Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Acts 27:16
And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat:
16. And running under a certain island which is called Clauda ] ( R. V. And running under the lee of a small island, called Cauda”) For the verb cp. above on Act 27:4; Act 27:7. The word for “island” is here in the original a diminutive form, hence “small island.” The name “Cauda” which has the best MS. support agrees well with the form which the name has assumed in modern times, “Gozzo” and “Gaudo.” But the form in A.V. is warranted by the orthography of Ptolemy (Claudos) and Pliny (Glaudos).
we had much work to come by the boat ] This is most idiomatic old English, but is changed in R. V. into “we were able, with difficulty, to secure the boat.” The boats in old times were not as in modern ships made fast round about the vessel, but were carried on in tow. In stormy weather, there was of course much danger that the boat would be washed away. This was the case here, and as soon as ever they had gained the shelter of the island, they set about making sure of its safety by hauling it on board, but this they were not able to do without much difficulty, probably because it had been already filled with water.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And running under – Running near to an island. They ran near to it, where the violence of the wind was probably broken by the island,
Which is called Clauda – This is a small island about 20 miles southwest of Crete.
We had much work – Much difficulty; we were scarcely able to do it.
To come by the boat – This does not mean that they attempted here to land in the boat, but they had much difficulty in saving the small boat attached to the ship by lifting it into the ship. The importance of securing the small boat is known by all seamen.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 16. A certain island – called Clauda] Called also Gaudos; situated at the south-western extremity of the island of Crete, and now called Gozo, according to Dr. Shaw.
Much work to come by the boat] It was likely to have been washed overboard; or, if the boat was in tow, at the stern of the vessel, which is probable, they found it very difficult to save it from being staved, or broken to pieces.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Clauda; called also Claudos, and by some Gaudos, and now Gozo, an island near unto Crete.
We had much work to come by the boat; in this stress of weather they would take up the boat, lest it should have been staved or beat in pieces against the ship.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
16, 17. underthe lee of.
a certain“small”
island . . . Claudasouthwestof Crete, now called Gonzo; about twenty-three miles toleeward.
we had much work to comebythat is, to hoist up and secure.
the boatnow becomenecessary. But why was this difficult? Independently of the gale,raging at the time, the boat had been towed between twenty and thirtymiles after the gale sprang up, and could scarcely fail to be filledwith water [SMITH].
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And running under a certain island,…. Or below a certain island and hard by, it or under the sea shore of it, where the sea might be smoother, the wind not being there so strong:
which is called Clauda: by Ptolomy x it is called Claudus, and was near the island of Crete, and now called Gozo. The Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions, and some copies, read “Cauda”; and there was an island near to Crete, which was called Gaudos y, and is thought to be the place here meant:
we had much work to come by the boat; which they had with them to go ashore in, or to betake themselves to in case of shipwreck; and which in this storm was in danger of being dashed to pieces against the ship, or lost; and it was with some difficulty that they came at it, and took it up into the ship.
x Geograph. l. 3. c. 17. y Mela, l. 2. c. 7. Plin. l. 4. c. 12.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Running under the lee of (). Second aorist active participle of . Same use of as in (verses Acts 27:4; Acts 27:8) for “under the lee”, under the protection of. is diminutive of , a small island. The MSS. vary between Cauda (B) and Clauda (Aleph).
To secure the boat ( ). “To become masters ( from and , power over, found in Susannah and ecclesiastical writers, and here only in N.T.) of the boat (“dug out,” like Indian boats, literally, from , to dig, old word, here only in N.T. and verses Acts 27:30; Acts 27:32). The smooth water behind the little island enabled them to do this.
When they had hoisted it up ( ). “Which (the little boat) having hoisted up (, verse 13).” Even so it was “with difficulty” (). Perhaps the little boat was waterlogged.
Used helps ( ). Imperfect middle of with instrumental case. The “helps” were ropes or chains, no doubt.
Under-girding the ship ( ). Present active participle of . Old verb, here only in N.T. Probably cables () or ropes were used under the hull of the ship laterally or even longitudinally, tightly secured on deck. This “frapping” was more necessary for ancient vessels because of the heavy mast. The little island made it possible to do this also.
Lest we be cast upon the Syrtis ( ). Final clause after verb of fearing () with and the second aorist active subjunctive of , old verb to fall out or off, to be cast away. So here and verses Acts 27:26; Acts 27:29, a classical use of the verb for a ship driven out of its course on to shoals or rocks (Page who cites Xenophon, Anab. VII. 5, 12). The Syrtis was the name for two quicksands between Carthage and Cyrenaica, this clearly being the Syrtis Major most dangerous because of the sandbanks (, from ). The wind would drive the ship right into this peril if something were not done.
