Acts 27:30

The sailors (twn nautwn). Old word from nau (ship), in N.T. only here, verse Acts 30 ; Revelation 18:17 . Were seeking (zhtountwn). Genitive absolute again with present active participle of zhtew to seek. Had lowered (calasantwn). Aorist active participle of calazw. Under colour (propasei). Possibly the same word as "prophecy" (from pro-phmi, to speak forth), but here pretence, pretext, although it may come from propainw, to show forth. The use here is an old one and appears also in Mark 12:40 ; Luke 20:47 ; 1 Thessalonians 2:5 ; Philippians 1:18 . As though (w). The alleged reason, a common Greek idiom with w and the participle (Robertson, Grammar, p. 966). Here with mellontwn. From the foreship (ek prwirh). Old word for prow of the ship. In the N.T. only here and verse Philippians 41 . Note here ekteinein (lay out, stretch out) rather than ripsante (casting) in verse Philippians 29 , for they pretended to need the small boat to stretch out or lay out the anchors in front.