When we had put to sea from there, we sailed under the shelter of Cyprus, because the winds were contrary. Acts 27:4

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A literal rendering of the Greek is, “And thence, having gone up, we sailed under Cyprus, because of the winds being contrary” (CG).

Luke just detailed a stop at Sidon where the centurion, Julius, gave Paul the liberty to visit friends. With that stop complete, it now says, “And thence, having gone up, we sailed under Cyprus.” Luke meticulously described the events as they occurred. They left Sidon where it says they went up. Just as they had “brought down” at Sidon, meaning having gone from the sea to the land, they now go “up” from the land to the sea.

Once they had gone up, they headed for their next destination. However, to get there, Luke then says that they sailed under Cyprus.

In other words, it means to sail under the lee of Cyprus. The word used is hupopleó. It is only found here and in verse 7. It is apparently a very rare nautical term. This shows Luke’s great mastery of words and their proper use. He was a grand recorder of events. The reason for having sailed under Cyprus was “because of the winds being contrary.”

If the winds were agreeable, they would have gone on a direct course heading from Sidon to Mysia with the island of Cyprus on the left side. However, with a contrary wind, they went with Cyprus on their right side. Any violent winds would have then been broken off by the island and their travels would be much less dangerous and not as difficult as well.

Life application: Word studies are a marvelous way of getting the flavor of a passage from the Bible. There are many commentaries that are focused solely on word studies. These not only give mechanical information, like the types of words, the form in which they are presented, and so forth, but they will also often include so much more information, such as details about the secular use of those words at the time the Bible was written. They may also include how the word had previously been used and how it changed after biblical times, etc.

These things will give a much better understanding of what was on the mind of the biblical writers. Earlier uses of a word may still be applied in various ways, but later uses would not. So those later uses should be excluded from translations.

To take a word out of its contemporary context without a valid reason, is not sound. So, learning these things as you study will bring details to life in one’s mind in a way that almost sets your feet in the room with the writer.

This is true with visiting the places where these things occurred. Seeing the land of Israel or going where Paul and the other missionaries went can really bring things to life. Today, with much of this available right online, you can even go on journeys through photos and videos.

Take advantage of what is out there. You will find that there is no end to new and exciting ways of interacting with the Bible.

Lord God, what a blessed age we live in, where we can participate in so many things that relate to Your word. Without ever leaving our home, we can journey to Israel, we can learn what the contextual meaning of a particular word meant at the time of the prophets and apostles, and so much more. Thank You, O God, for the exciting resources we have to lead us to understanding Your word so intimately. Amen.