Acts 27:16

Acts 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 Acts 27:3; Acts 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 Acts 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 ship's 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 très-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 été trainée à la remorque tout le long du voyage; mais dans ce cas on voit pas comment la manoeuvre des câbles et des poutres a pu se faire'). But the boat would not be required in the waves for undergirding the ship, nor could ἄραντες mean that they put the boat out of the ship; and, in fact, Reuss contradicts himself, for he admits afterwards (Acts 27:30; Acts 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.