Acts 27:26-28
New English Translation
26 But we must[a] run aground on some island.”
27 When the fourteenth night had come, while we were being driven[b] across the Adriatic Sea,[c] about midnight the sailors suspected they were approaching some land.[d] 28 They took soundings[e] and found the water was twenty fathoms[f] deep; when they had sailed a little farther[g] they took soundings again and found it was fifteen fathoms[h] deep.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Acts 27:26 tn This is another use of δεῖ (dei) to indicate necessity (see also v. 24). Acts 28:1 shows the fulfillment of this.
- Acts 27:27 tn Here “being driven” has been used to translate διαφέρω (diapherō) rather than “drifting,” because it is clear from the attempt to drop anchors in v. 29 that the ship is still being driven by the gale. “Drifting” implies lack of control, but not necessarily rapid movement.
- Acts 27:27 sn The Adriatic Sea. They were now somewhere between Crete and Malta.
- Acts 27:27 tn Grk “suspected that some land was approaching them.” BDAG 876 s.v. προσάγω 2.a states, “lit. ὑπενόουν προσάγειν τινά αὐτοῖς χώραν they suspected that land was near (lit. ‘approaching them’) Ac 27:27.” Current English idiom would speak of the ship approaching land rather than land approaching the ship.
- Acts 27:28 tn Grk “Heaving the lead, they found.” The participle βολίσαντες (bolisantes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. See also BDAG 180 s.v. βολίζω. Although the term is used twice in this verse (and thus is technically not a NT hapax legomenon), it occurs nowhere else in the NT.
- Acts 27:28 sn A fathom is about 6 feet or just under 2 meters (originally the length of a man’s outstretched arms). This was a nautical technical term for measuring the depth of water. Here it was about 120 ft (36 m).
- Acts 27:28 tn L&N 15.12, “βραχὺ δὲ διαστήσαντες ‘when they had gone a little farther’ Ac 27:28.”
- Acts 27:28 sn Here the depth was about 90 ft (27 m).
Acts 27:26-28
New International Version
26 Nevertheless, we must run aground(A) on some island.”(B)
The Shipwreck
27 On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic[a] Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. 28 They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feet[b] deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feet[c] deep.
Footnotes
- Acts 27:27 In ancient times the name referred to an area extending well south of Italy.
- Acts 27:28 Or about 37 meters
- Acts 27:28 Or about 27 meters
Acts 27:26-28
English Standard Version
26 But (A)we must (B)run aground on some island.”
27 When the fourteenth night had come, as we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land. 28 So they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms.[a] A little farther on they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms.[b]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Acts 27:28 About 120 feet; a fathom (Greek orguia) was about 6 feet or 2 meters
- Acts 27:28 About 90 feet (see previous note)
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