Acts 27:12

Because the haven was not commodious to winter in (aneuqetou tou limeno uparconto pro paraceimasian). Genitive absolute again present tense of uparcw: "The harbour being unfit (aneuqetou, this compound not yet found elsewhere, simplex in Luke 9:62 ; Luke 14:35 ; Hebrews 6:7 ) for wintering" (paraceimasia, only here in N.T., but in Polybius and Diodorus, in an inscription A.D. 48, from paraceimazw). The more part advised (oi pleione eqento boulhn). Second aorist middle indicative of tiqhmi, ancient idiom with boulhn, to take counsel, give counsel. Lysias held a council of the officers of the ship on the issue raised by Paul. If by any means they could reach Phoenix and winter there (ei pw dunainto katanthsante ei Poinika paraceimasai). The optative dunainto (present middle of dunamai) here with ei is a condition of the fourth class with the notion of purpose implied and indirect discourse (Robertson, Grammar, p. 1021). "We vote for going on the chance that we may be able" (Page). Phoenix is the town of palms ( John 12:13 ), the modern Lutro, the only town in Crete on the southern coast with a harbour fit for wintering, though Wordsworth and Page argue for Phineka which suits Luke's description better. The verb paraceimazw, to winter, is from para and ceimwn (see also John 28:11 ). Used in several Koin writers. Looking northeast and southeast (bleponta kata liba kai kata cwron). There are two ways of interpreting this language. Lip means the southwest wind and cwro the northwest wind. But what is the effect of kata with these words? Does it mean "facing" the wind? If so, we must read "looking southwest and northwest." But kata can mean down the line of the wind (the way the wind is blowing). If so, then it is proper to translate "looking northeast and southeast." This translation suits Lutro, the other suits Phoenike. Ramsay takes it to be Lutro, and suggests that sailors describe the harbour by the way it looks as they go into it (the subjectivity of the sailors) and that Luke so speaks and means Lutro which faces northeast and southeast. On the whole Lutro has the best of the argument.