Acts 27 — Clausal Layout (Greek)

independentparticipialrelativepurposecausecomparativecontentconditionalphrase modifierdashed = verbless / suspended

Flush-left = a main (independent) clause. Each dependent line begins directly beneath the word it attaches to in the line above — the anchor word is dotted-underlined, and lights up when you hover its dependent clause; each tag also names the attachment. A dashed border marks verbless, elliptical, or suspended lines. Where a long sentence's staircase runs wider than the page, the diagram scrolls sideways. (In print, or without JavaScript, lines fall back to stepped indent columns.)

Embarkation — Caesarea to Fair Havens 27:1–8

vv. 1–3 — handed to Julius; the first leg to Sidon

Ὡς δὲ ἐκρίθη τοῦ ἀποπλεῖν ἡμᾶς εἰς τὴν Ἰταλίαν,conditional — temporal ὡς (typed cnd; no temporal key) — impersonal ἐκρίθη, the administrative decision; the 'we' resumes

παρεδίδουν τόν τε Παῦλον καί τινας ἑτέρους δεσμώτας ἑκατοντάρχῃ ὀνόματι Ἰουλίῳ σπείρης Σεβαστῆς.independent — παρεδίδουν — the handing-over verb of the passion; Julius of the Cohors Augusta enters, the chapter's other decision-maker

ἐπιβάντες δὲ πλοίῳ Ἀδραμυττηνῷ μέλλοντι πλεῖν εἰς τοὺς κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν τόπουςparticipial — preposed aorist participle — a coasting vessel for the first leg; leans on ἀνήχθημεν

ἀνήχθημεν,independent — ἀνάγεσθαι — the technical departure formula; first-plural mainline: the narrator is aboard

ὄντος σὺν ἡμῖν Ἀρισταρχου Μακεδόνος Θεσσαλονικέως.participial — trailing genitive absolute — the first of the chapter's many; Aristarchus (19:29; 20:4; Col 4:10) named as companion

τῇ τε ἑτέρᾳ κατήχθημεν εἰς Σιδῶνα·independent — κατάγεσθαι — the arrival idiom paired with ἀνάγεσθαι; ~110 km north in a day's sail

φιλανθρώπως τε ὁ Ἰούλιος τῷ Παύλῳ χρησάμενοςparticipial — preposed participle with fronted adverb — φιλανθρώπως, Luke's commendation of the outsider (cf. 28:2); leans on ἐπέτρεψεν

ἐπέτρεψεν πρὸς τοὺς φίλους πορευθέντι ἐπιμελείας τυχεῖν.independent — ἐπιμελείας τυχεῖν — 'obtain attention,' possibly medical; οἱ φίλοι, Luke's word for the believers at Sidon

vv. 4–8 — contrary winds: the lee of Cyprus, Myra, and the hard slog to Fair Havens

κἀκεῖθεν ἀναχθέντεςparticipial — preposed participle — the departure formula repeated; leans on ὑπεπλεύσαμεν

ὑπεπλεύσαμεν τὴν Κύπρονindependent — ὑποπλέω — technical: running the sheltered east side of the island; NT hapax as a nautical maneuver

διὰ τὸ τοὺς ἀνέμους εἶναι ἐναντίους,cause — διὰ τό + infinitive — the prevailing NW winds of late summer; ἄνεμος becomes the chapter's antagonist

τό τε πέλαγος τὸ κατὰ τὴν Κιλικίαν καὶ Παμφυλίαν διαπλεύσαντεςparticipial — preposed participle, object fronted — πέλαγος, the deep water; διαπλέω hapax; leans on κατήλθομεν

κατήλθομεν εἰς Μύρα τῆς Λυκίας.independent — Myra — the great way-station of the Alexandrian grain route; the itinerary is navigationally exact

κἀκεῖ εὑρὼν ὁ ἑκατοντάρχης πλοῖον Ἀλεξανδρῖνον πλέον εἰς τὴν Ἰταλίανparticipial — preposed participle — the grain-fleet ship, among antiquity's largest hulls; leans on ἐνεβίβασεν

ἐνεβίβασεν ἡμᾶς εἰς αὐτό.independent — ἐμβιβάζω — causative, hapax; Julius decides, the 'we' is transferred

ἐν ἱκαναῖς δὲ ἡμέραις βραδυπλοοῦντεςparticipial — βραδυπλοέω — 'slow-sailing,' a NT hapax coined for the grind against headwinds; leans on ὑπεπλεύσαμεν