They lowered the gear ( ). First aorist active participle of (cf. Lu 5:4 for lowering the nets). means vessel or gear. They slackened or reduced sail, especially the mainsail, but leaving enough to keep the ship’s head as close to the wind as was practicable.
So were driven ( ). Imperfect passive indicative again as in verse 15 with the addition of (thus). The ship was now fixed as near to the wind (E N E) as possible (seven points). That would enable the ship to go actually W by N and so avoid the quicksands. J. Smith has shown that, a day being lost around Cauda, the ship going 36 miles in 24 hours in 13 days would make 468 miles. The Island of Malta (Melita) is precisely in that direction (W by N) from Cauda and is 480 miles. Page sees a difficulty about this explanation of the steady drift of the ship in the word in verse 27, but that was at the end of the drifting and the varied winds could have come then and not before. The whole narrative as explained carefully in Smith’s Voyage and Shipwreck of St. Paul is a masterpiece of precise and accurate scholarship. A resume of his results appears in my Luke the Historian in the Light of Research.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
We had much work to come by the boat [ ] . Lit., we were with difficulty able to become masters of the boat : i e., to secure on deck the small boat which, in calm weather, was attached by a rope to the vessel ‘s stern. Rev., we were able with difficulty to secure the boat. On with difficulty, see note on scarce, ver. 7.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And running under a certain island,” (nesion de ti hupodramontes) “Then when we run under the lee of a certain islet,” a small island, they sailed with a side wind to leeward of Cyprus and Crete.
2) “Which is called Clauda,” (kaloumenon Klauda) “That is called Clauda,” known as Clauda, now Gozzo. This was an area of calmer water and the small islet would afford them a refuge from the gale, for a time.
3) “We had much work to come by te boat:” (ischusamen molis perikrateis genesthai tes skaphes) “We were hardly strong enough to get control of the boat,” or able with much difficulty to secure the boat, which had to be lifted, as a life-boat alongside the ship of Act 27:15. They were anxious to save the life-boat alongside the ship as a last means of escape.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
10.
CAUDA. Act. 27:16-17.
Act. 27:16
And running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were able, with difficulty, to secure the boat:
Act. 27:17
and when they had hoisted it up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should be cast upon the Syrtis, they lowered the gear, and so were driven.
Act. 27:16-17 When they reached the cape there came from 7,000 foot high Mt. Ida a sudden typhonic squall. . . The winds come down from those mountains fit to blow the ship out of the water, said a skipper to Sir William Ramsey. (ibid. Given by Wm. Dallman in Paul, p. 244). When the ship was seized in this cyclone and whirled around and could not look the wind in the face, we let her drive and ran under a small island named Cauda . . . 23 miles away.
Here the water was a little less rough. Their first effort was to take up the little boat that was in tow at the back of the ship. This had to be done if they were going to have a means of going ashore later and therefore it would act as a life boat in an emergency. It was only with the greatest difficulty that the small boat was lifted out of the water and made secure on board ship. Then there began the process known as frapping the ship. It consisted of passing cables under the boat in such a way as to bind the timbers together and thus make it less susceptible to leaking. Whether the cables were passed around the ship vertically or horizontally has occasioned some discussion, as it seems that both methods were employed. Just how this was done amid such a storm is not known but that they did it we are sure. Following these precautions, the rudders were set and the ship was given over to the winds to be driven.
The third and final effort to prepare to meet the storm was in lowering the gear. This consisted of taking in all the sail that was up and securing the ropes as tightly as possible. The rudder of the boat was set in such a way as to keep the course away from the Syrtis, the terrible quicksand of Northern Africa.
983.
What was the name of the wind that came upon them? Its meaning?
984.
Why pause at Cauda?
985.
Why was the small boat trailing behind? Why take it in?
986.
What is meant by frapping the ship?
987.
