Acts 27:8

8 We kept close to the coast and with great difficulty came to a place called Safe Harbors, not far from the town of Lasea.

Acts 27:8 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 27:8

And hardly passing it
That is, Salmone, with great difficulty, because of the winds:

came unto a place which is called the Fair Havens;
called by other writers Cale Acte, or the fair shore, and is placed by Ptolomy ^F3 in Eubaea, and by Herodotus ^F4 in Sicily; but by Stephanus ^F5 is said to be a city of the Cretians, and which agrees with this account;

nigh whereunto was the city of Lasae;
there was a city in Crete called by Solinus ^F6 Lisson, and by Ptolomy ^F7 Lyssus, which he places on the south side of the island; and by Pliny ^F8 Lasos, which comes pretty near to this name, but then he places it in the midland part of Crete; who also makes mention of an island called Lasia over against Troezenium, and another that was one of the Cyclades; the Syriac version here read, "Lasia": Jerom ^F9 says, Lasea is a city on the shore of the island of Crete, near the place which is called the Fair Havens, as Luke himself explains it; for which some corruptly read "Thalassa"; as do the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions; and the Alexandrian copy "Alassa": Beza conjectures that it is the same with Eloea, which Pliny makes mention of in the above cited place, as a city in Crete.

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FOOTNOTES:

F3 De ordis Situ. l. 3. c. 15.
F4 L. 6. c. 22.
F5 De urbibus.
F6 Polyhist. c. 16.
F7 Ib. l. 3. c. 17.
F8 L. 4. c. 12.
F9 De locis Hebraicis, fol. 96. D.

Acts 27:8 In-Context

6 There the officer found a ship from Alexandria that was going to sail for Italy, so he put us aboard.

7 We sailed slowly for several days and with great difficulty finally arrived off the town of Cnidus. The wind would not let us go any farther in that direction, so we sailed down the sheltered side of the island of Crete, passing by Cape Salmone.

8 We kept close to the coast and with great difficulty came to a place called Safe Harbors, not far from the town of Lasea.

9 We spent a long time there, until it became dangerous to continue the voyage, for by now the Day of Atonement was already past. So Paul gave them this advice:

10 "Men, I see that our voyage from here on will be dangerous; there will be great damage to the cargo and to the ship, and loss of life as well."