καὶ μόλις γενόμενοι κατὰ τὴν Κνίδον,participial — γίνομαι κατά — the nautical idiom 'come abreast of'; μόλις begins its drumbeat (vv. 7, 8, 16)

μὴ προσεῶντος ἡμᾶς τοῦ ἀνέμου,participial — genitive absolute — προσεάω hapax; at Cnidus the shelter of the Asian coast ends and the wind bars the direct route

ὑπεπλεύσαμεν τὴν Κρήτην κατὰ Σαλμώνην,independent — ὑποπλέω again — rounding Cape Salmone to run Crete's sheltered southern coast

μόλις τε παραλεγόμενοι αὐτὴνparticipial — παραλέγομαι — the technical term for close coasting; third μόλις in two verses; leans on ἤλθομεν

ἤλθομεν εἰς τόπον τινὰ καλούμενον Καλοὺς Λιμένας,independent — Καλοὶ Λιμένες — the name survives at Limenas Kalous, south-central Crete; an open roadstead, not a winter harbor

ᾧ ἐγγὺς πόλις ἦν Λασαία.relative — the locating relative — Lasea, unattested in classical sources but confirmed archaeologically

Paul's warning overruled 27:9–12

vv. 9–10 — the season closed, the warning given

Ἱκανοῦ δὲ χρόνου διαγενομένουparticipial — genitive absolute — the first of a forward-leaning pair; leans on παρῄνει

καὶ ὄντος ἤδη ἐπισφαλοῦς τοῦ πλοὸςparticipial — second genitive absolute — ἐπισφαλής ('precarious') hapax; πλόος, the nautical noun for the voyage itself

διὰ τὸ καὶ τὴν νηστείαν ἤδη παρεληλυθέναι,cause — διὰ τό + perfect infinitive — the Fast = Yom Kippur (late Sept/Oct); past it, the sailing season is effectively closed

παρῄνει ὁ Παῦλοςindependent — conative imperfect of παραινέω (rare in NT) — sustained counsel, about to be overruled

λέγων αὐτοῖς·participial — pleonastic speech-participle — the frame for the warning

Ἄνδρες, θεωρῶ ὅτιcontent — θεωρῶ — practical assessment, not vision; contrast the angel of v. 23; Ἄνδρες, Paul's formal address (vv. 10, 21, 25)

μετὰ ὕβρεως καὶ πολλῆς ζημίας οὐ μόνον τοῦ φορτίου καὶ τοῦ πλοίου ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν μέλλειν ἔσεσθαι τὸν πλοῦν.content — ὕβρις here 'damage' (nautical-commercial, not moral hubris) — the tricolon climbs: cargo, ship, lives; vv. 21–22 will replay every term

vv. 11–12 — the experts trusted, the majority decides for Phoenix

ὁ δὲ ἑκατοντάρχης τῷ κυβερνήτῃ καὶ τῷ ναυκλήρῳ ἐπείθετο μᾶλλον ἢ τοῖς ὑπὸ Παύλου λεγομένοις.independent — κυβερνήτης and ναύκληρος — pilot and owner-master, the professionals with a financial stake; imperfect ἐπείθετο, settled deference

ἀνευθέτου δὲ τοῦ λιμένος ὑπάρχοντος πρὸς παραχειμασίανparticipial — genitive absolute — ἀνεύθετος and παραχειμασία both hapax; Fair Havens is too open a roadstead; leans on ἔθεντο

οἱ πλείονες ἔθεντο βουλὴν ἀναχθῆναι ἐκεῖθεν,independent — οἱ πλείονες — decision by majority; βουλὴν τίθεσθαι, the idiom of formal resolution, against the minority voice just heard

εἴ πως δύναιντο καταντήσαντες εἰς Φοίνικα παραχειμάσαιconditional — εἴ πως + optative — tentative hope, not confidence; backward-leaning on the plan, so anchored (unlike forward protases)

λιμένα τῆς Κρήτης βλέποντα κατὰ λίβα καὶ κατὰ χῶρον.phrase modifier — verbless apposition — a pilot's description: λίψ (SW) and χῶρος (NW, a Latinism from Caurus, hapax); Phoenix = modern Loutró

The Eurakylon strikes 27:13–20

vv. 13–15 — the south wind's deception; the seizure; the surrender of the 'we'

