Acts 27:2

And entering into a ship of Adramyttium, we launched, meaning to sail by the coasts of Asia; one Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(2) Entering into a ship of Adramyttium.—Better, embarking in. Adramyttium was a town on the coast of Mysia, opposite Lesbos. It lay on the Roman road from Assos and Troas to Pergamus, Ephesus, and Miletus. It was a port of considerable importance, and the Gulf of Adramyti still retains its name. There would seem to have been but little direct intercourse by sea between Cæsarea and Rome, and the voyage had therefore to be made, now in one ship, now in another. Changes of this kind occurred, it will be remembered, in St. Paul’s journey from Philippi to Cæsarea. Possibly it was at first intended that the prisoners should go to Adramyttium, cross to Greece, and then proceed by land. “Asia” is, of course, the proconsular province so called. Looking to the fact that the “fast,” i.e., the Day of Atonement (falling this year on Sept. 24th), was over when St. Paul reached Crete (Acts 27:9), the date of embarkation may be fixed, with much probability, in the middle, or towards the end, of the previous August.

One Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica.—It is reasonable to infer that Aristarchus, who had come with St. Paul to Jerusalem (Acts 20:4), had remained in Palestine during the two years of the Apostle’s imprisonment, and was now intending to return to his native city. The subsequent alteration of plan (Acts 27:6), however, led to his accompanying him to Rome, and we find him there with St. Paul in Colossians 4:10, sharing his imprisonment.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

27:1-11 It was determined by the counsel of God, before it was determined by the counsel of Festus, that Paul should go to Rome; for God had work for him to do there. The course they steered, and the places they touched at, are here set down. And God here encourages those who suffer for him, to trust in him; for he can put it into the hearts of those to befriend them, from whom they least expect it. Sailors must make the best of the wind: and so must we all in our passage over the ocean of this world. When the winds are contrary, yet we must be getting forward as well as we can. Many who are not driven backward by cross providences, do not get forward by favourable providences. And many real Christians complain as to the concerns of their souls, that they have much ado to keep their ground. Every fair haven is not a safe haven. Many show respect to good ministers, who will not take their advice. But the event will convince sinners of the vanity of their hopes, and the folly of their conduct.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A ship of Adramyttium - A maritime town of Mysia, in Asia Minor, opposite to the island of Lesbos. This was a ship which had been built there, or which sailed from that port, but which was then in the port of Caesarea. It is evident, from Acts 27:6, that this ship was not expected to sail to Italy, but that the centurion expected to find some other vessel into which he could put the prisoners to take them to Rome.

We launched - We loosed from our anchorage, or we set sail. See Acts 13:13.

By the coasts of Asia - Of Asia Minor. Probably the owners of the ship designed to make a coasting voyage along the southern part of Asia Minor, and to engage in traffic with the maritime towns and cities.

One Aristarchus, a Macedonian - This man is mentioned as Paul's companion in travel in Acts 19:29. He afterward attended him to Macedonia, and returned with him to Asia, Acts 20:4. He now appears to have attended him, not as a prisoner, but as a voluntary companion, choosing to share with him his dangers, and to enjoy the benefit of his society and friendship. He went with him to Rome, and was a fellow-prisoner with him there Colossians 4:10, and is mentioned Plm 1:24 as Paul's fellow-laborer. It was doubtless a great comfort to Paul to have with him two such valuable friends as Luke and Aristarchus; and it was an instance of great affection for him that they were not ashamed of his bonds, but were willing to share his dangers, and to expose themselves to peril for the sake of accompanying him to Rome.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

2. a ship of—belonging to.

Adramyttium—a port on the northeast coast of the Ægean Sea. Doubtless the centurion expected to find another ship, bound for Italy, at some of the ports of Asia Minor, without having to go with this ship all the way to Adramyttium; and in this he was not disappointed. See on [2123]Ac 27:6.

meaning to sail by the coasts—"places."

of Asia—a coasting vessel, which was to touch at the ports of proconsular Asia.

one Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us—rather, "Aristarchus the Macedonian," &c. The word "one" should not have been introduced here by our translators, as if this name had not occurred before; for we find him seized by the Ephesian mob as a "man of Macedonia and Paul's companion in travel" (Ac 19:29) and as a "Thessalonian" accompanying the apostle from Ephesus on his voyage back to Palestine (Ac 20:4). Here both these places are mentioned in connection with his name. After this we find him at Rome with the apostle (Col 4:10; Phm 24).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Adramyttium; a city in Mysia, a province in the Lesser Asia, almost over against Mitylene, of a pestilent air.

