Acts 27:39

39 When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they sighted a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground 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 In all, there were 276 of us on board.

38 After the men had eaten their fill, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.

39 When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they sighted a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could.

40 Cutting away the anchors, they left them in the sea as they loosened the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach.

41 But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was being broken up by the pounding of the waves.