Ὑποπνεύσαντος δὲ νότουparticipial — genitive absolute — ὑποπνέω (hapax), the light breeze that flatters the plan; leans on παρελέγοντο

δόξαντες τῆς προθέσεως κεκρατηκέναι,participial — preposed participle with perfect-infinitive content — δόξαντες + κεκρατηκέναι, false confidence before disaster; πρόθεσις elsewhere God's purpose (Rom 8:28); leans on παρελέγοντο

ἄραντεςparticipial — preposed aorist participle — αἴρω, 'weigh anchor' (αἴρω τὴν ἄγκυραν); leans on παρελέγοντο

ἆσσον παρελέγοντο τὴν Κρήτην.independent — ἆσσον — the comparative adverb 'closer' (of ἄγχι), not a toponym; παραλέγομαι again (v. 8); the mainline resumes

μετ᾿ οὐ πολὺ δὲ ἔβαλεν κατ᾿ αὐτῆς ἄνεμος τυφωνικὸς ὁ καλούμενος Εὐρακύλων·independent — the chapter's pivot — ἔβαλεν κατ᾿ αὐτῆς, the wind hurled down off Crete; τυφωνικός ('typhonic,' hapax); Εὐρακύλων the Greek-Latin hybrid 'northeaster' (Byzantine MSS smooth to Εὐροκλύδων)

συναρπασθέντος δὲ τοῦ πλοίουparticipial — genitive absolute — συναρπάζω, the gale seizing the ship bodily; leans on ἐφερόμεθα

καὶ μὴ δυναμένου ἀντοφθαλμεῖν τῷ ἀνέμῳparticipial — coordinate genitive absolute — ἀντοφθαλμέω (hapax), 'look the wind in the eye'; leans on ἐφερόμεθα

ἐπιδόντεςparticipial — preposed participle — ἐπιδίδωμι, 'give the ship over' to the wind, running before it; leans on ἐφερόμεθα

ἐφερόμεθα.independent — φέρω passive — the first-plural mainline itself goes passive; agency surrendered to the storm

vv. 16–17 — the lee of Cauda: the boat secured, the hull frapped, the fear of Syrtis

νησίον δέ τι ὑποδραμόντες καλούμενον Καῦδαparticipial — preposed participle — ὑποτρέχω (hapax), running under an island's shelter as ὑποπλέω (vv. 4, 7); Cauda/Gavdos, ~40 km SW of Crete; leans on ἰσχύσαμεν

μόλις ἴσχύσαμεν περικρατεῖς γενέσθαι τῆς σκάφης,independent — fourth μόλις (vv. 7, 8, 16); περικρατής (hapax) 'master of'; σκάφη, the towed dinghy, hauled aboard before it swamped

ἣν ἄραντεςparticipial — relative object + preposed participle — ἥν = the σκάφη; ἄραντες here 'hoist up' (contrast v. 13); leans on ἐχρῶντο

βοηθείαις ἐχρῶντοindependent — βοήθεια, abstract 'help' turned concrete — the supporting cables; χράομαι + dative of means

ὑποζωννύντες τὸ πλοῖον·participial — ὑποζώννυμι (hapax) — 'frapping': heavy cables passed under the hull to hold it together, an attested last-resort measure

φοβούμενοί τε μὴ εἰς τὴν Σύρτιν ἐκπέσωσιν,participial — preposed participle of fearing (μή + subjunctive) — ἡ Σύρτις, the dreaded shoals off Libya; ἐκπίπτω, the first of four (vv. 17, 26, 29, 32); leans on ἐφέροντο

χαλάσαντες τὸ σκεῦοςparticipial — preposed participle — χαλάω, 'lower'; τὸ σκεῦος genuinely uncertain: a sea-anchor/drag, or the mainyard lowered to slow the drift; leans on ἐφέροντο

οὕτως ἐφέροντο.independent — φέρω passive again (v. 15) — every measure taken, still merely 'carried' by the storm

vv. 18–20 — jettison, then despair: neither sun nor stars

σφοδρῶς δὲ χειμαζομένων ἡμῶνparticipial — genitive absolute — σφοδρῶς (hapax adv.) + χειμάζω (hapax), 'storm-battered'; leans on ἐποιοῦντο

