol worship (in contrast to Dioscuri) |
| Ps 115:4-7 | Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak... | Contrast with pagan idols and God's true power |
| 1 Cor 8:4-6 | ...an idol has no real existence... there is no God but one. | Belief in one true God over false gods |
| 1 Cor 10:19-20 | What do I mean then? That food offered to idols is anything... but that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons... | Confronting pagan worship (implicit in Dioscuri) |
| Jas 5:7 | Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord... | Patience during waiting/delays |
| Rom 5:3-5 | ...we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance... | Endurance through trials |
| Phil 1:12 | I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel... | Gospel advanced through challenging journeys |
| Lk 21:13 | This will be your opportunity to bear witness. | Trials leading to witness (as on Malta) |
| Acts 23:11 | "Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome." | Divine decree for Paul to reach Rome |
Acts 28 verses
Acts 28 11 Meaning
After a three-month stay on the island of Malta following the shipwreck, Paul and his companions boarded a different ship to continue their journey to Rome. This vessel, which had also remained on Malta during the hazardous winter sailing season, was identified by its figurehead or emblem depicting "the Twin Brothers," the pagan gods Castor and Pollux.
Acts 28 11 Context
Acts chapter 28 concludes the account of Paul's journey to Rome. Following a perilous shipwreck detailed in Acts chapter 27, Paul and his fellow survivors spent three months on the island of Malta (Acts 28:1). During this time, God’s protective power was consistently displayed through Paul, from his immunity to a viper’s bite to the healing of Publius’s father and many others on the island. This period of delay was thus used for significant ministry. Verse 11 marks the transition, signaling the end of winter—a season unsafe for sea travel—and the continuation of their divinely purposed journey toward Rome.
Acts 28 11 Word analysis
- After three months (Μετὰ τρεῖς μῆνας - Meta treis mēnas): This precise time reference is significant. "Three months" directly correlates with the typical winter season (late autumn to early spring) when the Mediterranean Sea was too dangerous for large-scale sailing. Luke, as a careful historian, notes the practical reasons for their prolonged stay, indicating a specific period of providential delay and opportunity before resuming their journey.
- we set sail (ἀνήχθημεν - anēchthēmen): This Greek verb is in the passive voice, literally "we were brought forth" or "we were led out to sea." While practical necessity (end of winter) allowed this, the passive phrasing can subtly suggest an element of divine orchestration or enablement, aligning with the narrative of God guiding Paul's mission.
- in a ship that had wintered in the island (ἐν πλοίῳ παραχειμάσαντι ἐν τῇ νήσῳ - en ploiō paracheimasanti en tē nēsō): This specifies that they found a ship already docked and awaiting favorable conditions, highlighting the common maritime practice of laying up ships for winter. It emphasizes that this was a new vessel, not the one that had been wrecked, and demonstrates the practical availability of transport as God continued to provide for Paul's journey.
- a Maltese craft (Ἀλεξανδρίνῳ παρασήμῳ τῷ Διοσκούροις - Alexandrinō parasēmō tō Dioskourois): While some ancient manuscripts (and thereby some translations) imply "Alexandrian" for its origin, the ESV directly notes it was a "Maltese craft" or a ship that wintered at Malta. More accurately, based on later verse 13 and typical trade routes, it was likely an Alexandrian grain ship that had wintered on Malta. These ships were typically large cargo vessels vital for supplying Rome.
- whose sign was the Twin Brothers (παρασήμῳ τῷ Διοσκούροις - parasēmō tō Dioskourois):
- sign (παρασήμῳ - parasēmō): Refers to a distinguishing mark or figurehead at the bow of the ship, often used for identification or to invoke divine favor.
- the Twin Brothers (Διοσκούροις - Dioskourois): Refers to Castor and Pollux, sons of Zeus in Greek mythology, believed to be patrons of sailors and invoked to protect against storms. This detail introduces a subtle theological tension: Paul, an apostle trusting in the one true God, sails on a ship relying on pagan deities for protection. It starkly contrasts human superstition with God's manifest power, which had genuinely preserved Paul through storms and shipwrecks, entirely independent of such pagan symbols. The Lord who stilled the storm in Galilee (Mk 4:39) is the same God watching over Paul.
Acts 28 11 Bonus section
- Luke's Detail: The inclusion of specific details like the "three months" and the ship's figurehead, alongside accurate nautical and geographical information throughout Acts, indicates Luke's meticulousness as an author, lending historical reliability to the narrative.
- Roman Maritime Commerce: This verse subtly highlights the vital Roman grain trade, with large ships like the one Paul boarded sailing from Alexandria to supply the capital. Malta, as a strategic waypoint, often served as a winter harbor for these vessels.
- Divine vs. Pagan Providence: The implicit tension between the ship's pagan symbols and the living God's protection of Paul illustrates the spiritual backdrop against which early Christianity spread. God's actual preservation of Paul through a literal storm dramatically overshadows any perceived protection from mythical deities.
Acts 28 11 Commentary
Acts 28:11 serves as a precise chronological and navigational marker in Luke’s narrative, signaling the recommencement of Paul’s divinely ordained journey to Rome after an unexpected yet providentially productive delay on Malta. The "three months" were not wasted time; they were a period during which God’s power was displayed, establishing credibility for the gospel in a new place. The mention of the ship "wintering" on the island underscores the practical realities of ancient sea travel and God’s timing, ensuring conditions were safe for the next leg of the voyage. The most striking detail, "whose sign was the Twin Brothers," highlights the stark contrast between human reliance on pagan superstition for safety and the living God’s faithful providence which truly protected Paul. This mundane detail implicitly magnifies God's sovereign control over even a ship adorned with idols, demonstrating that Paul's security rested not on wooden figureheads, but on the explicit promise of the Lord Himself (Acts 23:11, 27:24).