Acts 27:41
What does Acts 27:41 mean?
A plain-English look at Acts 27:41 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Acts 27:41 means
They strike a place where two seas meet—perhaps a sandbar or channel convergence—and the ship runs aground. The bow sticks fast and will not move, while the stern begins to break up under pounding waves. The plan succeeds in part—they reach shoal water—but the vessel’s destruction accelerates. This fulfills Paul’s word that the ship would be lost. The verse captures the messy, painful nature of salvation in a fallen world: success mingled with loss. The company must now abandon the hull and reach shore by any means left, trusting the word that every life will be spared.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000But lighting upon a place where two seas met, they ran the vessel aground; and the foreship struck and remained unmoveable, but the stern began to break up by the violence of the waves.
KJV
King James Version · 1611And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901But lighting upon a place where two seas met, they ran the vessel aground; and the foreship struck and remained unmoveable, but the stern began to break up by the violence of the waves.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949And coming to a point between two seas, they got the ship to land; and the front part was fixed in the sand and not able to be moved, but the back part was broken by the force of the waves.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862and having fallen into a place of two seas, they ran the ship aground, and the fore-part, indeed, having stuck fast, did remain immoveable, but the hinder-part was broken by the violence of the waves.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752And when we were fallen into a place where two seas met, they run the ship aground. And the forepart indeed, sticking fast, remained unmoveable: but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the sea.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890And falling into a place where two seas met they ran the ship aground, and the prow having stuck itself fast remained unmoved, but the stern was broken by the force of the waves.
Context
After a purposeful run toward the beach, an unexpected formation catches the ship, fixing the bow and exposing the stern. The breaking hull forces immediate action. The next verses will reveal the soldiers’ plan to kill the prisoners to prevent escape and the centurion’s intervention to protect Paul, ordering swimmers and then others on debris to get ashore. The tension between military protocol and God’s purpose reaches a climax before the promised deliverance is realized.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Acts 27:17
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.
- Acts 27:26
But we must be cast upon a certain island.
- Ezekiel 27:34
In the time that thou wast broken by the seas in the depths of the waters, thy merchandise and all thy company did fall in the midst of thee.
- Ezekiel 27:26
Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters: the east wind hath broken thee in the heart of the seas.
- 1 Kings 22:48
Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they went not; for the ships were broken at Ezion-geber.
- 2 Chronicles 20:37
Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, Jehovah hath destroyed thy works. And the ships were broken, so that they were not able to go to Tarshish.
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