τῇ ἑξῆς ἐκβολὴν ἐποιοῦντο,independent — ἐκβολὴν ποιεῖσθαι — the idiom for jettison (ἐκβολή hapax), recognized in ancient sea-law; τῇ ἑξῆς, Lukan 'on the next day'

καὶ τῇ τρίτῃ αὐτόχειρες τὴν σκευὴν τοῦ πλοίου ἔρριψαν.independent — αὐτόχειρες (hapax) 'with their own hands' — crew and passengers alike; σκευή (hapax), the rigging, distinct from the φορτίον; ῥίπτω, the violent verb (again vv. 29, 43, 44)

μήτε δὲ ἡλίου μήτε ἄστρων ἐπιφαινόντων ἐπὶ πλείονας ἡμέραςparticipial — genitive absolute (negated μήτε … μήτε) — no celestial navigation; ἐπιφαίνω, elsewhere of grace 'appearing' (Tit 2:11); leans on περιῃρεῖτο

χειμῶνός τε οὐκ ὀλίγου ἐπικειμένου,participial — second genitive absolute — the litotes οὐκ ὀλίγου (Lukan); ἐπίκειμαι, the storm bearing down; leans on περιῃρεῖτο

λοιπὸν περιῃρεῖτο ἐλπὶς πᾶσα τοῦ σῴζεσθαι ἡμᾶς.independent — the nadir — imperfect περιαιρέω, hope eroding rather than snapped; σῴζεσθαι sets up the promise; λοιπόν, 'at last'

Paul's midnight assurance 27:21–26

vv. 21–22 — you should have listened; but now take courage

Πολλῆς τε ἀσιτίας ὑπαρχούσηςparticipial — genitive absolute — ἀσιτία (hapax), the involuntary fast the storm imposed (cf. ἄσιτοι, v. 33); leans on εἶπεν

τότε σταθεὶς ὁ Παῦλος ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶνparticipial — preposed participle — σταθεὶς ἐν μέσῳ, Luke's preaching posture (2:14; 17:22); leans on εἶπεν

εἶπεν·independent — the mainline verb of saying — Paul takes the center of the storm-tossed ship

Ἔδει μέν, ὦ ἄνδρες, πειθαρχήσαντάς μοι μὴ ἀνάγεσθαι ἀπὸ τῆς Κρήτηςcontent — ἔδει, imperfect of unfulfilled obligation — a mild 'you should have'; ἀνάγεσθαι recalls the very decision he opposed (v. 12); Ἄνδρες again (vv. 10, 21, 25)

κερδῆσαί τε τὴν ὕβριν ταύτην καὶ τὴν ζημίαν.content — κερδαίνω 'gain' used ironically of loss; ὕβρις and ζημία repeat v. 10 word for word — the dismissed warning fulfilled

καὶ τὰ νῦν παραινῶ ὑμᾶς εὐθυμεῖν·content — the turn from rebuke to assurance — παραινέω again (v. 9), now urging courage; εὐθυμεῖν frames the speech (vv. 22, 25)

ἀποβολὴ γὰρ ψυχῆς οὐδεμία ἔσται ἐξ ὑμῶν πλὴν τοῦ πλοίου.cause — γάρ grounds the courage — the central promise reversing v. 10's feared loss of ψυχαί; only the πλοῖον is forfeit

vv. 23–24 — the angel of the God I serve

παρέστη γάρ μοι ταύτῃ τῇ νυκτὶ τοῦ θεοῦ, οὗ εἰμι [ἐγώ], ᾧ καὶ λατρεύω, ἄγγελοςcause — second γάρ, the deeper ground — παρίστημι, the angelophany verb; ἄγγελος withheld to the clause's end, arriving only after the double confession οὗ εἰμι … ᾧ λατρεύω (cultic service, spoken before a pagan crew); [ἐγώ] disputed

λέγων·participial — pleonastic speech-participle on ἄγγελος — the messenger's words nested a level below the man who reports them

Μὴ φοβοῦ, Παῦλε·content — Μὴ φοβοῦ — the OT angelophany formula (Gen 15:1; Dan 10:12; Luke 1:13, 30); Παῦλε, named

Καίσαρί σε δεῖ παραστῆναι,content — the divine δεῖ — Paul's appearance before Caesar as necessity (23:11; 25:11); παραστῆναι echoes παρέστη (v. 23)

