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Acts 27:44
ESV and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land.
NIV The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely.
NASB and the rest were to follow, some on planks, and others on various things from the ship. And so it happened that they all were brought safely to land.
CSB The rest were to follow, some on planks and some on debris from the ship. In this way, everyone safely reached the shore.
NLT The others held on to planks or debris from the broken ship. So everyone escaped safely to shore.
KJV And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.

What does Acts 27:44 mean?

A couple of days after the Roman tribune in Jerusalem arrested Paul for becoming a human punching bag (Acts 21:27–36), Jesus sent Paul a message: "Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome" (Acts 23:11). Less than a week later, the tribune sent his prisoner away to the governor in Caesarea Maritima because the Sanhedrin had plotted to assassinate Paul (Acts 23:12–35). Governor Felix knew their charges were false, yet he kept Paul under house arrest for two years (Acts 24:22–27). When Festus took Felix's place, he, too, wanted to please the Sanhedrin. He asked Paul to move the trial to Jerusalem, probably not knowing the Sanhedrin wanted another chance to kill him. Paul berated Festus for not doing his job and appealed his case to Caesar (Acts 25:2–3, 9–12).

Paul, fellow-prisoner Aristarchus (Colossians 4:10), and Luke boarded a ship bound for a major port in modern-day Turkey where they could catch a sea-fairing ship to Rome. Since then, they have endured a two-week typhoon, sailors who tried to abandon their ship and passengers to a dangerous coast, and murderous soldiers. Along the way, Paul apparently prayed for the lives of the crew and passengers. God promised everyone would make landfall alive (Acts 27:1–43). Now, they finally do.

"On pieces of the ship" means "on things from the ship" which may include the stronger swimmers helping to drag along weaker persons.

They have landed on the small island of Malta, just south of Sicily. Soon, the weather will turn rainy and cold, and Paul will be bitten by a viper. But the people are kind, and after he heals the father of the local leader the people will turn generous. The shipwrecked survivors will spend three months on the island before catching another ship to Italy. Paul will finally reach Rome. He will spend another two years under house arrest, and the Jews will largely ignore him, but he will write the prison epistles and even bring Jesus' offer of forgiveness to Caesar's servants (Acts 28).

It's not the way Paul wanted to get to Rome, and it's not the way he wanted to live in Rome, but it's enough.
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