Bible Strands
Acts 27:35
After he had said this, Paul took bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Paul acts before the sailors and prisoners aboard the ship immediately after urging them to eat for their physical preservation. He performs the meal publicly in their presence to model trust in God's promise of safety.
The words — λαβὼν (labōn) translates literally as "having taken" and εὐχαριστήσας (eucharistēsas) means "having given thanks." These aorist participles record Paul's precise sequence: taking the bread first, then offering thanksgiving to God before breaking it.
The thread — This public thanksgiving over bread mirrors the pattern in Matthew 15:36 and aligns with the apostolic instruction in 1 Corinthians 10:30 and 1 Timothy 4:3 that eating with gratitude is the normative Christian posture. The verse links a survival narrative to the broader biblical command to receive God's provisions with thankfulness.
Why it lands — The text requires readers to acknowledge that physical sustenance and spiritual gratitude function together rather than as competing duties. It demands a direct response of participating in the meal with thanksgiving instead of abandoning bodily needs for spiritual posturing.
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
And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat.
Cross-references
- Matthew 15:36 Taking the seven loaves and the fish, He gave thanks and broke them. Then He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.
- 1 Corinthians 10:30 If I partake in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?
- 1 Timothy 4:3 They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from certain foods that God has created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
- 2 Timothy 1:8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me, His prisoner. Instead, join me in suffering for the gospel by the power of God.
- 2 Timothy 1:12 For this reason, even though I suffer as I do, I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day.
- 1 Samuel 9:13 As soon as you enter the city, you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people will not eat until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice; after that, the guests will eat. Go up at once; you will find him.”
- Psalms 119:46 I will speak of Your testimonies before kings, and I will not be ashamed.
- Matthew 14:19 And He directed the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He spoke a blessing. Then He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.
- Mark 8:6 And He instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then He took the seven loaves, gave thanks and broke them, and gave them to His disciples to set before the people. And they distributed them to the crowd.
- Luke 24:30 While He was reclining at the table with them, He took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to them.