Acts 27:42

42 And counsel of the knights' was, to slay men that were in ward, lest any should escape, when he had swimmed out. [Soothly the counsel of the knights? was, to slay men in the keeping, lest any should escape, when he had swum out.]

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 up the anchors, they betook them to the sea, and slacked together the jointures of rudders [And when they had taken up the anchors, they betook them into the sea, and slaked together the jointures of rudders]. And with a little sail lifted up, by blowing of the wind [after blowing of the wind] they went to the bank.

41 And when we felled into a place of gravel gone all about with the sea, they hurtled the ship. And when the former part was fixed, it dwelled unmoveable [And the former part fixed, dwelled unmoveable], and the last part was broken of the strength of the sea.

42 And counsel of the knights' was, to slay men that were in ward, lest any should escape, when he had swimmed out. [Soothly the counsel of the knights? was, to slay men in the keeping, lest any should escape, when he had swum out.]

43 But the centurion would keep Paul, and forbade it to be done. And he commanded them that might swim, to go into the sea, and escape, and go out to the land. [Forsooth the centurion willing to keep Paul, forbade to be done. And he commanded them that might swim, to send them first into the sea, and escape, and go out to the land.]

44 And they bare some others on boards, some on those things that were of the ship. And so it was done, that all men escaped to the land. [+And some others they bare in boards, some on those things that were of the ship. And so it was made, that all the souls escaped to the land.]