Acts 27:42

42 Now the plan of the soldiers was that they would kill the prisoners lest any escape [by] swimming away,

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 slipping the anchors, they left [them] in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes of the steering oars. And hoisting the foresail to the [wind] that was blowing, they held course for the beach.

41 But falling into a place of crosscurrents, they ran the ship aground. And the bow stuck fast [and] stayed immovable, but the stern was being broken up by the violence.

42 Now the plan of the soldiers was that they would kill the prisoners lest any escape [by] swimming away,

43 but the centurion, [because he] wanted to save Paul, prevented them {from doing what they intended}, and gave orders [that] those who were able to swim should jump in first to get to the land,

44 and [then] the rest, [some] of whom [floated] on planks and [some] of whom on anything [that was] from the ship. And in this way all were brought safely to the land.

Footnotes

• [a]. *Here "[by]" is supplied as a component of the participle ("swimming away") which is understood as means