Bible Strands
Acts 28:11
After three months we set sail in an Alexandrian ship that had wintered in the island. It had the Twin Brothers as a figurehead.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator, writing as a traveling companion, addresses the reader while recording the group's departure from Malta for Italy after a three-month winter stay. The account marks the moment the party transitions from island hospitality to maritime transit.
The words — The participle παρακεχειμακότι (parakecheimakoti) literally means "having wintered," denoting the ship's extended harbor stay. The verb ἀνήχθημεν (anēchthēmen) translates as "we set out," marking the precise moment of departure.
The thread — The Alexandrian vessel reappears in Acts 27:6, where a centurion secures passage on a similar ship bound for Italy. The mention of the "Twin Brothers" figurehead appears in the text alongside later scriptural notes on idols, such as Isaiah 45:20 and 1 Corinthians 8:4, which address the nature of idols rather than maritime symbols.
Why it lands — The text records a logistical transition that requires the reader to acknowledge the historical reality of Paul's journey. It asks the reader to follow the narrative sequence without inserting theological assumptions about the figurehead or the voyage.
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 after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose sign was Castor and Pollux.
Cross-references
- Acts 27:6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board.
- Isaiah 45:20 Come, gather together, and draw near, you fugitives from the nations. Ignorant are those who carry idols of wood and pray to a god that cannot save.
- 1 Corinthians 8:4 So about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world, and that there is no God but one.
- Jonah 1:5 The sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the ship’s cargo into the sea to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down to the lowest part of the vessel, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.
- Jonah 1:16 Then the men feared the LORD greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to Him.
- Acts 6:9 But resistance arose from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and men from the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. They disputed with Stephen,