Acts 27:19

Act 27:19 . ἐῤῥίψαμεν , see critical note. Ramsay prefers the first person, although not well supported, because it increases the effect; but in any case the scene is graphically described, ἔῤῥιψαν may be due to ἐποιοῦντο , but, as Wendt notes, ἐῤῥίψαμεν may have been equally due to αὐτόχειρες . Breusing rejects the first person, p. 187, from a seaman’s point of view; the sailors would have kept the passengers in their places, and not have allowed them to engage in a work in which they might perchance have done more harm than good.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

cast out with our own hands--passengers and crew together.

the tackling of the ship--whatever they could do without that carried weight. This further effort to lighten the ship seems to show that it was now in a leaking condition, as will presently appear more evident.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 19. The tackling of the ship.] την σκευην; All supernumerary anchors, cables, baggage, &c.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(19) We cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship.—The better MSS. give the third person plural, and not the first. If we accept the Received text, the fact that the passengers as well as the crew were pressed into the service indicates the urgency of the peril; but even with the other reading, the words describe the prompt spontaneous action caused by a strong sense of danger. The Greek word for “tackling” (better, perhaps, furniture) is wider in its range than the English, and includes the beds and personal luggage and movables of all kinds. Even these the sailors were ready to sacrifice for the chance of safety.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

19. we cast out with our own hands] The oldest MSS., with R. V. read “They cast out with their &c.” which is much more likely than that the writer of the narrative, even if he were a fellow-traveller with St Paul in this voyage, was employed in such a work, which is pre-eminently that which the sailors alone would undertake.

the tackling] (Gk. furniture). The word is closely akin to that used in Act_27:17 for “gear.” As that signified all that could be spared from aloft, so this seems to mean all that could be removed from the deck or the hull of the vessel.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And the third day,.... From the time this storm began, and this tempestuous weather held:

we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship; by which seems to be meant their naval stores and instruments, as sails, ropes, cables, anchors, &c. and yet we afterwards read of their anchors and main sail: it may be rendered, "the furniture of the ship"; and yet it cannot design the ship's provisions, at least all were not cast away; for afterwards mention is made of casting out the wheat into the sea: many versions render it, "the armament of the ship"; and the Ethiopic version adds, "and arms"; the soldiers' arms, and others which belonged to the ship, which were brought with them to defend themselves against an enemy: these, the historian says, "we cast out"; the Apostle Paul's company, Luke and others; but not without the leave and order of the centurion and governor of the ship: the Alexandrian copy, and some others, and the Vulgate Latin version read, "they cast out": which seems most probable.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

19 And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship.

Ver. 19. The tackling of the ship] eth hacchelim, Jon 1:15, which is almost our word "tackling."

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The tackling of the ship - The anchors, sails, cables, baggage, etc. That is, everything that was not indispensable to its preservation, for it seems still Act 27:29 that they retained some of their anchors on board.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

The tacking, or furniture of the ship that they could spare; others express it, they threw out the lagam. (Witham)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

All the ship’s furniture which it had either for ornament or defence, and not their ballast or lumber only: so willingly do men part with all things for their lives; which yet are but short, and, at best, mixed with care and sorrow, Job 14:1,2.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

19. Third day—After leaving Fair Havens.

Own hands—The passengers, including Luke himself.

Tackling—At this second lightening they threw over the ship’s rigging.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

They for we, A.V. and T.R.; their for our, A.V.. The third day after leaving Clanda. The leak doubtless con-tinned, and there was more water in the ship. With their (or, our) own hands ; aujtoceirev, only here in the Bible, but frequent in classical Greek. The word seems to mark that the sacrifice was very great, implying a very pressing danger. The tackling (thn). There is great difference of opinion as to what the skeuh means here. Smith thinks the main spar is meant, "the huge mainyard," and Farrar adopts his view, which he thinks is strengthened by the use of the aorist ejrriyamen (for he adopts the T.R.), implying one single act, and showing, by the use of the first person, that it was the act of the whole crew united. Alford thinks that it means all the furniture, beds, and movables of all kinds, and so Wordsworth and Meyer. Wetstein explains it of the passengers" baggage. Howson thinks it unlikely they would have thrown away a great spar which would have supported twenty or thirty men in the water in the event of the ship foundering. Schleusner renders it "apparatus quo navis erat instructa." Skeuh is not used elsewhere in the New Testament, and it is difficult to speak decisively. But the addition of tou ploiou, and the general use of skeuh in classical Greek favors the interpretation "the ship"s furniture" ("meubles et ustensiles," Renan).

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

We cast out the tackling of the ship - Cutting away even those masts that were not absolutely necessary.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

19. “And on the third day with their own hands cast out the rigging of the ship.” Luke mentions the fact that the sailors themselves, the very ones to use the ship’s rigging, even cast it overboard with their own hands. Why? Because they were utterly incompetent to make any use of it, and it was only in their way and a hindrance to them.

William B. Godbey, Commentary on the New Testament (1896–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

See notes on verse 18

J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

the sailors threw overboard the ship's equipment with their own hands

Here "equipment" refers to the sailors' equipment needed to sail the ship: tackle, hoists, beams of wood, block and tackle, ropes, lines, sails, and the like. This indicates how desperate the situation was.

When the sun and stars did not shine on us for many days

They could not see the sun and stars because of the dark storm clouds. Sailors needed to see the sun and stars in order to know where they were and what direction they were headed.

the great storm still beat upon us

"the terrible storm still blew us roughly back and forth"

any more hope that we should be saved was abandoned

This can be stated in active form. AT: "everyone stopped hoping we would survive" (See: Active or Passive)

translationWords

day

hope

save

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

19. ἔῤῥιψαν with אABC. Vulg. ‘projecerunt.’

19. αὐτόχειρες … ἔρριψαν, they cast out with their own hands. This reading, supported by the oldest MSS., is much more probable than the first person of the Text. recept. It is not likely that the writer of the narrative, even if he were a fellow-traveller with St Paul in this voyage, was employed in such a work, which is preeminently that which the sailors alone would undertake.

τὴν σκευήν, the tackling. As σκεῦος in 17 meant all that could be spared from aloft, so σκευή seems to mean all that could be removed from the deck or the hull of the vessel.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

19. τ. σκευὴν τ. πλ. ἔῤῥ.] ἡ σκευή is the furniture of the ship—beds, moveables of all kinds, cooking utensils, and the spare rigging.

αὐτόχειρες is used with ἔῤῥιψαν as shewing the urgency of the danger—when the seamen would with their own hands, cast away what otherwise was needful to the ship and themselves. This not being seen, αὐτόχ. has been supposed to imply the first person, and ἐῤῥίψαμεν. has crept in: see var. readd.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Tackling [σκευην] . The word means equipment, furniture. The exact meaning here is uncertain. Some suppose it to refer to the main - yard; an immense spar which would require the united efforts of passengers and crew to throw overboard. It seems improbable, however, that they would have sacrificed so large a spar, which, in case of shipwreck, would support thirty or forty men in the water. The most generally received opinion is that it refers to the furniture of the ship - beds, tables, chests, etc.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.