SEV Biblia, Chapter 27:14
Pero no mucho despus dio en ella un viento repentino, que se llama Euroaquilo.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Acts 27:14
Verse 14. A tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.] Interpreters have been greatly perplexed with this word; and the ancient copyists not less so, as the word is variously written in the MSS. and versions. Dr. Shaw supposes it to be one of those tempestuous winds called levanters, which blow in all directions, from N.E. round by the E. to S.E. The euroclydon, from the circumstances which attended it, he says, "seems to have varied very little from the true east point; for, as the ship could not bear, antofqalmein, loof up, against it, ver. 15, but they were obliged to let her drive, we cannot conceive, as there are no remarkable currents in that part of the sea, and as the rudder could be of little use, that it could take any other course than as the winds directed it. Accordingly, in the description of the storm, we find that the vessel was first of all under the island Clauda, chap. xxvii. 16, which is a little to the southward of the parallel of that part of the coast of Crete from whence it may be supposed to have been driven; then it was tossed along the bottom of the Gulf of Adria, ver. 27, and afterwards broken to pieces, ver. 41, at Melita, which is a little to the northward of the parallel above mentioned; so that the direction and course of this particular euroclydon seems to have been first at east by north, and afterwards, pretty nearly east by south." These winds, called now levanters, and formerly, it appears, euroclydon, were no determinate winds, blowing always from one point of the compass: euroclydon was probably then, what levanter is now, the name of any tempestuous wind in that sea, blowing from the north-east round by east to the south-east; and therefore St. Luke says, there rose against it (i.e. the vessel) a tempestuous wind called euroclydon; which manner of speaking shows that he no more considered it to be confined to any one particular point of the compass, than our sailors do their levanter. Dr. Shaw derives eurokludwn from eurou kludwn, an eastern tempest, which is the very meaning affixed to a levanter at the present day. The reading of the Codex Alexandrinus is eurakulwn, the north-east wind, which is the same with the euro-aquilo of the Vulgate. This reading is approved by several eminent critics; but Dr. Shaw, in the place referred to above, has proved it to be insupportable.
Dr. Shaw mentions a custom which he has several times seen practised by the Mohammedans in these levanters:-After having tied to the mast, or ensign staff, some apposite passage from the Koran, they collect money, sacrifice a sheep, and throw them both into the sea. This custom, he observes, was practised some thousand years ago by the Greeks: thus Aristophanes: - arn, arna melainan, paidev, exenegkate? tufwv gar ekbainein paraskeuazetai. Ran. Act. iii. s. 2, ver. 871.
A lamb! boys, sacrifice a black lamb immediately: For a tempest is about to burst forth.
Virgil refers to the same custom: - Sic fatus, meritos aris mactavit honoures: Taurum Neptuno, taurum tibi, pulcher Apollo; Nigram hyemi pecudem, zephyris felicibus albam. AEn. iii. ver. 118.
Thus he spake, and then sacrificed on the altars the proper eucharistic victims: - A bull to Neptune, and a bull to thee, O beautiful Apollo; A black sheep to the north wind, and a white sheep to the west.
And again: - Tres Eryci vitutos, et tempestatibus agnam, Caedere deinde jubet. AEn. v. ver. 772.
Then he commanded three calves to be sacrificed to Eryx, and a lamb to the tempests.
In the days of the Prophet Jonah the mariners in this sea were accustomed to do the same. Then they offered a sacrifice to the Lord, and vowed vows; Johni. 16. See Shaw's Travels, 4 to. edit. p. 329-333.
The heathens supposed that these tempests were occasioned by evil spirits: and they sacrificed a black sheep in order to drive the demon away. See the ancient Scholiast on Aristophanes, in the place cited above.
Sir George Staunton (Embassy to China, vol. ii. p. 403) mentions a similar custom among the Chinese, and gives an instance of it when the yachts and barges of the embassy were crossing the Yellow River: - "The amazing velocity with which the Yellow River runs at the place where the yacht and barges of the embassy were to cross it rendered, according to the notions of the Chinese crews, a sacrifice necessary to the spirit of the river, in order to insure a safe passage over it. For this purpose, the master, surrounded by the crew of the yacht, assembled upon the forecastle; and, holding as a victim in his hand a cock, wrung off his head, which committing to the stream, he consecrated the vessel with the blood spouting from the body, by sprinkling it upon the deck, the masts, the anchors, and the doors of the apartments; and stuck upon them a few of the feathers of the bird. Several bowls of meat were then brought forward, and ranged in a line across the deck. Before these were placed a cup of oil, one filled with tea, one with some ardent spirit, and a fourth with salt; the captain making, at the same time, three profound inclinations of his body, with hands uplifted, and muttering a few words, as if of solicitation to the deity. The loo, or brazen drum, vas beaten in the meantime forcibly; lighted matches were held towards heaven; papers, covered with tin or silver leaf, were burnt; and crackers fired off in great abundance by the crew. The captain afterwards made libations to the river, by emptying into it, from the vessel's prow, the several cups of liquids; and concluded with throwing in also that which held the salt. All the ceremonies being over, and the bowls of meat removed, the people feasted on it in the steerage, and launched afterwards, with confidence, the yacht into the current. As soon as she had reached the opposite shore, the captain returned thanks to heaven, with three inclinations of the body.
"Besides the daily offering and adoration at the altar erected on the left or honourable side of the cabin in every Chinese vessel, the solemn sacrifices above described are made to obtain the benefit of a fair wind, or to avert any impending danger. The particular spot upon the forecastle, where the principal ceremonies are performed, is not willingly suffered to be occupied or defiled by any person on board."