Meaning to sail by the coasts of Asia; the ship did belong to Adramyttium, and designed a trading voyage along the coasts of Asia.

Aristarchus; this Aristarthus seems to have been a man of some note, who accompanied St. Paul (together with Luke, the holy penman of this book, and of the Gospel so called) throughout his journey, and none else that we read of. This Aristarchus was one of them that was laid hold on in the uproar at Ephesus, Acts 19:29; and having partook of Paul’s afflictions in all his travels, was at last his fellow prisoner at Rome, Colossians 4:10.

Thessalonica; of this city mention is made, Acts 17:1.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And entering into a ship of Adramyttium,.... Which was in the port of Caesarea; for from thence they set sail to the place where this ship was bound, which very likely was the place here mentioned; there was a city of this name in Africa, and which was built upon the sea shore, and is sometimes called Hadrumentum (g), as this is called Adramantos, in the Syriac version; and in the Alexandrian copy, and in another manuscript, "a ship of Adramyntum"; it is mentioned with Carthage, a city in Africa, by Pliny (h) and Solinus (i); the one calls it Adrumetum, and the other Adrymeto; and the latter says, that it, as well as Carthage, was built by the people of Tyre; and so Sallust (k) says, that the Phoenicians built Hippo, Adrumetum, Leptis, and other cities on the sea coast; and the name seems to be a Phoenician name, "Hadarmuth", which signifies "the court of death"; perhaps it might be so called, either from the badness of the air in which it was, or the dangerousness of its haven: Jerom calls it Hadrumetus, and says (l) it is a city in Byzacium, a country in Africa; he seems to design another place, the metropolis of the Byzacian country, the most fruitful of all the parts of Africa, and which in the Phoenician language was "Hadarmeoth"; which signifies "the court of a hundred"; that is, it was a place so fruitful that it brought forth an hundred fold; and agreeably to which is what Pliny says (m), they are called Libyphoenicians, who inhabit Byzacium, a country so named, in circuit two hundred and fifty miles, and of such great fruitfulness that the land returns to the husbandmen an hundred fold. The former of these is most likely to be the place here meant; and though we nowhere read of the apostle being here, nor of the Gospel being preached here in the early times of Christianity; yet in the "fourth" century there was a church in this place, and Philologus was bishop of it, who subscribed at a council held at Carthage in this century; and in the "fifth" century we read of several bishops of this place, as Aurelius, who was in the Chalcedon council, Flavianus in that at Ephesus, which was reckoned an infamous one, and Helladius, who was in the first Ephesine council, and Felix, who was banished by Gensericus (n). There was another city of the same name in Aeolia, or Mysia (o), and which was formerly called Pedasus, and since Landermiti, and was a seaport, and bids fair to be the place here intended; though since there was an island of Lycia called Adramitis (p), now Audromety, and it was at Myra, a city of Lycia, where this ship stopped, Acts 27:5 and where the passengers changed their ship, this seems most likely to be designed:

we launched; in the said ship from Caesarea:

meaning to sail by the coast of Asia; the lesser Asia, along by Ephesus and Miletus, as they did; for in this last place, as before observed, Trophimus was left sick; the Alexandrian copy reads, "that was about to sail"; that is, the ship of Adramyttium was about to sail, or just ready to sail by the coast of Asia, wherefore the company entered, and set forth in it on their voyage:

one Aristarchus a Macedonian, of Thessalonica, being with us; the same person that was with the apostle at Ephesus, and accompanied him into Asia, Acts 19:29 the same went through with him to Rome, and became his fellowlabourer, and fellow prisoner there, Plm 1:24 Colossians 4:10.

(g) Mela, l. 1. c. 7. (h) Nat. Hist. l. 6. c. 34. (i) Polyhistor. c. 40. (k) Bellum Jugurth. p. 52. (l) De locis Hebraicis, fol. 96. B. (m) Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 4. (n) Magdeburg. Eccl. Hist. cent. 4. c. 9. p. 496, 497. cent. 5. c. 10. p. 648. (o) Plin. l. 5. c. 30. Ptolom. l. 5. c. 2. Mela. l. 1. c. 18. Pausan. Messenica sive l. 4. p. 268. Herodot. l. 7. c. 42. (p) Stephanus de urbibus.

