And when for many days we had sailed slowly and were scarce come over against Gnidus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed near Crete by Salmone.
εν ικαναις δε ημεραις βραδυπλοουντες και μολις γενομενοι κατα την κνιδον μη προσεωντος ημας του ανεμου υπεπλευσαμεν την κρητην κατα σαλμωνην
4 Church Fathers comment on this verse
See how God does nothing extraordinary here and changes nothing. He permits them to sail amid contrary winds, yet even through this He works a miracle. So that they might sail safely, He did not allow them to go out to sea, but they continually kept near the coasts.
The voyage was unfavorable. For many days the ship sailed over the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, yet it managed only to come abreast of Cnidus. Cnidus was a city on the Cnidian peninsula in the Asia Minor province of Caria. With favorable sailing it could be reached from Myra in Lycia in one day. From Cnidus the route to Italy lay southwest, past the northern shores of Crete. But the struggle with an unfavorable wind forced the ship to choose a more southwesterly course, past the eastern shores of Crete. It then put in at Salmone, the eastern cape of that island. Afterward, continuing the same struggle with the contrary wind, the ship came to the so-called Fair Havens near the city of Lasea, on the southern shore of Crete.
From Myra in Lycia to Cnidus, a city in the Asia Minor province of Caria on the Cnidian peninsula, one could sail in a single day under favorable conditions. The same was true from Cnidus to the well-known large island of Cyprus. But the ship sailed slowly for many days because of an unfavorable wind. “Off Salmone”: this was the name of a cape on the eastern coast of Crete.
The journey from Myra in Lycia on the Alexandrian ship was still more burdensome. Because of the unfavorable wind, the ship, larger than the former one, moved slowly. Instead of reaching the city of Cnidus, in the province of Caria, in one day, they sailed for several days. Then they stopped at the island of Crete, on its eastern shore near Cape Salmone. Whoever knows the stretch of seas from Asia to Italy can imagine how grievous this journey was for the holy Apostle. He traveled in a cramped and frail vessel, carried without pause by violent waves and dreadful gusts of wind. The wind howled through the many ropes, while the sails, as usual in contrary winds, were taken down. Even on fully perfected ships this crossing is difficult.
How tormenting must it have been then, when every stormy wave threatened a deadly blow. Yet Saint John Chrysostom finds it good even that the travelers did not make their voyage directly. This happened well, he says of their going by Myra and finding another ship there. For some could report about Paul in Asia, and others in Lycia. The Alexandrian ship was probably driven there by contrary winds, for it was sailing to Italy with Egyptian wheat; see verse 38.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 21 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS