Fearing that we would run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daybreak.
Parallel translations
- WEB Fearing that we would run aground on rocky ground, they let go four anchors from the stern, and wished for daylight.
- KJV Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day.
- NKJV Then, fearing lest we should run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern, and prayed for day to come.
- NASB Fearing that we might run aground somewhere on the rocks, they cast four anchors from the stern and prayed for daybreak.
- NLT At this rate they were afraid we would soon be driven against the rocks along the shore, so they threw out four anchors from the back of the ship and prayed for daylight.
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
Fearing the rocks, they drop four anchors from the stern and long for daybreak.
Overview
To avoid being dashed on unseen rocks in the dark, the sailors anchor and wait anxiously for dawn. Their fear is real, yet God's promise of safety stands firm over their peril. The scene captures the tension between human dread and divine assurance, resolved as morning and rescue approach.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Acts 27:17After hoisting it up, the crew used ropes to undergird the ship. And fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and were driven along.
- Heb 6:19We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,
- Acts 27:26However, we must run aground on some island.”
- Acts 27:40–41Cutting away the anchors, they left them in the sea as they loosened the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach.
- Deut 28:67In the morning you will say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and in the evening you will say, ‘If only it were morning!’—because of the dread in your hearts of the terrifying sights you will see.
- Acts 27:30Meanwhile, the sailors attempted to escape from the ship. Pretending to lower anchors from the bow, they let the lifeboat down into the sea.
- Ps 130:6My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning—more than watchmen wait for the morning.
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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.
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Original language
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