Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

Why would any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?

“No one dared to call in question the overwhelming evidence of the resurrection of Jesus, which proclaimed Him to be the Christ, the Son of God; the only way of getting rid of it, therefore, was to pronounce it incredible.”

to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an…

“To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light--rather, "that they may turn" (as in Ac 26:20), that is, as the effect of their eyes being opened.”

But I have had God’s help to this day, and I stand here to testify to small and great alike.

“22, 23. having obtained help--"succor." from God--"that [which cometh] from God." I continue--"stand," "hold my ground."”

Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Can you persuade me in such a short time to become a Christian?”

“The objection on which so much stress is laid, that the word "Christian" was at that time only a term of contempt, has no force except on the other side; for taking it in that view, the sense is, "Thou wilt soon have me one…”

When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment.

“Not that he had left the apostle from the time when he last included himself (Ac 21:18), but the apostle was parted from him by his arrest and imprisonment, until now, when they met in the ship.”

After sailing slowly for many days, we arrived off Cnidus. When the wind impeded us, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone.

“But for the contrary wind they might have made the distance from Myra (one hundred thirty miles) in one day. They would naturally have put in at Cnidus, whose larger harbor was admirable, but the strong westerly current induced them to run south.”

“Men, I can see that our voyage will be filled with disaster and great loss, not only to ship and cargo, but to our own lives as well.”

“Sirs, I perceive, that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, &c.--not by any divine communication, but simply in the exercise of a good judgment aided by some experience. The event justified his decision.”

But contrary to Paul’s advice, the centurion was persuaded by the pilot and by the owner of the ship.

“Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and owner . . . more than . . . Paul--He would naturally think them best able to judge, and there was much to say for their opinion, as the bay at Fair Havens, being open to nearly one-half…”

Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided to sail on, if somehow they could reach Phoenix to winter there.

“Phenice--"Phenix," now called Lutro. which lieth toward the southwest and northwest--If this means that it was open to the west, it would certainly not be good anchorage!”

But it was not long before a cyclone called the Northeaster swept down across the island.

“14, 15. a tempestuous--"typhonic" wind--that is, like a typhon or tornado, causing a whirling of the clouds, owing to the meeting of opposite currents of air. called Euroclydon--The true reading appears to be Euro-aquilo, or east-northeast, which answers all the effects here ascribed to it.”

Passing to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we barely managed to secure the lifeboat.

“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?”

On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands.

“19, 20. cast out with our own hands--passengers and crew together. the tackling of the ship--whatever they could do without that carried weight.”

After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have followed my advice not to sail from Crete.

“"The hardships which the crew endured during a gale of such continuance, and their exhaustion from laboring at the pumps and hunger, may be imagined, but are not described" [SMITH].”

and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And look, God has granted you the lives of all who sail with you.’

“What a contrast to this is the speech of Cæsar in similar circumstances to his pilot, bidding him keep up his spirit because he carried Cæsar and Cæsar's fortune! [PLUTARCH].”

Fearing that we would run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daybreak.

“And when the fear was, as here, that they might fall on the rocks to leeward, and the intention was to run the ship ashore as soon as daylight enabled them to fix upon a safe spot, the very best thing they could do was…”

Meanwhile, the sailors attempted to escape from the ship. Pretending to lower anchors from the bow, they let the lifeboat down into the sea.

“"This could have been of no advantage in the circumstances, and as the pretext could not deceive a seaman, we must infer that the officers of the ship were parties to the unworthy attempt, which was perhaps detected by the nautical skill of St.”

They were all encouraged and took some food themselves.

“Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat--"took food"; the first full meal since the commencement of the gale. Such courage in desperate circumstances as Paul here showed is wonderfully infectious.”

When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they sighted a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could.

“But the scene of the wreck is remote from the great harbor, and possesses no marked features by which it could be recognized, even by a native if he came unexpectedly upon it [SMITH], not to speak of the rain pouring in torrents (Ac 28:2)…”

But the centurion, wanting to spare Paul’s life, thwarted their plan. He commanded those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land.

“(While the graphic minuteness of this narrative of the shipwreck puts it beyond doubt that the narrator was himself on board, the great number of nautical phrases, which all critics have noted, along with the unprofessional air which the whole narrative wears, agrees singularly with…”

The islanders showed us extraordinary kindness. They kindled a fire and welcomed all of us because it was raining and cold.

“In this these "barbarians" contrast favorably with many since bearing the Christian name. The lifelike style of the narrative here and in the following verses gives it a great charm.”

The islanders honored us in many ways and supplied our needs when we were ready to sail.

“But though little dependence is to be placed upon the tradition that Publius became bishop of Malta and afterwards of Athens, we may well believe the accredited tradition that the beginnings of the Christian Church at Malta sprang out of this memorable visit.”

After three months we set sail in an Alexandrian ship that had wintered in the island. It had the Twin Brothers as a figurehead.

“Such figureheads were anciently as common as now. was Castor and Pollux--the tutelar gods of mariners, to whom all their good fortune was ascribed. St. Anthony is substituted for them in the modern superstitions of Mediterranean (Romanist) sailors.”

The brothers there had heard about us and traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us.

“How sensitive he was to such Christian affection all his Epistles show (Ro 1:9, &c.). and took courage--his long-cherished purpose to "see Rome" (Ac 19:21), there to proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ, and the divine pledge that in this he should be gratified (Ac…”

When we arrived in Rome, Paul was permitted to stay by himself, with a soldier to guard him.

“This privilege was allowed in the case of the better class of prisoners, not accused of any flagrant offense, on finding security--which in Paul's case would not be difficult among the Christians.”

After three days, he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had gathered, he said to them, “Brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or the…

“We have seen that long before this a flourishing Christian Church existed at Rome, to which Paul wrote his Epistle (see on Ac 20:3), and the first members of which were probably Jewish converts and proselytes. (See Introduction to Romans.)”