καὶ ἰδοὺ κεχάρισταί σοι ὁ θεὸς πάντας τοὺς πλέοντας μετά σου.content — χαρίζομαι (perfect — done and standing), the gift of grace; πάντας, the comprehensive promise; the whole company given to Paul

vv. 25–26 — so take courage; yet we must run aground on an island

διὸ εὐθυμεῖτε, ἄνδρες·content — διό draws the inference; εὐθυμεῖτε (imperative) closes the ring opened by εὐθυμεῖν (v. 22); Ἄνδρες a third time

πιστεύω γὰρ τῷ θεῷcause — γάρ grounds the command — a public confession of faith before non-believers; πιστεύω + dative, personal trust

ὅτι οὕτως ἔσταιcontent — ὅτι-content of πιστεύω — the future ἔσται matched to the promise just given

καθ᾿ ὃν τρόπον λελάληταί μοι.comparative — καθ᾿ ὃν τρόπον, 'exactly as' — perfect λελάληται, the spoken word standing as the ground of faith

εἰς νῆσον δέ τινα δεῖ ἡμᾶς ἐκπεσεῖν.content — the oracle's last clause — a second δεῖ (as v. 24), shipwreck itself a divine necessity; ἐκπίπτω again; the island (Malta, 28:1) left unnamed

The fourteenth night 27:27–32

vv. 27–29 — the soundings; four anchors from the stern; a prayer for day

Ὡς δὲ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτη νὺξ ἐγένετοconditional — temporal ὡς (typed cnd; no temporal key, as v. 1) — the day-count resumes after the speech; leans on ὑπενόουν

διαφερομένων ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ Ἀδρίᾳ,participial — genitive absolute — διαφέρω passive, still adrift; ὁ Ἀδρίας in its broad ancient sense (the central Mediterranean, not only the modern Adriatic); leans on ὑπενόουν

κατὰ μέσον τῆς νυκτὸς ὑπενόουν οἱ ναῦται προσάγειν τινὰ αὐτοῖς χώραν.independent — ὑπονοέω, dawning suspicion (perhaps the sound of breakers); προσάγειν — 'some land nearing them,' the idiom for closing a coast

καὶ βολίσαντεςparticipial — preposed participle — βολίζω (hapax), heaving the lead-line; leans on εὗρον

εὗρον ὀργυιὰς εἴκοσι·independent — ὀργυιά (hapax), the fathom (~1.85 m, an outstretched arm-span); ~37 m of water

βραχὺ δὲ διαστήσαντεςparticipial — preposed participle — διΐστημι, advancing a short distance; leans on the second εὗρον

καὶ πάλιν βολίσαντεςparticipial — the second cast — the rapid shoaling (20 → 15 fathoms) betrays a shelving coast; leans on εὗρον

εὗρον ὀργυιὰς δεκαπέντε·independent — ~27 m — the depth halving in a short run forces the decision to anchor

φοβούμενοί τε μὴ που κατὰ τραχεῖς τόπους ἐκπέσωμεν,participial — preposed participle of fearing (μή + subjunctive) — τραχεῖς τόποι, rocky shoals; ἐκπίπτω a third time (vv. 17, 26, 29); leans on ηὔχοντο

ἐκ πρύμνης ῥίψαντες ἀγκύρας τέσσαραςparticipial — preposed participle — stern-anchoring (πρύμνη), an attested tactic holding the bow toward shore; four ἄγκυραι; ῥίπτω again; leans on ηὔχοντο

ηὔχοντο ἡμέραν γενέσθαι.independent — εὔχομαι — even the veteran crew reduced to prayer; the 'we' narrator numbered among them

vv. 30–32 — the sailors' escape attempt; the cut ropes

τῶν δὲ ναυτῶν ζητούντων φυγεῖν ἐκ τοῦ πλοίουparticipial — genitive absolute — the crew's desertion attempt; without them the beach-run is impossible; leans on εἶπεν (v. 31)

καὶ χαλασάντων τὴν σκάφην εἰς τὴν θάλασσανparticipial — coordinate genitive absolute — χαλάω again (v. 17); the σκάφη, hauled aboard with such effort (v. 16), now lowered as an escape craft; leans on εἶπεν

προφάσει ὡς ἐκ πρῴρης ἀγκύρας μελλόντων ἐκτείνειν,participial — προφάσει, the transparent pretext; πρῷρα (bow) against πρύμνη (stern, v. 29); μελλόντων continues the absolute; leans on εἶπεν

