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When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment.
Acts 27:1 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB When it was determined that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners to a centurion named Julius, of the Augustan band.
  • KJV And when it was determined that we should sail into Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named Julius, a centurion of Augustus’ band.
  • NKJV And when it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to one named Julius, a centurion of the Augustan Regiment.
  • NASB Now when it was decided that we would sail for Italy, they proceeded to turn Paul and some other prisoners over to a centurion of the Augustan cohort, named Julius.
  • NLT When the time came, we set sail for Italy. Paul and several other prisoners were placed in the custody of a Roman officer named Julius, a captain of the Imperial Regiment.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

The decision is made to sail for Italy, and Paul with other prisoners is handed to a centurion named Julius of the Augustan band.

Overview

This begins the detailed voyage narrative, told partly in the first person, indicating Luke accompanied Paul. The transfer to a Roman centurion sets Paul firmly on the path to Rome, fulfilling Christ's word in Acts 23:11 that he must testify there. God's redemptive plan moves forward through ordinary imperial transport and military custody.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 28

  • Acts 25:25But I found he had done nothing worthy of death, and since he has now appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him.
  • Acts 10:1At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was called the Italian Regiment.
  • Acts 25:12Then Festus conferred with his council and replied, “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!”
  • Acts 27:11But contrary to Paul’s advice, the centurion was persuaded by the pilot and by the owner of the ship.
  • Acts 18:2There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to visit them,
  • Heb 13:24Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those from Italy send you greetings.
  • Dan 4:35All the peoples of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth. There is no one who can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’”
  • Matt 8:5–10When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came and pleaded with Him,
  • Acts 21:32Immediately he took some soldiers and centurions and ran down to the crowd. When the people saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
  • Luke 23:47When the centurion saw what had happened, he gave glory to God, saying, “Surely this was a righteous man.”
  • Prov 19:21Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the purpose of the LORD will prevail.
  • Luke 7:2There a highly valued servant of a centurion was sick and about to die.
  • Ps 76:10Even the wrath of man shall praise You; with the survivors of wrath You will clothe Yourself.
  • Acts 27:43But the centurion, wanting to spare Paul’s life, thwarted their plan. He commanded those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land.
  • Lam 3:27It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is still young.
  • Gen 50:20As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish a day like this—to preserve the lives of many people.
  • Acts 19:21After these things had happened, Paul resolved in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been there,” he said, “I must see Rome as well.”
  • Rom 15:22–29That is why I have often been hindered from coming to you.
  • Acts 23:17Then Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commander; he has something to tell him.”
  • Acts 22:26On hearing this, the centurion went and reported it to the commander. “What are you going to do?” he said. “This man is a Roman citizen.”
  • Acts 23:11The 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 27:6There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board.
  • Matt 27:54When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified and said, “Truly this was the Son of God.”
  • Acts 28:16When we arrived in Rome, Paul was permitted to stay by himself, with a soldier to guard him.
  • Acts 24:23He ordered the centurion to keep Paul under guard, but to allow him some freedom and permit his friends to minister to his needs.
  • Acts 16:10As soon as Paul had seen the vision, we got ready to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
  • Ps 33:11The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the purposes of His heart to all generations.
  • Acts 10:22“Cornelius the centurion has sent us,” they said. “He is a righteous and God-fearing man with a good reputation among the whole Jewish nation. A holy angel instructed him to request your presence in his home so he could hear a message from you.”

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Acts videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Acts 27:1YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on ActsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.

How Acts 27:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.