Why set the rudder?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(16) And running under a certain island which is called Clauda.Some MSS. give the various-reading Cauda, which agrees more closely with the form Gaudos found in Pliny and Suidas. This, in its turn, has passed into the modern Gozzo. The island lay about twenty-three miles to the south-west of Crete. Here they got under the lee of the shore, and availed themselves of the temporary shelter to prepare the ship more thoroughly than had been possible before to encounter the fury of the storm. The first step was to get the boat, which hitherto apparently had been towed through the waves, on board the ship. This, as St. Luke says, was a matter of much work (literally, we were with difficulty able to get hold of the boat), partly, we may believe, because it was not easy to keep the vessel with her head to the wind, and so avoid the motion which would have impeded the operation, partly, because the boat was probably full of water.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
16. Running under Under the shelter of Clauda. (See chart.)
The boat The small boat, which had hitherto been towed at the stern. It was an important means of escape in shipwreck, and the sailors availed themselves of the smooth waters in the lee of Clauda to haul it in. This was difficult, as the boat had probably swamped, and was full of water.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were able, with difficulty, to secure the boat, and when they had hoisted it up, they used helps, under-girding the ship, and, fearing lest they should be cast upon the Syrtis, they lowered the gear, and so were driven.’
They were driven along for twenty three miles until they came into the lee of the isle of Cauda, and the slight abatement of wind that resulted from this enabled them with great difficulty to pull in the life boat that was being pulled along behind, and get it aboard. It might yet be their salvation. After which they took advantage of the slight slackening of the tempest caused by the shelter of the island to pull ropes underneath the ship with the purpose of holding it together. Then, fearful less the wind blow them onto the African coast, onto the feared sandbars of Syrtis, the graveyard of many a ship as underwater archaeology has revealed, they took down all sail and lowered the mast. Thus they were totally at the mercy of the howling wind and the waves, except possibly for a small storm sail.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Act 27:16. Clauda, This island, otherwise called Gaudos, or Cauda, lay a little to the south of the western coast of Crete.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Act 27:16 . , or according to Ptol. iii. 7 , or according to Mela ii. 7 and Plin. iv. 20 Gaudos , according to Suidas , was the name of the modern Gozzo to the south of Crete. From the different forms of the name given by the ancients must be explained the variations in the codd. and vss., among which is attested by B ** Syr. Aeth. Vulg., adopted by Lachmann, and approved by Ewald. We cannot determine how Luke originally wrote the name; still, as most among the ancients have transmitted it without , the , which has in its favour A G H * vss. and the Greek Fathers, has probably been deleted by subsequent, though in itself correct, emendation.
] they could scarcely become masters ( , Simmias in the Anthol. I. p. 137, Jacobs) of the boat (belonging to the ship) which swam attached to it, when they wished to hoist it up (Act 27:17 ; Act 27:30 ), that it might not be torn away by the storm.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
16 And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat:
Ver. 16. To come by the boat ] i.e. To recover, take up, and save the boat, that the waves should not break it.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
16. ] running under the lee of .
“St. Luke exhibits here as on every other occasion, the most perfect command of nautical terms, and gives the utmost precision to his language by selecting the most appropriate: they ran before the wind to leeward of Clauda , hence it is : they sailed with a side wind to leeward of Cyprus and Crete : hence it is ” (Smith, p. 61, note).
] Here again, there can be little doubt that the name of the island was , or , as we have in some MSS., or, as in Pliny and Mela, Gaudos: but Ptol. (iii. 7) has , and the corruption was very obvious. The island is the modern Gozzo.
. . . . .] “Upon reaching Clauda, they availed themselves of the smooth water under its lee, to prepare the ship to resist the fury of the storm. Their first care was to secure the boat by hoisting it on board. This had not been done at first, because the weather was moderate, and the distance they had to go, short. Under such circumstances, it is not usual to hoist boats on board, but it had now become necessary. In running down upon Clauda, it could not be done, on account of the ship’s way through the water. To enable them to do it, the ship must have been rounded to, with her head to the wind, and her sails, if she had any set at the time, trimmed, so that she had no head-way, or progressive movement. In this position she would drift, broadside to leeward. I conclude they passed round the east end of the island: not only because it was nearest, but because ‘an extensive reef with numerous rocks extends from Gozzo to the N. W., which renders the passage between the two isles very dangerous’ (Sailing Directions, p. 207). In this case the ship would be brought to on the starboard tack, i.e. with the right side to windward.” “St. Luke tells us they had much difficulty in securing the boat. He does not say why : but independently of the gale which was raging at the time, the boat had been towed between twenty and thirty miles after the gale had sprung up, and could scarcely fail to be filled with water.” Smith, pp. 64, 65.