εἶπεν ὁ Παῦλος τῷ ἑκατοντάρχῃ καὶ τοῖς στρατιώταις·independent — the mainline lands — Paul now addresses the military, not the crew; asyndeton marks the urgency

Ἐὰν μὴ οὗτοι μείνωσιν ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ,conditional — ἐάν μή protasis inside quoted speech — leaning forward on the apodosis, one level deeper; the crew's skill is indispensable to the rescue

ὑμεῖς σωθῆναι οὐ δύνασθε.content — the apodosis — σῴζω a third time (vv. 20, 22, 31); the promised deliverance still runs through human means

τότε ἀπέκοψαν οἱ στρατιῶται τὰ σχοινία τῆς σκάφηςindependent — ἀποκόπτω — the soldiers' one decisive act, done at Paul's word, not the centurion's; σχοινία, the boat's tow-lines

καὶ εἴασαν αὐτὴν ἐκπεσεῖν.independent — coordinate — ἐκπίπτω a fourth time (vv. 17, 26, 29, 32), now of the drifting boat; escape and pretext lost together

Bread before dawn 27:33–38

vv. 33–34 — fourteen days without food; not a hair will be lost

Ἄχρι δὲ οὗ ἡμέρα ἤμελλεν γίνεσθαιconditional — temporal ἄχρι οὗ, here 'while' with the imperfect (typed cnd; no temporal key) — the pre-dawn hour; leans on παρεκάλει

παρεκάλει ὁ Παῦλος ἅπαντας μεταλαβεῖν τροφῆςindependent — conative imperfect παρακαλέω — Paul as pastor; ἅπαντας, all 276; μεταλαβεῖν τροφῆς, the practical concern before the ordeal ahead

λέγων·participial — pleonastic speech-participle — the frame for the appeal

Τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτην σήμερον ἡμέραν προσδοκῶντες ἄσιτοι διατελεῖτε μηθὲν προσλαβόμενοι.content — διατελέω (hapax) with ἄσιτοι (hapax adj., cf. ἀσιτία, v. 21) — the fourteen-day fast confirmed; προσδοκάω adds the anxious waiting

διὸ παρακαλῶ ὑμᾶς μεταλαβεῖν τροφῆς·content — διό — the appeal itself, παρακαλῶ now in direct speech; the same μεταλαβεῖν τροφῆς

τοῦτο γὰρ πρὸς τῆς ὑμετέρας σωτηρίας ὑπάρχει·cause — γάρ grounds the appeal — πρός + genitive, 'conduces to'; σωτηρία here bodily survival, though the word never loses its weight in Luke-Acts

οὐδενὸς γὰρ ὑμῶν θρὶξ ἀπὸ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἀπολεῖται.cause — second γάρ — the Hebraic idiom of total safety (1 Sam 14:45; Luke 21:18); the practical advice rests on the divine promise of vv. 22–24

vv. 35–38 — the breaking of bread, the 276, the lightened ship

εἴπας δὲ ταῦταparticipial — preposed participle closing the speech; leans on εὐχαρίστησεν

καὶ λαβὼν ἄρτονparticipial — the first of four verbs (λαβών — εὐχαρίστησεν — κλάσας — ἤρξατο ἐσθίειν) echoing Luke 22:19; Acts 2:46; leans on εὐχαρίστησεν

εὐχαρίστησεν τῷ θεῷ ἐνώπιον πάντωνindependent — εὐχαριστέω — the verb behind 'Eucharist'; the eucharistic cadence is resonance, not identification (the company is mixed); a public witness

καὶ κλάσαςparticipial — preposed participle — κλάω, the technical 'break bread' (κλάσις ἄρτου, Luke 24:35; Acts 2:42), third of the four actions; leans on ἤρξατο

ἤρξατο ἐσθίειν.independent — inceptive ἤρξατο — Paul's example, taken up by all in v. 36

εὔθυμοι δὲ γενόμενοι πάντεςparticipial — preposed participle — εὔθυμοι (hapax adj.) closes the ring of εὐθυμ- (vv. 22, 25, 36); Paul's word has taken hold; leans on προσελάβοντο

καὶ αὐτοὶ προσελάβοντο τροφῆς.independent — προσλαμβάνω, the very verb Paul used (v. 33), now fulfilled in their eating; καὶ αὐτοί, following his example

