to lead up · verb — aorist passive indicative, 1st person plural
in
ἐνen
G1722
"in · preposition
ship
πλοίῳploiō
G4143
a sailer · noun — dative singular neuter
Alexandria
Ἀλεξανδρίνῳ,Alexandrinō
G222
Alexandrine · adjective — dative singular neuter, a people or place name
wintered
παρακεχειμακότιparakecheimakoti
G3914
to winter near · verb — perfect active participle, dative singular neuter
in
ἐνen
G1722
"in · preposition
isle
νήσῳ,nēsō
G3520
an island · noun — dative singular feminine
sign
παρασήμῳparasēmō
G3902
side-marked · noun — dative singular neuter
Pollux
Διοσκούροις·Dioskourois
G1359
sons of Jupiter · noun — dative plural masculine, a title
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Acts 27:6 And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing into Italy; and he put us therein.
Isaiah 45:20 Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their g…
1 Corinthians 8:4 As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, a…
Jonah 1:5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it…
Jonah 1:16 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.
Acts 6:9 Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Acts 28:11-16
We have here the progress of Paul's voyage towards Rome, and his arrival there at length. A rough and dangerous voyage he had hitherto had, and narrowly escaped with his life; but after a storm comes a calm: the latter part of his voyage was easy and quiet.
Per varios casus, per tot discrimina rerum,
Tendimus ad Latium -
Through various hazards and events we move
To Latium.
Tendimus ad coelum.
We make for heaven.
- Dabit Deus his quoque finem.
To these a period will be fixed by Heaven.
We have here,
I. Their leaving Malta. That island was a happy shelter to them, but it was not their home; when they are refreshed they must put to sea again. The difficulties and discouragements we have met w…
we departed in a ship of Alexandria--(See on Act 27:6).
which had wintered in the isle--no doubt driven m by the same storm which had wrecked on its shores the apostle's vessel--an incidental mark of consistency in the narrative.
whose sign--or "figurehead"; the figure, carved or painted on the bow, which gave name to the vessel. 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. They carry his image in their boats and ships. It is highly improbable that two ships of Alexandra should have be…
After three months - Supposing that they had reached Malta about the end of October, as we have already seen, then it appears that they left it about the end of January, or the beginning of February; and, though in the depth of winter, not the worst time for sailing, even in those seas, the wind being then generally more steady; and, on the whole, the passage more safe.
Whose sign was Castor and Pollux - These were two fabulous semi-deities, reported to be the sons of Jupiter and Leda, who were afterwards translated to the heavens, and made the constellation called Gemini, or the Twins. This constellation was deemed propitious to mariners; and, as it was customary to have the images of their…
The Church Fathers
Observe how in all this voyage they nowhere touched at a city, but were cast on an island, and passed the entire winter there or sailing - those being herein under training for faith, his fellow-voyagers, I mean. "And after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose sign was Castor and Pollux." Probably this was painted on it: so addicted were they to their idols.
It was always customary in the ships of Alexandria, especially near the bow, to have such inscriptions on both the starboard and the port sides. And since it was natural, in that era of prevailing idolatry, for the Twin Gods to be depicted on the ship, it followed that they were considered foreign, that is, idolaters. Concerning this Isaiah also said: They shall be cast forth in a foreign ship; they shall take up their habitation over the sea. (Isa. 11:14) [CYRIL]
"And after three months, we sailed in a ship of Alexandria," etc. After three months, going on board a ship of Alexandria, they came to Syracuse, a city of the Sicilians; from there to Rhegium; from there to Puteoli; from there, now on foot, to the Three Taverns, where Paul was gladly received by the brethren and entered Rome led by them. There, after the third day, having called together the ancients in the synagogue, […] soldier […] in order, for what reason he had been brought by centurions, showing them the glorious chain with which he was bound for the sake of Israel's salvation.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Astronomy — The Hebrews were devout students of the wonders of the starry firmanent (Amos 5:8; Ps. 19). In the Book of Job, which is the oldest book of the Bible in all probability, the constellations are…
Castor and Pollux — The “Dioscuri”, two heroes of Greek and Roman mythology. Their figures were probably painted or sculptured on the prow of the ship which Luke refers to (Acts 28:11). They were regarded as the…
Melita — (Acts 27:28), an island in the Mediterranean, the modern Malta. Here the ship in which Paul was being conveyed a prisoner to Rome was wrecked. The bay in which it was wrecked now bears the name of…
Ship — No one writer in the whole range of Greek and Roman literature has supplied us with so much information concerning the merchant-ships of the ancients as St. Luke in the narrative of St. Paul’s voyage…
Ships — Early used in foreign commerce by the Phoenicians (Gen. 49:13). Moses (Deut. 28:68) and Job (9:26) make reference to them, and Balaam speaks of the “ships of Chittim” (Num. 24:24). Solomon…
Twin Brothers — This term is used in the Revised Version of (Acts 28:11) for Castor And Pollux AND Pollux, which see.
Alexandria · Ships of — Ships of
Castor And Pollux · Name of a ship — Name of a ship
Ship · Figurehead — Figurehead
Ships · Usually distinguished by signs or figure heads — Usually distinguished by signs or figure heads
Winter · Ships were laid up in port during — Ships were laid up in port during
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
And after three months we departed,.... From Melita; here they stayed the three winter months, which were unseasonable for navigation; but now the spring coming on, and the weather agreeable, they left the island, and sailed
in a ship of Alexandria; See Gill on Acts 27:6;
which had wintered in the isle; perhaps all the said three months, for the same reason:
whose sign was Castor and Pollux; or Dioscuri, that is, the sons of Jupiter; for Castor and Pollux were his sons, by Leda: these are placed among the constellations in the Zodiac, and go by the name of Gemini, or the twins; and these were supposed to have a power of saving men in danger at sea: wherefore such as were about to go to se…
Acts 28:7-14
7. And in those places were the possessions of the chief man of the isle, whose name was Publius; who received us, and lodged us courteously. 8. And so it was, that the father of Publius lay sick of the fever and bloody flux; to whom Paul entered in, and when he had prayed, and had laid his hands upon him, he healed him. 9. Therefore, when he had done thus, the rest also, which had infirmities in the isle, came, and were healed: 10. Who did also give us great honor; and when we departed, they laded us with things necessary. 11. And after three months we sailed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose badge was Castor and Pollux. 12. And when we came to Syr…
Luke, himself present on this journey (see study note on 27:1–28:16), recorded Paul’s itinerary from Malta to Rome with great geographical detail.
28:11 Another Egyptian ship from Alexandria took Paul and his companions on board after an interval of three months and the worst of the winter had passed.