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Act 27:16 . : “and running under the lee of a small island,” R.V.J. Smith calls attention to the nautical accuracy of St. Luke’s terms; they ran before the wind to leeward of Cauda; ., they sailed with a side wind to leeward of Cyprus and Crete, , Act 27:4 , see also Ramsay, Saint Paul , p. 328, to the same effect; here was calmer water, and the island (see below) would afford them a refuge for a time from the gale. Breusing, pp. 167, 168, 181, thinks that the great sail had been struck at once, and that the artemon or small foresail was kept up as a storm sail; otherwise the ship would have been simply the plaything of the waves. But Ramsay and others (see Farrar) think, on the contrary, that the one huge sail, in comparison with which all others were of little importance, was kept up, but that the strain of this great sail on the single mast was more than the hull could sustain; the timbers would have started, and the ship foundered, had she not gained the smooth water to the lee of Cauda. .: “we were able with difficulty to secure the boat,” R.V., the boat had not been hauled in, as the storm was so sudden; and now as it was nearly filled with water, and battered by the waves and storm, it was hard work to haul it in at all (J. Smith), as Luke himself experienced (pressed into this service of hauling in the boat; note first person, Hackett, Ramsay, p. 327); clearly they could not afford to lose such a means of safety; even as it was, the boat was dragging along as a heavy weight retarding the ship (Breusing, p. 169). ., cf. Susannah, v er. 39, A, for in . : a small boat towed behind, only in this passage in N.T., cf. Act 27:30 ; Act 27:32 , Latin, scapha; Cic., De Invent. , ii., 51 (Humphry). , see critical note, an island twenty-three miles from Crete, nearly due south of Phnice. Ramsay (but see on the other hand Wendt, p. 408, 1899) maintains that preference be given to the forms of the name in which the letter [416] is omitted, cf. the modern Gavdho in Greek, and Gozzo in Italian; not to be confounded with Gozzo near Malta (Renan, Saint Paul , p. 551), and see further on its present name, J. Smith, pp. 95, 259, 4th edition.
[416] Codex Angelicus (sc. ix.), at Rome, collated by Tischendorf and others.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
running under = having run under the lee of. Greek. hupotrecho. Onlyhere.
island. Greek. nesion, a small island, dim. of nesos (Act 13:6). Only here.
Clauda. Clauda (some texts, Cauda) was due south of Phenice.
we had much work. Literally with difficulty (Greek. molis, Act 27:7) were we strong (Greek. ischuo. See Act 15:10).
come by = become masters of. Greek. perikrates. Onlyhere.
boat = skiff. Greek. skaphe. Only here, verses: Act 27:30, Act 27:32. The verb skapto, to dig, or hollow out, only in Luk 6:48; Luk 13:8; Luk 16:3.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
16. ] running under the lee of.
St. Luke exhibits here as on every other occasion, the most perfect command of nautical terms, and gives the utmost precision to his language by selecting the most appropriate: they ran before the wind to leeward of Clauda, hence it is : they sailed with a side wind to leeward of Cyprus and Crete: hence it is (Smith, p. 61, note).
] Here again, there can be little doubt that the name of the island was , or , as we have in some MSS., or, as in Pliny and Mela, Gaudos: but Ptol. (iii. 7) has , and the corruption was very obvious. The island is the modern Gozzo.
. . …] Upon reaching Clauda, they availed themselves of the smooth water under its lee, to prepare the ship to resist the fury of the storm. Their first care was to secure the boat by hoisting it on board. This had not been done at first, because the weather was moderate, and the distance they had to go, short. Under such circumstances, it is not usual to hoist boats on board, but it had now become necessary. In running down upon Clauda, it could not be done, on account of the ships way through the water. To enable them to do it, the ship must have been rounded to, with her head to the wind, and her sails, if she had any set at the time, trimmed, so that she had no head-way, or progressive movement. In this position she would drift, broadside to leeward. I conclude they passed round the east end of the island: not only because it was nearest, but because an extensive reef with numerous rocks extends from Gozzo to the N. W., which renders the passage between the two isles very dangerous (Sailing Directions, p. 207). In this case the ship would be brought to on the starboard tack, i.e. with the right side to windward. St. Luke tells us they had much difficulty in securing the boat. He does not say why: but independently of the gale which was raging at the time, the boat had been towed between twenty and thirty miles after the gale had sprung up, and could scarcely fail to be filled with water. Smith, pp. 64, 65.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Act 27:16. ) to retain, and haul out of the sea, the boat, which heretofore had accompanied the ship: Act 27:30; Act 27:32.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Clauda: Clauda, called Cauda and Gaudos by Mela and Pliny, and Claudos by Ptolemy, and now Gozo, according to Dr. Shaw, is a small island, situated at the south-western extremity of the island of Crete. Act 27:16
Reciprocal: Act 27:30 – the boat
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
6
Act 27:16. Running under denotes going south of the island and passing near the shore. At this place the conditions had become so severe that they had difficulty to come by the boat, which means they could hardly manage the boat.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Act 27:16. Running under a certain island which is called Clauda. The meaning of running under is that they ran under its lee, as in Act 27:3; Act 27:7. Under the shelter of this island, they would have, for a short time, comparatively smooth water, which was a matter of the utmost importance to them in their preparations for riding out the storm. There is no difficulty whatever in identifying this island with the modern Gozo. Both its ancient and its modern name are well known. In position it lies nearly south-west from Cape Matala, a circumstance which helps us to determine the direction of the wind, as we shall see presently.
