Acts 27:39

39 When day broke, they didn't recognize the land; but they noticed a bay with a sand beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could.

Acts 27:39 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 27:39

And when it was day they knew not the land
What place it was, or the name of it:

but they discovered a certain creek with a shore;
a gulf or bay, with a shore near it; the Ethiopic version explains it,

an arm of the sea,
where was a port, where they thought they could secure themselves, or get ashore:

into which they were minded, if it were possible, to thrust in the
ship;
whither they had a mind, and consulted to run the ship, if it could be done by any means, believing it was the most likely method of saving themselves, and that; for notwithstanding the assurance they had that no man's life should be lost, they made use of all proper means for their safety and security.

Acts 27:39 In-Context

37 Altogether there were 276 of us on board the ship.

38 After they had eaten all they wanted, they lightened the ship by dumping the grain into the sea.

39 When day broke, they didn't recognize the land; but they noticed a bay with a sand beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could.

40 So they cut away the anchors and left them in the sea; at the same time, they loosened the ropes that held the rudders out of the water. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and headed for the beach.

41 But they encountered a place where two currents meet, and ran the vessel aground on the sandbar there. The bow stuck and would not move, while the pounding of the surf began to break up the stern.