ἤμεθα δὲ αἱ πᾶσαι ψυχαὶ ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ διακόσιαι ἑβδομήκοντα ἕξ.independent — the parenthetical count — ψυχαί ('souls,' a Hebraism for persons) echoes the ψυχαί feared lost (vv. 10, 22); 276 (ℵ A) against B's ὡς ἑβδομήκοντα ἕξ, 'about seventy-six' — a misdivision of ΠΛΟΙΩΩΣ

κορεσθέντες δὲ τροφῆςparticipial — preposed participle — κορέννυμι, 'sated,' against fourteen days' hunger; leans on ἐκούφιζον

ἐκούφιζον τὸ πλοῖονindependent — κουφίζω (hapax) — the final draft-reduction for the beach-run

ἐκβαλλόμενοι τὸν σῖτον εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν.participial — the means of the lightening — σῖτος, the Alexandrian grain, the cargo (the ζημία of v. 10) now sacrificed at last

The shipwreck — all brought safe to land 27:39–44

vv. 39–41 — the unknown bay; the run for the beach; the reef

Ὅτε δὲ ἡμέρα ἐγένετο,conditional — temporal ὅτε (typed cnd; no temporal key) — daybreak brings partial sight; leans on ἐπεγίνωσκον

τὴν γῆν οὐκ ἐπεγίνωσκον,independent — ἐπιγινώσκω — land visible but unidentifiable; they had been blown far off any known route (Malta lay on none of them)

κόλπον δέ τινα κατενόουν ἔχοντα αἰγιαλόν,independent — κατανοέω, careful observation; a κόλπος with an αἰγιαλός (a sandy shore) — the feature needed for beaching; traditionally St. Paul's Bay, Malta

εἰς ὃν ἐβουλεύοντοrelative — relative on αἰγιαλόν — ἐβουλεύοντο, the crew deliberating the beach-run

εἰ δύναιντο ἐξῶσαι τὸ πλοῖον.conditional — εἰ + optative, indirect deliberation (backward-leaning, so anchored, as v. 12) — ἐξωθέω, to run a ship up on the beach

καὶ τὰς ἀγκύρας περιελόντεςparticipial — preposed participle — περιαιρέω (as v. 20, of hope) now cutting away the four stern anchors; leans on εἴων

εἴων εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν,independent — ἐάω — no time to haul them aboard; the anchors abandoned

ἅμα ἀνέντες τὰς ζευκτηρίας τῶν πηδαλίωνparticipial — ἅμα, simultaneous — ἀνίημι slackening the ζευκτηρίαι (hapax), the bands that lashed the twin πηδάλια amidships through the storm, now freed to steer; leans on κατεῖχον

καὶ ἐπάραντες τὸν ἀρτέμωνα τῇ πνεούσῃparticipial — ἐπαίρω — raising the ἀρτέμων (hapax), a small foresail/spritsail for steerage on the run, its exact identity debated; τῇ πνεούσῃ, to the blowing wind; leans on κατεῖχον

κατεῖχον εἰς τὸν αἰγιαλόν.independent — κατέχω εἰς, the nautical 'hold for'; the αἰγιαλός of v. 39 is now the goal

περιπεσόντες δὲ εἰς τόπον διθάλασσονparticipial — preposed participle — περιπίπτω, run into; διθάλασσος (hapax), 'with sea on both sides,' a bar between two channels; leans on ἐπέκειλαν

ἐπέκειλαν τὴν ναῦν·independent — ἐπικέλλω (hapax), the technical 'run aground'; ναῦς — the classical word for ship, its only NT occurrence, an elevation at the climactic moment (πλοῖον everywhere else)

καὶ ἡ μὲν πρῷρα ἐρείσασα ἔμεινεν ἀσάλευτος,independent — ἡ μέν … ἡ δέ antithesis — πρῷρα against πρύμνη; ἐρείδω (hapax) lodged; ἀσάλευτος 'unshaken' (cf. Heb 12:28)

ἡ δὲ πρύμνη ἐλύετο ὑπὸ τῆς βίας τῶν κυμάτων.independent — the δέ member — imperfect λύω, the stern disintegrating under the βία of the κύματα while the bow holds fast

vv. 42–44 — the soldiers' plan; the centurion's veto; all safe to land

τῶν δὲ στρατιωτῶν βουλὴ ἐγένετοindependent — βουλή again (v. 12), now the soldiers' — Roman law made a guard answerable with his own life for an escaped prisoner (cf. 12:19; 16:27)

