Acts 28:13
in Acts 28From there we weighed anchor and came to Rhegium. After one day, a south wind came up, and on the second day we arrived at Puteoli.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And from thence we made a circuit, and arrived at Rhegium: and after one day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli;
KJV
And from thence we fetched a compass, and came to Rhegium: and after one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Puteoli:
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This verse in Acts 28
Commentary
7 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
We fetched a compass - We coasted about; or we sailed along the eastern side of Sicily. And came to Rhegium - This was a city of Italy, in the kingdom of Naples, on the coast near the southwest extremity of Italy. It was nearly opposite to Messina, in Sicily. It is now called “Reggio.” The south wind - A wind favorable for their voyage. To Puteoli - The wells. This place was celebrated for its warm baths, and from these and its springs it is supposed to have derived its name of The Wells.
This site's exposition
we departed in a ship of Alexandria
on Acts 28:11-13
After three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, another grain carrier from the same Egypt-to-Rome fleet as the wrecked vessel, and Luke records without comment that her sign was Castor and Pollux, the twin gods sailors invoked for safe passage, a detail the bench reads simply as the eyewitness naming what he saw painted on the bow rather than as any endorsement. Landing at Syracuse, then Rhegium, then Puteoli on the Bay of Naples, the route is the standard grain run any first-century reader would recognize, and the exposition lets the ordinary itinerary stand as further evidence of a log kept in real time.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
Already the preaching has reached to Sicily: see how it has run through (even to those lands): at Puteoli also they found some: others also came to meet them. Such was the eagerness of the brethren, it nothing disconcerted them, that Paul was in bonds.
See, when the judgment is right, and not preoccupied by some passion, how immediately it gets right judgings, and gives sound verdicts. "And after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose sign was Castor and Pollux. And landing at Syracuse, we tarried there three days. And from thence we fetched a compass, and came to Rhegium: and after one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Puteoli: where we found brethren, and were desired to tarry with them seven days: and so we went toward Rome. And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and the Three Taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage." Already the preaching has reached to Sicily: see how it has run through (even to those lands): at Puteoli also they found some: others also came to meet them. Such was the eagerness of the brethren, it nothing disconcerted them, that Paul was in bonds.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And from thence we fetched a compass,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
from thence we fetched a compass--that is, proceeded circuitously, or tacked, working to windward probably, and availing themselves of the sinuosities of the coast, the wind not being favorable [SMITH].
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
We fetched a compass - Ὁθεν περιελθοντες, Whence we coasted about. This will appear evident, when the coast of Sicily is viewed on any correct map, of a tolerably large scale. Rhegium - A city and promontory in Calabria, in Italy, opposite to Sicily. It is now called Reggio. It had its name, Ῥηγιον, Rhegium, from the Greek Ῥηγνυμι, to break off; because it appears to have been broken off from Sicily. The south wind blew - This was the fairest wind they could have from Syracuse, to reach the straits of Rhegium. The next day to Puteoli - This place, now commonly called Pozzuoli, is an ancient town of Naples in the Terra di Lavoro; and is supposed to have been founded by the Samians, about 470 years before Christ. Within this city are several warm baths, very highly celebrated; and from these, and its springs in general, it seems to have had its ancient name Puteoli, from Putei, wells or pits; though some derive it from putor, a stench, or bad smell, because of the sulphureous exhalations from its warm waters. Varro gives both these etymologies, lib. iv. de Ling. Lat. cap. 5. It is famous for its temple of Jupiter Serapis, which is built, not according to the Grecian or Roman manner, but according to the Asiatic. Near this place are the remains of Cicero’s villa, which are of great extent. The town contains, at present, about 10,000 inhabitants. Long. 14°. 40’. E., lat. 41°. 50’. N.
The words behind it
15 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ὅθεν | hothen | from where | G3606 → | 15 times |
| περιελόντες | perielontes | having taken off | G4014 → | 5 times |
| κατηντήσαμεν | katentesamen | we arrived | G2658 → | 13 times |
| εἰς | eis | at | G1519 → | 1755 times |
| Ῥήγιον | rhegion | Rhegium | G4484 → | |
| καὶ | kai | And | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| μετὰ | meta | after | G3326 → | 461 times |
| μίαν | mian | one | G1520 → | 343 times |
| ἡμέραν | hemeran | day | G2250 → | 389 times |
| ἐπιγενομένου | epigenomenou | when was comong on | G1920 → | |
| νότου | notou | a south wind | G3558 → | |
| δευτεραῖοι | deuteraioi | on the second day | G1206 → | |
| ἤλθομεν | elthomen | we came | G2064 → | 628 times |
| εἰς | eis | to | G1519 → | 1755 times |
| Ποτιόλους· | potiolous | Puteoli; | G4223 → |
ὅθενfrom where
hothenG3606 →15 times
περιελόντεςhaving taken off
perielontesG4014 →5 times
κατηντήσαμενwe arrived
katentesamenG2658 →13 times
εἰςat
eisG1519 →1755 times
ῬήγιονRhegium
rhegionG4484 →
καὶAnd
kaiG2532 →9120 times
μετὰafter
metaG3326 →461 times
μίανone
mianG1520 →343 times
ἡμέρανday
hemeranG2250 →389 times
ἐπιγενομένουwhen was comong on
epigenomenouG1920 →
νότουa south wind
notouG3558 →
δευτεραῖοιon the second day
deuteraioiG1206 →
ἤλθομενwe came
elthomenG2064 →628 times
εἰςto
eisG1519 →1755 times
Ποτιόλους·Puteoli;
potiolousG4223 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
4 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Acts 27:13When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had their opportunity. So they weighed anchor and sailed along, hugging the coast of Crete.
it leads to
- Psalms 78:26
He stirred the east wind from the heavens and drove the south wind by His might.
- Song of Solomon 4:16
Awake, O north wind, and come, O south wind. Breathe on my garden and spread the fragrance of its spices. Let my beloved come into his garden and taste its choicest fruits.
- Job 37:17
You whose clothes get hot when the land lies hushed under the south wind,
- Luke 12:55
And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It will be hot,’ and it is.
- Psalms 78:26
Where this verse is studied
About Acts

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); James Smith, The Voyage and Shipwreck of St. Paul; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Homily on Acts 54; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748) and William Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveller and the Roman Citizen.
