Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Acts: Chapter 27]
which time day was about to come on (\ginesthai\, present middle
infinitive, linear action)." That is Paul kept on exhorting or
beseeching (\parekalei\, imperfect active) them until dawn began
to come on (cf. verse 39 when day came). In Heb 3:13 \achri
hou\ with the present indicative has to mean "so long as" or
while, but that is not true here (Robertson, _Grammar_, p. 975).
See on ¯Ac 2:46 for the same phrase for partaking food
(\metalamban• troph•s\, genitive case) as also in 27:34. Paul
wanted them to be ready for action when day really came.
"Fourteenth day" repeated (verse 27), only here in the
accusative of duration of time (\h•meran\). It is not clear
whether the "waiting" (\prosdok•ntes\, present active participle
predicate nominative complementary participle after \diateleite\,
Robertson, _Grammar_, p. 1121) means fourteen days of continuous
fasting or only fourteen successive nights of eager watching
without food. Galen and Dionysius of Halicarnassus employ the
very idiom used here by Luke (\asitos diatele•\). {Having taken
nothing} (\m•then proslabomenoi\). Second aorist middle
participle of \proslamban•\ with the accusative \m•then\ rather
than the more usual \m•den\. Probably Paul means that they had
taken no regular meals, only bits of food now and then.
27:34 {For this is for your safety} (\touto gar pros t•s
humeteras s•t•rias huparchei\). Note \s•t•ria\ in sense of
"safety," literal meaning, not spiritual salvation. This is the
only instance in the N.T. of the use of \pros\ with the ablative
meaning "from the side of" your safety, though a classic idiom
(Robertson, _Grammar_, p. 623), an example of Luke's literary
style. {Perish} (\apoleitai\). Future middle (intransitive) of
\apollumi (-u•)\, to destroy. So the oldest MSS. rather than
\peseitai\ from \pipt•\, to fall. This proverbial expression
occurs also in Lu 21:18 which see and in 1Sa 14:45; 2Sa 14:11;
1Ki 1:52.
27:35 {Gave thanks to God} (\eucharist•sen t•i the•i\). First
aorist active indicative of \euchariste•\ from which our word
"Eucharist" comes. It was saying grace like the head of a Hebrew
family and the example of Paul would encourage the others to eat.
Probably Paul, Luke, and Aristarchus had memories of the Lord's
supper (Ac 2:42) while to others it was only an ordinary meal
(Lu 24:30).
27:36 {Then were they all of good cheer} (\euthumoi de
genomenoi\). More exactly, "Then all becoming cheerful," because
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