ἵνα τοὺς δεσμώτας ἀποκτείνωσιν,purpose — ἵνα of the plan's content — δεσμώτας recalls v. 1; the plan would have killed Paul and voided the promise

μή τις ἐκκολυμβήσας διαφύγῃ·purpose — negative purpose (μή + subjunctive) — ἐκκολυμβάω (hapax), swim clear; the soldiers' legally rational, morally brutal calculation

ὁ δὲ ἑκατοντάρχης βουλόμενος διασῴσαι τὸν Παῦλονparticipial — preposed participle — Julius' motive stated: to save Paul in particular; διασῴζω, the intensive 'bring safely through' (vv. 43, 44; 28:1, 4); leans on ἐκώλυσεν

ἐκώλυσεν αὐτοὺς τοῦ βουλήματος,independent — κωλύω + genitive — Julius overrides the soldiers' βούλημα; his care for the one becomes the rescue of all (v. 24)

ἐκέλευσέν τε τοὺς δυναμένους κολυμβᾶν ἀπορρίψαντας πρώτους ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἐξιέναι,independent — κελεύω, the command of authority; ἀπορρίπτω (hapax), fling oneself off; the swimmers go first

καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς οὓς μὲν ἐπὶ σανίσιν οὓς δὲ ἐπί τινων τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ πλοίου·independent — elliptical (the verb of going supplied from v. 43) — οὓς μέν … οὓς δέ, distributive; σανίς, planks of the breaking hull turned rafts

καὶ οὕτως ἐγένετο πάντας διασωθῆναι ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν.independent — the close — οὕτως ties the outcome to the divine word (vv. 24–25); πάντας διασωθῆναι fulfills 'all' exactly as promised; διασῴζω, complete deliverance

Analysis. Acts 27 is the New Testament's one sustained sea narrative, and the layout shows a we-passage under weather. The purple mainline runs in the first person plural — ἀνήχθημεν, ὑπεπλεύσαμεν, κατήλθομεν, ἤλθομεν — the narrator aboard and counting the days, until the Eurakylon strips the 'we' of agency and the mainline itself goes passive: ἐφερόμεθα, ἐφέροντο, 'we were being carried.' Against that line two shapes dominate. First, the genitive absolute — this chapter is the NT's densest field of them — leaning forward, anchor-less, loading circumstance upon circumstance before each verb lands (the wind not letting us on, the ship seized, we being violently storm-tossed, neither sun nor stars appearing, the sailors seeking to flee): green participial lines stacked above the events they condition. Second, speech, hanging blue beneath its verbs: Paul's overruled warning under θεωρῶ, his midnight speech under εἶπεν with the angel's own words nested two levels deeper under the ἄγγελος who arrives, in the Greek, only after the God he belongs to has been confessed. The technical vocabulary is named rather than smoothed: ὑποπλέω and παραλέγομαι (sailing under the lee, coasting), βραδυπλοέω (a hapax for the slow slog), ὑποζωννύντες (frapping cables passed under the hull), τὸ σκεῦος at v. 17 (sea-anchor or storm-sail — genuinely uncertain, the tag says so), βολίσαντες and ὀργυιάς (heaving the lead, fathoms), ζευκτηρίας τῶν πηδαλίων (the steering-oar lashings), the ἀρτέμων foresail (hapax, identity debated), ἐπέκειλαν and the shift to classical ναῦς at the moment of grounding. Cruxes carried openly: Εὐρακύλων (the hybrid Greek-Latin 'northeaster'; Byzantine MSS smooth to Εὐροκλύδων); ἆσσον read as the comparative adverb, not a toponym; ὁ Ἀδρίας in its broad ancient sense; the 276 of v. 37 read against Vaticanus' 'about seventy-six'; and Paul's λαβὼν—εὐχαρίστησεν—κλάσας—ἤρξατο ἐσθίειν at v. 35, whose eucharistic cadence is tagged as resonance, not identification. The chapter's theology sits in its echoes: the ὕβρις-and-ζημία of the warning (v. 10) returns verbatim in the rebuke (v. 21); the twin δεῖ of the angel (vv. 24, 26) makes both the trial before Caesar and the shipwreck divine necessity; and πάντας διασωθῆναι closes the promise exactly as spoken.