Geneva Study Bible

And entering into a ship of Adramyttium, we launched, meaning to sail by the coasts of Asia; one Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

Acts 27:2. Ἐπιβάντες] with dative, see on Acts 25:1.

πλοίῳ Ἀδραμ.] a ship which belonged to Adramyttium, had its home there, the master of which resided there. Ἀδραμύττιον, or Ἀδραμύττειον (for several other modes of writing the name, see Steph. Byz. s.v.; Poppo, ad Thuc. I. 2, p. 441 f.), was a seaport of Mysia, and is not to be confounded with Adrumetum on the north coast of Africa (Grotius, Drusius, Richard Simon), because amidst all the variations in the codd. (Ἀδραμυντινῷ, Ἀδραμυντηνῷ, Ἀτραμυτηνῷ Ἀδραμμυτινῷ) the υ in the middle syllable is decidedly preponderant.

μέλλοντι πλεῖν κ.τ.λ.] The ship, certainly a merchant-ship, was thus about to start on its homeward voyage. The prisoners were by this opportunity to be brought to the Asiatic coast, and sent thence by the opportunity of another vessel (Acts 27:6) to Italy.

τοὺς κατὰ τ. Ἀσίαν τόπους] to navigate the places situated along Asia (on the Asiatic coast). On the accusative, see Winer, p. 210 [E. T. 280]; Thuc. vi. 63. 2 : πλέοντες τά τε ἐπέκεινα τῆς Σικελίας. Pausan. i. 35.

Ἀριστάρχου] see Acts 19:29, Acts 20:4; Colossians 4:10; Philemon 1:24. Thus he also had from Asia (Acts 20:4) come again to Paul; Trophimus (see on Acts 21:29) already joined him at Jerusalem. But whether Aristarchus accompanied Paul as a fellow-prisoner (Ewald) does not follow with certainty from Colossians 4:10. See in loc.

Expositor's Greek Testament

Acts 27:2. πλοίῳ Ἀδραμ.: a boat which belonged to Adramyttium in Mysia, in the Roman province Asia, situated at the top of the gulf Sinus Adramyttenus, to which it gives its name (Ramsay, Hastings’ B.D., sub v.). It was of considerable importance as a seaport and commercial centre, and under Roman rule it was the metropolis of the north-west district of Asia. Not to be confounded as by Grotius and others with Adrumetum on the north coast of Africa. For the spelling see critical note.—μέλλοντες the usual route to Rome would have been by way of Alexandria, cf. the route taken by Titus from Judæa to the capital, Suet., Tit., 5. But apparently there was no ship sufficiently large at hand. From some of the great harbours of the Asian coast the centurion might have passed to Italy, or probably from Adramyttium (if the ship was going home) he intended to go to Neapolis, and take the great high road to Rome, if no ship could be found in the Asian harbours so late in the season.—τοὺς κατὰ. τὴν Ἀ. τόπους: “to sail by the coasts of Asia,” A.V.; but with εἰς after πλεῖν see critical note, “to sail unto the places on the coast of Asia,” R.V., cf. for the phrase, Acts 11:1, Polyb., i., 3, 6. In Acts 16:3 τόποι is similarly used. See J. Smith’s note, u.s., p. 63.—ἀνήχ., see above on Acts 13:13; in the preceding verse we have the corresponding nautical term κατάγεσθαι, to come to land.—Ἀριστ., cf. Acts 19:39, Acts 21:4. Perhaps the expression σὺν ἡμῖν may mean that he was with them, but only for a time, not being actually one of them, i.e., of Paul’s company; he may have gone in the Adramyttian ship on his way to his native home, and left Paul at Myra. On the other hand, Colossians 4:10, he is named as one of Paul’s companions in Rome, and as his “fellow-prisoner,” see Salmon, Introd., p. 383. Whether he made the journey as an actual fellow-prisoner with Paul cannot be proved, although Col., u. s. (Philemon 1:24), may point to it, see Lightfoot, Philippians, 35, 36, Lewin, St. Paul, ii. 183; “one Aristarchus,” A.V., as if otherwise unknown; R.V. gives simply his name. Jüngst refers Μακεδ. Θεσσ. to his Redactor.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

2. And entering into (R. V. embarking in)] The verb is the technical term for “going on board.”

Adramyttium] a seaport on the coast of that district of Asia Minor called Mysia, and in early times Æolis. It appears to have been in St Paul’s time a place of considerable trade, and Pliny (Acts 27:30) mentions it as an assize town. The reason why the Apostle and his companions embarked on board a vessel from this port was that it was probably the easiest way of getting into the line of vessels going from Asia to the West. The isle of Lesbos lay off the gulf on which Adramyttium was situated, and to which it gave name, and the town was in close connexion with Ephesus, Miletus, Pergamos and Troas, and so was a considerable centre of commerce.

we launched, meaning to sail] The best MSS. make the participle refer to the ship and not to the Apostle and his company. So read, with Rev. Ver. “a ship … which was about to sail unto the places on the coast of Asia, we put to sea.” For in a voyage of such a character they would be very likely to find, in some of the ports at which they touched, a vessel that would convey them to Italy.

