Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Acts: Chapter 27]
the straight course would have been they sailed southwest with
Crete to their right and got some protection against the wind
there. {Over against Salmone} (\kata Salm•n•n\). Off Cape
Salmone, a promontory on the east of the island.
27:8 {Coasting along} (\paralegomenoi\). Present middle
participle of \paraleg•\, to lay beside, not from \leg•\, to
collect or \leg•\, to say. Diodorus Siculus uses \paralegomai\ in
precisely this sense of coasting along, like Latin _legere oram_.
In N.T. only here and verse 13. {Fair Havens} (\Kalous
Limenas\). This harbour is named Kalus Limeonas, a small bay two
miles east of Cape Matala. It opens to the East and Southeast,
but is not fit to winter in. This harbour would protect them for
a time from the winds. {The city of Lasea} (\polis Lasea\).
Neither Lasea nor Fair Havens is mentioned by any ancient writer,
two of the hundred cities of Crete.
27:9 {Where much time was spent} (\Hikanou chronou
diagenomenou\). Genitive absolute again with second aorist middle
participle of \diaginomai\, to come in between (\dia\).
"Considerable time intervening," since they became weatherbound
in this harbour, though some take it since they left Caesarea.
{And the voyage was now dangerous} (\kai ontos •d• episphalous\).
Genitive absolute, "and the voyage being already (\•d•\=Latin
_jam_) dangerous" (old word from \epi\ and \sphall•\, to trip, to
fall, and so prone to fall, here only in N.T.). {Because the Fast
was now already gone by} (\dia to kai t•n n•steian •d•
parel•luthenai\). Accusative (after \dia\) of the articular
infinitive perfect active of \parerchomai\, to pass by, with the
accusative of general reference (\n•steian\, the great day of
atonement of the Jews, Le 16:29ff.) occurring about the end of
September. The ancients considered navigation on the
Mediterranean unsafe from early October till the middle of March.
In A.D. 59 the Fast occurred on Oct. 5. There is nothing strange
in Luke using this Jewish note of time as in 20:6 though a
Gentile Christian. Paul did it also (1Co 16:8). It is no proof
that Luke was a Jewish proselyte. We do not know precisely when
the party left Caesarea (possibly in August), but in ample time
to arrive in Rome before October if conditions had been more
favourable. But the contrary winds had made the voyage very slow
and difficult all the way (verse 7) besides the long delay here
in this harbour of Fair Havens. {Paul admonished them} (\par•in•i
ho Paulos\). Imperfect active of \paraine•\, old word to exhort
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