Chapter
Verse

Acts 28:13

ESV And from there we made a circuit and arrived at Rhegium. And after one day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli.
NIV From there we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up, and on the following day we reached Puteoli.
NASB From there we sailed around and arrived at Rhegium, and a day later a south wind came up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli.
CSB From there, after making a circuit along the coast, we reached Rhegium. After one day a south wind sprang up, and the second day we came to Puteoli.
NLT From there we sailed across to Rhegium. A day later a south wind began blowing, so the following day we sailed up the coast to Puteoli.
KJV And from thence we fetched a compass, and came to Rhegium: and after one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Puteoli:
NKJV From there we circled round and reached Rhegium. And after one day the south wind blew; and the next day we came to Puteoli,

What does Acts 28:13 mean?

Luke's writing style seems especially happy when he can describe a sea voyage. He, Paul, and Aristarchus are on the home stretch to Rome. The first leg was a leisurely sail from Caesarea Maritima to Myra on the southwest coast of modern-day Asia Minor. The second leg included two weeks in a storm so fierce they couldn't see the sun. By the end, they found themselves swimming for their lives as their ship disintegrated under the power of the surf off the island of Malta (Acts 27). They then spent three months on Malta while Paul healed the sick and the locals responded with great hospitality toward the castaways. Once sea traffic resumed, the friends caught another ship to take them north (Acts 28:1–11).

They left the northern coast of Malta and sailed to Syracuse on the eastern shore of Sicily where they stayed for three days (Acts 28:12). Now, they stop at Rhegium—modern-day Reggio di Calabria—on the costal tip of Italy and thread their way through the narrow channel past Sicily. A strong wind drives them 180 miles to Puteoli, modern-day Pozzuoli, about 25 miles west of Mt. Vesuvius. After the hardships just getting to Malta, they must find the quick trip to Puteoli ironic.

In Puteoli, Paul, Luke, and Aristarchus will meet fellow believers who invite them to stay. After a week, they start their walk to Rome, but are met part-way by Christ-followers from the city. Paul will spend two years under house arrest while Luke, presumably, writes his book The Acts of the Apostles. Paul will be released, but Luke will write no more about Paul's travels (Acts 28:14–31).
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