Acts 27:44
And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land. And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.
This belongs to the first century of the Christian era, when traveling by sea involved peculiar hardship and peril because mariners directed their course largely by the position of the sun and stars, feared to venture into the open sea when sun and stars did not appear and storm threatened, and faced part of the year when safe navigation was almost impossible. It belongs to the account of Paul's long and difficult voyage to Italy as a prisoner in chains, with Luke and Aristarchus accompanying him, Aristarchus sharing his imprisonment by choice so he could care for him. God used this sea journey to display His power through Paul, so that the ship's crew would witness that power and the heathen would hear the name of Jesus, with many to be converted through his teaching and the miracles he performed.
As the escape to shore began, the soldiers wanted to kill Paul and the other prisoners because in the struggle to get ashore they could not guard them, and under Roman law the guards would forfeit their own lives if any prisoner escaped. The plan would have been carried out at once, but Julius the centurion stopped it because Paul had been instrumental in saving the lives of all on board and because he was convinced the Lord was with Paul and feared to harm him. Julius therefore commanded those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land, and the rest to follow, some on boards and some on broken pieces of the ship.
After the ship ran aground and broke apart, those who could swim went first by swimming, and the others clung to boards and planks and broken pieces of the ship and were carried toward shore by the waves. The preservation of the soldiers and sailors in the wreck fulfilled the promise given to Paul that no one aboard would be lost. And so it came to pass that they escaped all safe to land, everyone reaching land safely, and when the roll was called not one person was missing.
Nearly three hundred people stood on the shore of Melita after the wreck, and some joined Paul and his companions in thanking God for preserving them through the dangers of the sea. Paul's courage and practical help during the storm and wreck helped preserve the lives of all on board, and afterward he continued helping the shipwrecked passengers on the island. The full passage including this verse gives the account of Paul's shipwreck on the broad ocean and is fitting Scripture for worship by people traveling at sea.