Bible Strands
Acts 27:31
But Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men remain with the ship, you cannot be saved.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul addresses the centurion and the soldiers during the storm crisis when the sailors attempt to flee in a lifeboat. He issues a conditional warning that the vessel will be destroyed if the crew abandons it.
The words — The Greek εἶπεν (eipen) marks a direct, authoritative utterance, while ἑκατοντάρχῃ (hekatontarchē) identifies the Roman officer commanding the guard. These terms ground the statement in a military chain of command during an emergency.
The thread — The theme of conditional preservation through obedience runs through Psalm 91:11 and 2 Thessalonians 2:13, while Jeremiah 29:11 reflects the broader biblical pattern of divine plans requiring human alignment. The structural reliance on the crew for the ship’s survival mirrors the necessity of heeding prophetic instruction over human panic.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to accept that survival depends on following the stated warning rather than acting on fear or independent judgment. It demands obedience to divine instruction even when it contradicts immediate military or practical assumptions.
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
Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.
Cross-references
- 2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we should always thank God for you, brothers who are loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning to be saved by the sanctification of the Spirit and by faith in the truth.
- Psalms 91:11 For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
- Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope.
- Acts 27:21 After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have followed my advice not to sail from Crete. Then you would have averted this disaster and loss.
- Ezekiel 36:36 Then the nations around you that remain will know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt what was destroyed, and I have replanted what was desolate. I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do it.
- Luke 1:34 “How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
- Luke 4:9 Then the devil led Him to Jerusalem and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple. “If You are the Son of God,” he said, “throw Yourself down from here.
- John 6:37 Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never drive away.
- Acts 27:11 But contrary to Paul’s advice, the centurion was persuaded by the pilot and by the owner of the ship.
- Acts 27:42 The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners so none of them could swim to freedom.