After the men had eaten their fill, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.
Parallel translations
- WEB When they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea.
- KJV And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea.
- NKJV So when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship and threw out the wheat into the sea.
- NASB When they had eaten enough, they began lightening the ship by throwing the wheat out into the sea.
- NLT After eating, the crew lightened the ship further by throwing the cargo of wheat overboard.
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
Having eaten enough, they lighten the ship by throwing the remaining wheat into the sea.
Overview
Strengthened by food, the crew jettisons the grain cargo to raise the ship for beaching. The detail recalls that this was an Alexandrian grain vessel. Their action prepares for the run to shore, a final human effort within the framework of God's assured rescue.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Matt 6:25Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?
- Jonah 1:5The 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.
- Matt 16:26What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
- Acts 27:18–19We were tossed so violently that the next day the men began to jettison the cargo.
- Heb 12:1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us.
- Job 2:4“Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give up all he owns in exchange for his life.
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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.
How Acts 27:38 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.