We had much work to come by the boat. The use of the first person should be observed here. It is not impossible that St. Luke and St. Paul themselves gave some aid in this matter, as they did in another emergency soon afterwards (see Act 27:19). The first instinct of the sailors, at so dangerous a moment, would be to make sure of the boat. But to get it up on deck with so furious a wind blowing and in so heavy a sea, was not easy, which accounts for the strong language employed here. In order to accomplish their purpose, taking advantage of the temporary lull under the lee of Clauda, they would bring the ships head round towards the north, and bring the boat up to the davits on the larboard side, which would be sheltered from the wind. It is important to observe this; for the vessel, as we shall see, drifted afterwards with her starboard side to the wind. Reuss strangely supposes that they put the boat out into the water (on mit la chaloupe dehors, manoeuvre trs-difficile par une mer grosse et houleuse), and he finds fault with the commentators for supposing that they took the boat on board (comme si elle avait t traine la remorque tout le long du voyage; mais dans ce cas on voit pas comment la manoeuvre des cbles et des poutres a pu se faire). But the boat would not be required in the waves for undergirding the ship, nor could mean that they put the boat out of the ship; and, in fact, Reuss contradicts himself, for he admits afterwards (Act 27:30; Act 27:32) that the boat was on board. There is no chance of attaining a correct idea of the details of this voyage except from the point of view of practical seamanship. But, when examined from this point of view, the whole becomes perfectly clear.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Act 27:16-19. Running under a certain island called Clauda A little to the south of the western coast of Crete. Such was the violence of the storm, that we had much work Great difficulty to become masters of the boat, so as to secure it from being staved; which when they had taken up, they used helps Not only all such instruments as were fit for their purpose, but all hands too; undergirding the ship With cables, to keep it from bulging, and enable it to ride out the storm; and fearing As the wind had varied more to the north, and blew them toward Africa; lest they should fall into the quick-sands The greater or the lesser Syrtis, those quick-sands on the African shore, so famous for the destruction of mariners and vessels; they strake sail That so their progress might be slower, and some more favourable weather, in the mean time, might come to their relief; and so were driven Before the wind, as before. And the next day they lightened the ship Casting the heavy goods with which she was laden into the sea. And the third day we cast out the tackling of the ship Cutting away even those masts that were not absolutely necessary, and throwing them overboard with their furniture.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
See notes on verse 14
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
16. And running under a certain island called Clauda, i. e., on the windward side of the island, in order to protect them from the awful violence of the storm, we were scarcely able to get possession of the boat, i. e., to get the boat up into the ship, as they had but one, and that their only hope in case of a wreck.
Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament
Verse 16
Clauda; a small island south of Crete. Euroclydon was an easterly wind, so that they were driven westward.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
The small island of Clauda (modern Gavdos or Gozzo) lay south of Crete about 23 miles. There appears to have been no adequate harbor there. However this island did provide enough temporary shelter for the sailors to haul the trailing rowboat (dinghy) on board. Another safety measure was to feed ropes over the bow and hold them up against the ship’s hull from each side. Drawn up tight under the ship these ropes helped to reinforce the internal braces of the hull.
The "shallows of Syrtis" probably refers to the dreaded quicksand and shoals off the African coast west of Cyrene (modern Libya) toward which the ship headed. [Note: See Pliny, Natural History, 5:26; and Josephus, The Jewish . . ., 2:16:4.] The Greek word translated "sea anchors" simply means equipment and can refer to any gear, perhaps some of the sails and rigging here (cf. Act 27:40). Compasses did not exist at this time. Sailors plotted their courses by the stars and by using points of reference on land.