Acts 27:42

42 The soudears counsell was to kyll ye presoners lest eny of them when he had swome out shulde fle awaye.

Acts 27:42 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 27:42

And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners
Paul, and the rest: this they had not only an inclination to, but they declared it, and gave it as their opinion, and what they thought advisable to be done directly:

lest any of them should swim out and escape;
and they should be accountable for them: but this was dreadful wickedness in them to seek to take away the lives of others, when they themselves were in so much danger; and monstrous ingratitude to the Apostle Paul, who had been so much concerned for their lives, and careful of them, and had been the means of saving them, and for whose sake they were saved: the devil must have had a great hand in this.

Acts 27:42 In-Context

40 And when they had taken vp the ancres they comytted them selves vnto the see and lowsed the rudder bondes and hoysed vp ye mayne sayle to the wynde and drue to londe.

41 But they chaunsed on a place which had the see on bothe the sydes and thrust in the ship. And the foore parte stucke fast and moved not but ye hynder brake with the violence of the waves.

42 The soudears counsell was to kyll ye presoners lest eny of them when he had swome out shulde fle awaye.

43 But the vndercaptayne willinge to save Paul kept the from their purpose and commaunded that they yt could swyme shulde cast the selves first in to ye see and scape to londe.

44 And the other he comaunded to goo some on bordes and some on broken peces of the ship. And so it came to passe that they came all safe to londe.