SEV Biblia, Chapter 28:11
¶ Así que, pasados tres meses, navegamos en una nave alejandrina que había invernado en la isla, la cual tenía por ensea a Cstor y Plux.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Acts 28:11
Verse 11. After three months] Supposing that they had reached Malta about the end of October, as we have already seen, then it appears that they left it about the end of January, or the beginning of February; and, though in the depth of winter, not the worst time for sailing, even in those seas, the wind being then generally more steady; and, on the whole, the passage more safe. Whose sign was Castor and Pollux.] These were two fabulous semi-deities, reported to be the sons of Jupiter and Leda, who were afterwards translated to the heavens, and made the constellation called Gemini, or the Twins. This constellation was deemed propitious to mariners; and, as it was customary to have the images of their gods both on the head and stern of their ships, we may suppose that this Alexandrian ship had these on either her prow or stern, and that these gave name to the ship. We, who profess to be a Christian people, follow the same heathen custom: we have out ships called the Castor, the Jupiter, the Minerva, the Leda, (the mother of Castor and Pollux,) with a multitude of other demon gods and goddesses; so that, were ancient Romans or Grecians to visit our navy, they would be led to suppose that, after the lapse of more than 2000 years, their old religion had continued unaltered! Virgil speaks of a vessel called the Tiger. AEneid, x. ver. 1l16: - Massicus aerata princeps secat aequora TIGRI.
"Massicus, chief, cuts the waves in the brazen-beaked TIGER." Of another called the Chimera. AEn. v. ver. 118, 223: - Ingentemque Gyas ingenti mole CHIMAERAM.
"Gyas the vast Chimera's bulk commands." And of another called the Centaur. AEn. v. ver. 122, 155, 1l7: -- CENTAURO invehitur magna.
"Sergestus, in the great Centaur, took the leading place." Besides these names, they had their tutelary gods in the ship, from whom they expected succour; and sometimes they had their images on the stern; and when they got safely to the end of their voyage, they were accustomed to crown these images with garlands: thus Virgil, Geor. i. ver. 30i5: - PUPPIBUS et laeti naute imposuere CORONAS.
"The joyous sailors place garlands on their sterns." Several ancient fables appear to have arisen out of the names of ships.
Jupiter is fabled to have carried off Europa, across the sea, in the shape of a bull; and to have carried away Ganymede, in the shape of an eagle. That is, these persons were carried away, one in a ship called Taurus, or Bull; and the other in one denominated Aquila, the Eagle. Why not Taurus, as well as Tigris? and why not Aquila, as well as Chimera?-which names did belong to ships, as we find from the above quotations.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 11. And after three months we departed , etc.] From Melita; here they stayed the three winter months, which were unseasonable for navigation; but now the spring coming on, and the weather agreeable, they left the island, and sailed in a ship of Alexandria ; (see Gill on Acts 27:6); which had wintered in the isle ; perhaps all the said three months, for the same reason: whose sign was Castor and Pollux ; or Dioscuri, that is, the sons of Jupiter; for Castor and Pollux were his sons, by Leda: these are placed among the constellations in the Zodiac, and go by the name of Gemini, or the twins; and these were supposed to have a power of saving men in danger at sea: wherefore such as were about to go to sea, first paid their devoirs, and made vows to them; which they performed when they returned, and were delivered from shipwreck; and when they were in danger at sea, they used to pray unto them: the fiery exhalations that sometimes appear at sea, they took for them; and when only one appeared, it was looked on as a bad omen; but when both, it was reckoned to portend a prosperous voyage; hence they were considered as sea deities; and the Ethiopic version accordingly renders it here Dioscoura, and adds, who is the god of the mariners: now the images of these two brothers were sometimes set at the head, or forepart of the ship, as they were in this, from whence the ship took its name; as it is very common for the names of ships to be the same with the pictures or images that are placed at the head of them: whether the centurion chose this ship because of its sign, imagining there might be more safety in it, he having suffered shipwreck already; or whether this was the only one in the island, that was going for Italy, is not certain, nor very material: the Arabic version takes the word rendered Castor and Pollux, to be the name of a man, who was the owner of the ship; for it reads the words thus, in a ship of Alexandria, that belonged to a man of Alexandria, called Dioscorides.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 11-16 - The common events of travelling are seldom worthy of being told; but the comfort of communion with the saints, and kindness shown by friends, deserve particular mention. The Christians at Rome were so fa from being ashamed of Paul, or afraid of owning him, because he was prisoner, that they were the more careful to show him respect. He ha great comfort in this. And if our friends are kind to us, God puts it into their hearts, and we must give him the glory. When we see thos even in strange places, who bear Christ's name, fear God, and serv him, we should lift up our hearts to heaven in thanksgiving. How man great men have made their entry into Rome, crowned and in triumph, wh really were plagues to the world! But here a good man makes his entr into Rome, chained as a poor captive, who was a greater blessing to the world than any other merely a man. Is not this enough to put us for ever out of conceit with worldly favour? This may encourage God' prisoners, that he can give them favour in the eyes of those that carr them captives. When God does not soon deliver his people out of bondage, yet makes it easy to them, or them easy under it, they have reason to be thankful.
Greek Textus Receptus
μετα 3326 PREP δε 1161 CONJ τρεις 5140 A-APM μηνας 3376 N-APM ανηχθημεν 321 5681 V-API-1P εν 1722 PREP πλοιω 4143 N-DSN παρακεχειμακοτι 3914 5761 V-RAP-DSM εν 1722 PREP τη 3588 T-DSF νησω 3520 N-DSF αλεξανδρινω 222 A-DSN παρασημω 3902 N-DSN διοσκουροις 1359 N-DPM
Vincent's NT Word Studies
11. Sign. Answering to the ship's name in modern times. It was the image of a God, a man, a beast, or of some other object, sculptured or painted on the prow. The figure of the guardian deity was affixed to the stern.Castor and Pollux. Known as the twin brothers and the Dioscuri, or sons of Jove. They were regarded as tutelary deities of sailors.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
28:11 {Which had wintered} (parakeceimakoti). Perfect active participle of paraceimazw, to pass the winter. Old verb, in N.T. only #27:12; 28:11; 1Co 16:6; Tit 3:12. The locative case agreeing with ploiwi. Navigation in the Mediterranean usually opened up in February (always by March), spring beginning on Feb. 9 (Page). {Whose sign was the Twin Brothers} (parasemwi dioskourois). The word parasemwi can be either a substantive (as Revised Version has it) or an adjective "marked by the sign," examples of both uses common in ancient Greek. dioskourois is in apposition with parasemwi. The word means the twin sons (kouros or koros) of Zeus (Dios, genitive of Zeus) and Leda, viz., Castor and Pollux. The Attic used the dual, tw dioskorw. Castor and Pollux were the tutelary deities of sailors whose figures were painted one on each side of the prow of the ship. this sign was the name of the ship. So they start in another grain ship of Alexandria bound for Rome.
