Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

Acts 27:7

ἐν ἱκαναῖς ἡμέραις or ἱκανός : in temporal sense only in Luke in N.T., see Hawkins, p. 151, and cf. Vindiciæ Lucanæ (Klostermann), p. 51. βραδυπλοοῦντες : Artemid., Oneir., iv., 30; ταχυπλοεῖν, Polyb. (Blass), evidently on account of the strong westerly winds; the distance was about a hundred and thirty geographical miles to Cnidus. καὶ μόλις γεν. κατὰ τὴν Κ.: “and were come with difficulty off Cnidus,” R.V., to this point the course of the two ships would be the same from Myra; here they would no longer enjoy the protection of the shore, or the help of the local breezes and currents; “so far the ship would be sheltered from the north-westerly winds, at Cnidus that advantage ceased” (J. Smith). Κνίδον : the south-west point of Asia Minor, the dividing line between the western and southern coast; a Dorian colony in Caria having the rank of a free city like Chios; see 1Ma 15:23. μὴ προσεῶντος : “as the wind did not permit our straight course onwards,” Ramsay, so Blass, J. Smith, p. 79: the northerly wind in the Ægean effectually prevented them from running straight across to the island of Cythera, north of Crete; cf. Wendt's note (1899), in loco, inclining to agree with Ramsay, see critical note; others take the words to mean “the wind nor permitting us unto it,” i.e., to approach Cnidus (Hackett), so too R.V., margin. But there does not seem to have been any reason why they should not have entered the southern harbour of Cnidus. They might have done so, and waited for a fair wind, had they not adopted the alternative of running for the east and south coast of Crete. The verb προσεῶντος does not occur elsewhere, and the same must be said of the conjecture of Blass, προεῶντος. ὑπεπλεύ.: “we sailed under the lee of Crete off. Cape Salmone” (Ramsay), i.e., a promontory on the east of the island, and protected by it from a north-westerly wind (Ramsay). Strabo has Σαλμώνιον and Σαμώνιον (Pliny, Sammonium); Σαλμώνις is also found; Σαλμώνιον (or Σαμμ.) may be explained, sc. ὄρος, Winer-Schmiedel, p. 65.

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Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

Acts 27:7

Old Testament

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