Aristarchus] Mentioned before (Acts 19:29) as one of those whom the mob in Ephesus seized in their fury against St Paul. He went, as it seems, with the Apostle into Europe, for he is enumerated amongst those who accompanied St Paul (Acts 20:4) on his return. After the present notice of him, we learn nothing more of his history except that from Colossians 4:10 and Philemon 1:24 we can gather that he remained with the Apostle during his first Roman imprisonment.

Bengel's Gnomen

Acts 27:2. Πλοίῳ) They did not choose for the sake of prisoners to take such a ship [so large, and therefore charging dearly for passage], as that in it alone the whole voyage might be accomplished. see Acts 27:6.—Ἀδραμυττηνῷ) Adramyttium, a town of Asia Minor, situated towards the north of Pergamos, as Raphelius observes from Xenophon, contrary to what the geographical maps represent.—μέλλοντι) So the language appertains to the ship; with which comp. Acts 27:6. Μέλλοντες is the reading of others, flowing from the rhythm ἐτιβάντες.[147] ΤΟῪς—ΤΌΠΟΥς, the localities) As the sea is navigated, so the parts (τόποι) of the sea are navigated.—ἈΡΙΣΤΆΡΧΟΥ) Aristarchus was either returning to his native country, or was on his journey to Rome.

[147] Μέλλοντι is the reading of AB Vulg. (Amiat.) both Syr. Versions, Memph. Μέλλοντες of the Rec. Text is not supported by any very old authority.—E. and T.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 2. - Embarking in for entering into, A.V.; which was about to sail unto the places on the coasts of Asia, we put to sea for we launched, meaning to sail by the coast of Asia, A.V. and T.R.; Aristarchus for one Aristarchus, A.V. Adramyttium (now Adra-myti, where ships are still built), on the north-western coast of Asia Minor, south of Troas, on the gulf opposite which lies the island of Lesbos, was a place of considerable trade, situated on the great Roman road which connected the Hellespont with Ephesus and Miletus. Which was about to sail; μέλλοντι (not μέλλοντες, as in the T.R.), describing the ship as a coasting-vessel, trading between Adramyttium and other ports on the coast of Asia. She was now on her homeward voyage. Aristarchus. He is first mentioned in Acts 19:29, as a Macedonian, and one of Paul's companions at Ephesus, pro-badly, therefore, the fruit of his first visit to Thessalonica. We find him again with St, Paul on his last journey from Corinth to Asia (Acts 20:4), and we gather from the present notice of him that he kept with him till he arrived at Jerusalem, and followed him to Caesarea. It would appear at first sight, from Colossians 4:10, that he not only stayed with St. Paul during his two years' imprisonment at Rome, but was his "fellow-prisoner," if at least the word συναιχμάλωτος μου ισ to be taken literally. This, however, is very doubtful, because in the Epistle to the Romans (Romans 16:7) St. Paul calls Andronicus and Junius his "fellow-prisoners," though he was not then in prison himself; and also because, in the Epistle to Philemon (Philemon 1:23, 24), he gives this epithet to Epaphras, with the addition ἐν Ξριστῷ Ἰησοῦ ("my fellow-prisoner in Christ Jesus"), and does not give it to Aristarchus, who is named in the same sentence as his συνεργός (see Bishop Lightfoot, on Colossians 4:10, and Bishop Ellicott, on ibid.). If συναιχμάλωτος is to be taken of a bodily captivity, nothing is known of the occasion which gave rise to it in the case of any of the persons to whom it is applied. Acts 27:2

Vincent's Word Studies

Meaning to sail (μέλλοντες πλεῖν)

This refers the intention to the voyagers; but the best texts read μέλλοντι, agreeing with πλοίῳ, ship; so that the correct rendering is, as Rev., a ship - which was about to sail.