On the third day we threw the ship’s tackle overboard with our own hands. Acts 27:19

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A literal reading is much sparser in content, “And on the third, self-handed, the tackle of the ship we cast away” (CG).

In the previous verse, Luke noted that because the ship was exceedingly tempest-tossed, the ship was lightened. Now, his words continue with, “And on the third.”

The storm continued to rage which would have put a great strain on the ship, even with it having been lightened. Therefore, by the third day, more extreme measures were needed to take the stress off the hull. Therefore, on that day, Luke says, “self-handed, the tackle of the ship we cast away.”

Luke again uses a word unique to the Bible, autocheir. It comes from autos, a reflexive personal pronoun indicating self, and cheir, hand. In this case, it doesn’t identify whose hands were involved. That is determined by the corresponding verb.

Luke next uses the word skeué to describe the tackle. It is akin to the word skeuos that was used in verse 27:17. It signifies the tackle, fittings, equipment, etc. As for the verb, there is a difference in the texts. Some say “they,” while others say “we.”

If the translation of we is correct, then it means that even the passengers were enlisted to assist in the lightening of the ship. If not, then only the crew did, and Luke simply made a note of the dire straits that would lead to such an extreme choice being made.

Either way, after three continued days of danger, they needed to again lighten the ship in hopes of finding some relief from the terrifying ordeal. Because of this, it says the ship’s tackle was cast overboard.

As just noted, the word is skeué. It is found only here in the New Testament. Ellicott notes that in Greek it “is wider in its range than the English, and includes the beds and personal luggage and movables of all kinds. Even the sailors were ready to sacrifice for the chance of safety.”

Life application: To some extent we all hold onto the things of the world. Our attention may be focused a bit too much on people, pets, or possessions, consuming what should be our main devotion, which should be to the Lord.

Quite often, we hold onto things that are actually of less importance than we would otherwise realize in a time of true catastrophe or deprivation. A few examples from Scripture are Lamentations 4:1, Ezekiel 7:19, James 5:3-5, or 1 Peter 1:18. Also, the story in Matthew 19:16-22 gives us a good insight into how we hold onto that which is worthless. Psalm 119:37 is a good verse to redirect us from this.

This is a physical world, and it is a world where we need fellowship with others, food to keep ourselves going, clothing to protect us from the elements, and so forth. However, any of these (and so many more things!) can cause us to be misdirected in our thinking. We begin to put trust in them and in our thoughts, they become some sort of lifeline that we feel we must have.

However, Scripture reveals that what we need above all else is the Lord. If He is our main hope, desire, and focus, the things of this world will not hold sway over us as they are inclined to do. So, let us remember the Lord in all things and at all times. In doing so, everything else will find its proper place.

Lord God, how faithless we can be toward You. We get consumed with the things of this world and lose our focus and attention. Help us to remember You at all times and place You as the highest joy in our lives. With this, we will then rightly place all other things as we interact with them. May it be so, to Your glory. Amen!