Acts 27:42

42 The soldiers decided to kill the prisoners so none could escape by swimming,

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 They cut the anchors, loosed the tiller, raised the sail, and ran before the wind toward the beach.

41 But we didn't make it. Still far from shore, we hit a reef and the ship began to break up.

42 The soldiers decided to kill the prisoners so none could escape by swimming,

43 but the centurion, determined to save Paul, stopped them. He gave orders for anyone who could swim to dive in and go for it,

44 and for the rest to grab a plank. Everyone made it to shore safely.