Acts 27:7

7 It took several days of slow sailing for us to come with difficulty off Cnidus; from which point, as the wind did not allow us to get on in the direct course, we ran under the lee of Crete by Salmone.

Acts 27:7 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 27:7

And when we had sailed slowly many days
Because of contrary winds, as in ( Acts 27:4 ) or else for want of wind, as some think; the Syriac version renders it, "and because it sailed heavily"; that is, the ship being loaden with goods:

and scarce were come over against Cnidus;
or "Gnidus", as it is sometimes called; it was a city and promontory in Doris, in the Chersonese or peninsula of Caria, famous for the marble statue of Venus made by Praxiteles ^F18; it was over against the island of Crete, and is now called Capo Chio; it was the birthplace of Eudoxus, a famous philosopher, astrologer, geometrician, physician and lawgiver ^F19; it is made mention of in:

``And to all the countries and to Sampsames, and the Lacedemonians, and to Delus, and Myndus, and Sicyon, and Caria, and Samos, and Pamphylia, and Lycia, and Halicarnassus, and Rhodus, and Aradus, and Cos, and Side, and Aradus, and Gortyna, and Cnidus, and Cyprus, and Cyrene.'' (1 Maccabees 15:23)

Jerom ^F20 says, it was a famous island over against Asia, joining to the province of Caria; some think it has its name from the fish "Gnidus", which is taken about this place, and which is of such an extraordinary nature, that when taken in the hand, it stings like a nettle; others ^F21 derive it from (dge) "hanad", or "gnad", which, in the Phoenician language signifies "to join"; because, as both Pausanias ^F23 and Strabo ^F24 say, it was joined by a bridge or causeway to the continent: it had two ports in it, as the last mentioned writer says, but into neither of them did the ship put, in which the apostle was; nor do we read of the Gospel being preached here, or of a church in it until the "sixth" century, when mention is made of a bishop of Gnidus in the acts of the synod at Rome and Constantinople ^F25:

the wind not suffering us;
to go right forward, as the Syriac version adds:

we sailed under Crete;
or below it, as in ( Acts 27:4 ) This is now called Candy; (See Gill on Acts 2:11), over against Salmone; now called Capo Salamone: this, by Pliny ^F26, Ptolomy ^F1, and Mela ^F2, is called Samonium or Sammonium, and by them said to be a promontory in the island of Crete, on the east side of it, over against the island of Rhodes; Strabo calls it Salmonion, an eastern promontory of Crete; and Jerom a maritime city of the island of Crete.

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FOOTNOTES:

F18 Plin. l. 5. c. 28. Ptolom. l. 5. c. 2. Mela, l. 1. c. 16. Pausanias, l. 1. p. 2.
F19 Laert. de Vit. Philosoph. l. 8. p. 622.
F20 De locis Hebraicis, fol. 96. A.
F21 Hiller. Onomasticum, p. 790.
F23 Eliac. 1. sive, l. 5. p. 335.
F24 Geograph. l. 14.
F25 Magdeburg. Hist. cent. 6. c. 2. p. 4.
F26 Hist. l. 4. c. 12.
F1 Geograph. l. 3. c. 17.
F2 De orbis Situ, l. 2. c. 7.

Acts 27:7 In-Context

5 and, sailing the whole length of the sea that lies off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we reached Myra in Lycia.

6 There Julius found an Alexandrian ship bound for Italy, and put us on board of her.

7 It took several days of slow sailing for us to come with difficulty off Cnidus; from which point, as the wind did not allow us to get on in the direct course, we ran under the lee of Crete by Salmone.

8 Then, coasting along with difficulty, we reached a place called `Fair Havens,' near the town of Lasea.

9 Our voyage thus far had occupied a considerable time, and the navigation being now unsafe and the Fast also already over, Paul warned them.