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 14. But not long after , etc.] They had not been long at sea, but there arose against it ; the ship, or the island of Crete, or both: a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon ; in the Greek text it is a Typhonic wind, so called, not from the name of a country from whence it blew; rather from Typho, the same with Python, an Heathen deity, who is said to be drowned in the lake Serbonis, or in the river Orontes; about which places this sort of wind is observed to be frequent, and which may take its name from him, being supposed to be raised by him. This wind may very well be thought to be the same which is called Typhon, and is by writers represented as a very tempestuous one, as a sort of whirlwind or hurricane, a violent storm, though without thunder and lightning; and Pliny calls it the chief plague of sailors, it breaking their sails, and even their vessels to pieces: and this may still have its name from Typho, since the Egyptians used to call everything that is pernicious and hurtful by this name; moreover, this wind is also called Euroclydon. The Alexandrian copy reads, Euracylon, and so the Vulgate Latin version seems to have read, rendering it Euro-aquilo, the north east wind. The Ethiopic version renders it, the north wind; but according to Aristotle f1291 , and Pliny f1292 the wind Typhon never blew in the northern parts; though some think that wind is not meant here, since the Typhon is a sudden storm of wind, and soon over; whereas this storm of wind was a settled and lasting one, it continued many days; and that it is only called Typhonic, because it bore some likeness to it, being very blustering and tempestuous: it seems by its name to be an easterly wind, which blew very violently, ploughed the sea, and lifted up its waves; hence the Arabic version renders it, a mover or stirrer up of the waves; which beat against the ship in a violent manner, and exposed it to great danger.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 12-20 - Those who launch forth on the ocean of this world, with a fair gale know not what storms they may meet with; and therefore must not easil take it for granted that they have obtained their purpose. Let us neve expect to be quite safe till we enter heaven. They saw neither sun no stars for many days. Thus melancholy sometimes is the condition of the people of God as to their spiritual matters; they walk in darkness, an have no light. See what the wealth of this world is: though coveted a a blessing, the time may come when it will be a burden; not only to heavy to be carried safely, but heavy enough to sink him that has it The children of this world can be prodigal of their goods for the saving their lives, yet are sparing of them in works of piety an charity, and in suffering for Christ. Any man will rather make shipwreck of his goods than of his life; but many rather make shipwrec of faith and a good conscience, than of their goods. The means the sailors used did not succeed; but when sinners give up all hope of saving themselves, they are prepared to understand God's word, and to trust in his mercy through Jesus Christ.
Greek Textus Receptus
μετ 3326 PREP ου 3756 PRT-N πολυ 4183 A-ASN δε 1161 CONJ εβαλεν 906 5627 V-2AAI-3S κατ 2596 PREP αυτης 846 P-GSF ανεμος 417 N-NSM τυφωνικος 5189 A-NSM ο 3588 T-NSM καλουμενος 2564 5746 V-PPP-NSM ευροκλυδων 2148 N-NSM
Vincent's NT Word Studies
14. There arose against it (ebale kat authv). Against what? Some say, the island of Crete; in which case they would have been driven against the island, whereas we are told that they were driven away from it.Others, the ship. It is objected that the pronoun aujthv, it, is feminine, while the feminine noun for ship (nauv) is not commonly used by Luke, but rather the neuter, ploion. I do not think this objection entitled to much weight. Luke is the only New Testament writer who uses nauv (see verse 41), though he uses it but once; and, as Hackett remarks, "it would be quite accidental which of the terms would shape the pronoun at this moment, as they were both so familiar." A third explanation refers the pronoun to the island of Crete, and renders, "there beat down from it." This is grammatical, and according to a well-known usage of the preposition. The verb ballw is also used intransitively in the sense of to fall; thus Homer ("Iliad," xi., 722), of a river falling into the sea. Compare Mark iv. 37: "the waves beat (epeballen) into the ship; "and Luke xv. 12: "the portion of goods that falleth (epiballon) to me." The rendering of the Rev. is, therefore, well supported, and, on the whole, preferable: there beat down from it. It is also according to the analogy of the expression in Luke viii. 23, there came down a storm. See note there, and on Matthew viii. 24.
A tempestuous wind (anemov tufwnikov). Lit., a typhonic wind. The word tufwn means a typhoon, and the adjective formed from it means of the character of a typhoon.
Euroclydon (Eurokludwn). The best texts read Eujrakulwn, Euraquilo: i.e., between Eurus, "the E.S.E. wind," and Aquilo, "the north-wind, or, strictly, N. 1/3 E." Hence, E. N. E.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
27:14 {After no long time} (met' ou polu). Litotes again. {Beat down from it} (ebalen kat' autes). Second aorist active indicative of ballw, to throw. Here "dashed" (intransitive). autes is in the ablative, not genitive case, beat "down from it" (Crete), not "against it or on it." (Robertson, _Grammar_, p. 606). autes cannot refer to ploion (boat) which is neuter. So the ablative case with kata as in #Mr 5:13, Homer also. The Cretan mountains are over 7,000 feet high. {A stormuous wind which is called Euraquilo} (anemos tufwnikos ho kaloumenos eurakulwn). tufwn=tufws was used for the typhoon, a violent whirlwind (turbo) or squall. this word gives the character of the wind. The eurakulwn (reading of Aleph A B against the Textus Receptus Euroklud"n) has not been found elsewhere. Blass calls it a hybrid word compounded of the Greek euros (east wind) and the Latin aquilo (northeast). It is made like euronotos (southeast). The Vulgate has _euroaquilo_. It is thus the east north east wind. Page considers Euroclydon to be a corruption of Euraquilo. Here the name gives the direction of the wind.
