Acts 27:39

39 When daylight came, they saw a bay with a sandy beach. They didn't recognize the place. But they decided to run the ship onto the beach 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 There were 276 of us on board.

38 They ate as much as they wanted. They needed to make the ship lighter. So they threw the rest of the grain into the sea.

39 When daylight came, they saw a bay with a sandy beach. They didn't recognize the place. But they decided to run the ship onto the beach if they could.

40 So they cut the anchors loose and left them in the sea. At the same time, they untied the ropes that held the rudders. They lifted the sail at the front of the ship to the wind. Then they headed for the beach.

41 But the ship hit a sandbar. So the front of it got stuck and wouldn't move. The back of the ship was broken to pieces by the pounding of the waves.