Bible Strands
Acts 27:23
For just last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul speaks to the crew and passengers aboard the ship in mid-storm, immediately after telling them no lives will be lost (v. 22). He is explaining the basis of his confidence.
The words — παρεστῇ (parestē) is the aorist of παρίσταμαι, "stood by," a posture of readiness at someone's side rather than a passing appearance. γὰρ (gar) marks the clause as the causal ground for everything that follows.
The thread — Acts 23:11 has the Lord standing near Paul the following night; Acts 5:19 has an angel of the Lord acting at night. Romans 1:9 echoes the phrase "the God whom I serve."
Why it lands — Paul's reassurance rests on a specific, recent encounter, not a general principle of divine protection. The reader is asked to notice that his confidence is anchored in a particular event he can point to, not in abstractions.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,
Cross-references
- Acts 23:11 The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about Me in Jerusalem, so also you must testify in Rome.”
- Acts 5:19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out, saying,
- Romans 1:9 God, whom I serve with my spirit in preaching the gospel of His Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you
- 2 Timothy 4:17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed, and all the Gentiles would hear it. So I was delivered from the mouth of the lion.
- Hebrews 1:14 Are not the angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
- Isaiah 44:21 Remember these things, O Jacob, for you are My servant, O Israel. I have made you, and you are My servant; O Israel, I will never forget you.
- Acts 12:8 “Get dressed and put on your sandals,” said the angel. Peter did so, and the angel told him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.”
- Acts 18:9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking; do not be silent.
- Daniel 6:16 So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the den of lions. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!”
- Daniel 6:22 My God sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, for I was found innocent in His sight, and I have done no wrong against you, O king.”