What does Acts 27:37 mean?
Paul, Luke, and Aristarchus are on an Alexandrian ship that is about to wreck off the coast of the island of Malta, south of Sicily (Acts 27:1; 28:1). Paul and Aristarchus are prisoners in the custody of Julius, a centurion, and Julius's soldiers. Right after the ship runs aground on a reef, the soldiers will try to kill all the prisoners, but Julius will stop them (Acts 27:42–44). Also on board are the sailors who, hours before, tried to escape in the lifeboat and leave the passengers to their own fate. Julius also stopped them (Acts 27:30–32). Filling out the remaining castaways are Luke and the rest of the passengers.They have been on the ship, in a storm, for fourteen days (Acts 27:33). The clouds have covered the sun and stars, so they're not sure where they are (Acts 27:20). The winds have been too strong, so they lowered the sails (Acts 27:17). The waves are so intense they lashed the rudder. Despite Paul's assurances that his God has promised to save every life (Acts 27:22–25) it seems no one really believes him. They lost hope days ago (Acts 27:20).
Surrounded by sailors who don't care if the passengers die and soldiers who don't mind killing the prisoners, faced with a cold and dangerous swim to shore, Paul does something otherwise absurd: he invites everyone to breakfast. No one has eaten in two weeks. They'll need their strength to survive. So, Paul bakes or finds some bread, gives thanks to God, and starts eating. At first, the people just stare at him. Then they take the bread he offers (Acts 27:33–36). For now, it's enough.
The Codex Vaticanus is a copy of the Bible found in the Vatican library. It gives the number as "about seventy-six" people, but it's unclear if the crew and/or soldiers are included. The ship that took Josephus to Italy carried 600 people. A large grain ship, like this ship most likely was, was about 180 feet long, or 55 meters: about the size of a modern sea-faring tugboat.
Acts 27:33–38 places Paul at the center of the action once again. His ship has been storm-tossed and lost for two weeks. The 276 total passengers have finally reached land, but don't know what rocks or reefs are between them and safety. The centurion has prevented the crew's escape attempt (Acts 27:27–32). Now, Paul brings everyone together to do something they haven't been able to in fourteen days: eat. They share bread and jettison the remaining cargo. Once dawn breaks, the crew sails the ship closer to land, but the ship gets hung up on a reef. Eventually, however, everyone makes it to shore (Acts 27:39–44).
Acts 27 is an account of a famous sea voyage. Paul, Luke, and Aristarchus travel from Caesarea Maritima on their way to Rome. False charges and two years of imprisonment in Caesarea led Paul to appeal his case to a higher Roman court, and he is now on his way to that court. The chapter can be divided into seven paragraphs, alternating between descriptions of the sea voyage and Paul trying to keep everyone alive during a horrific storm. Eventually, they shipwreck on Malta. The ship and cargo are a complete loss, but no one dies.
