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Read the Bible

George Lamsa Translation

Acts 27:28

So they cast the sounding lead, and found twenty fathoms; and again, they sailed a little farther, and took soundings and found fifteen fathoms.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Fathom;   Mariners (Sailors);   Measure;   Navigation;   Paul;   Prophecy;   Sounding;   Thompson Chain Reference - Missionary Journeys;   Missions, World-Wide;   Paul's;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Measures;   Ships;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Crete;   Euroclydon;   Julius;   Melita;   Ship;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Ordination;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Fathom;   Melita;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Centurion;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Acts;   Ephesians, Book of;   Fathom;   Luke;   Luke, Gospel of;   Weights and Measures;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Italy;   Nero;   Ships and Boats;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Fathom;   Melita ;   Ship ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Weights and Measures;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Measures;   Melita;   Tables of measures weights and money in the bible;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Ship;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Fathom;   Lead;   Lycia;   Ships and Boats;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
They took soundings and found it to be a hundred and twenty feet deep; when they had sailed a little farther and sounded again, they found it to be ninety feet deep.
King James Version (1611)
And sounded, and found it twentie fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded againe, and found it fifteene fathoms.
King James Version
And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms.
English Standard Version
So they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms. A little farther on they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms.
New American Standard Bible
And they took soundings and found it to be twenty fathoms; and a little farther on they took another sounding and found it to be fifteen fathoms.
New Century Version
so they lowered a rope with a weight on the end of it into the water. They found that the water was one hundred twenty feet deep. They went a little farther and lowered the rope again. It was ninety feet deep.
Amplified Bible
So they took soundings [using a weighted line] and found [the depth to be] twenty fathoms (120 feet); and a little farther on they sounded again and found [the depth to be] fifteen fathoms (90 feet).
New American Standard Bible (1995)
They took soundings and found it to be twenty fathoms; and a little farther on they took another sounding and found it to be fifteen fathoms.
Legacy Standard Bible
And when they took soundings, they found it to be twenty fathoms; and a little farther on they took another sounding and found it to be fifteen fathoms.
Berean Standard Bible
They took soundings and found that the water was twenty fathoms deep. Going a little farther, they took another set of soundings that read fifteen fathoms.
Contemporary English Version
They measured and found that the water was about one hundred twenty feet deep. A little later they measured again and found it was only about ninety feet.
Complete Jewish Bible
So they dropped a plumbline and found the water one hundred and twenty feet deep. A little farther on, they took another sounding and found it ninety feet.
Darby Translation
and having sounded found twenty fathoms, and having gone a little farther and having again sounded they found fifteen fathoms;
Easy-to-Read Version
They threw a rope into the water with a weight on the end of it. They found that the water was 120 feet deep. They went a little farther and threw the rope in again. It was 90 feet deep.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And sounded, & found it twentie fathoms: and when they had gone a litle further, they sounded againe, and found fifteene fathoms.
Good News Translation
So they dropped a line with a weight tied to it and found that the water was one hundred and twenty feet deep; a little later they did the same and found that it was ninety feet deep.
Lexham English Bible
And taking soundings, they found twenty fathoms. So going on a little further and taking soundings again, they found fifteen fathoms.
Literal Translation
And sounding, they found twenty fathoms; and moving a little and sounding again, they found fifteen fathoms.
American Standard Version
and they sounded, and found twenty fathoms; and after a little space, they sounded again, and found fifteen fathoms.
Bible in Basic English
And they let down the lead, and saw that the sea was a hundred and twenty feet deep; and after a little time they did it again and it was ninety feet.
Hebrew Names Version
They took soundings, and found twenty fathoms. After a little while, they took soundings again, and found fifteen fathoms.
International Standard Version
On taking soundings, they found a depth of twenty fathoms. A little later they took soundings again and found it was fifteen fathoms.
Etheridge Translation
And they cast the lead, and found twenty cubits; and again a little they proceeded, and found fifteen cubits.
Murdock Translation
And they cast the lead, and found twenty fathoms. And again they advanced a little, and they found fifteen fathoms.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And sounded, and founde it twentie faddomes. And when they had gone a litle further, they sounded agayne, and founde it fyfteene faddomes.
English Revised Version
and they sounded, and found twenty fathoms: and after a little space, they sounded again, and found fifteen fathoms.
World English Bible
They took soundings, and found twenty fathoms. After a little while, they took soundings again, and found fifteen fathoms.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And sounding, they found twenty fathoms; and having gone a little farther, sounding again, they found fifteen fathoms.
Weymouth's New Testament
So they hove the lead and found twenty fathoms of water; and after a short time they hove again and found fifteen fathoms.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thei kesten doun a plommet, and founden twenti pasis of depnesse. And aftir a litil thei weren departid fro thennus, and foundun fiftene pasis.
Update Bible Version
and they sounded, and found twenty fathoms; and after a little space, they sounded again, and found fifteen fathoms.
Webster's Bible Translation
And sounded, and found [it] twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found [it] fifteen fathoms.
New English Translation
They took soundings and found the water was twenty fathoms deep; when they had sailed a little farther they took soundings again and found it was fifteen fathoms deep.
New King James Version
And they took soundings and found it to be twenty fathoms; and when they had gone a little farther, they took soundings again and found it to be fifteen fathoms.
New Living Translation
They dropped a weighted line and found that the water was 120 feet deep. But a little later they measured again and found it was only 90 feet deep.
New Life Bible
They let down the lead weight and found the water was not very deep. After they had gone a little farther, they found there was not as much water.
New Revised Standard
So they took soundings and found twenty fathoms; a little farther on they took soundings again and found fifteen fathoms.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and, sounding, they found twenty fathoms, - and, going a little further, and again sounding, they found fifteen fathoms.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Who also sounding, found twenty fathoms: and going on a little further, they found fifteen fathoms.
Revised Standard Version
So they sounded and found twenty fathoms; a little farther on they sounded again and found fifteen fathoms.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
and sounded and founde it .xx. feddoms. And when they had gone a lytell further they sounded agayne and founde .xv. feddoms.
Young's Literal Translation
and having sounded they found twenty fathoms, and having gone a little farther, and again having sounded, they found fifteen fathoms,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and they cast out the leade, and founde it twetye feddoms: and wha they were gone a litle farther, they cast out the leade agayne, and founde fyftene feddoms.
Mace New Testament (1729)
they threw the line and sounded twenty fathom water: a little further they sounded again, and came to fifteen fathom:
Simplified Cowboy Version
They measured the water depth and is was about 120 feet deep. A short time later, it was thirty feet shallower.

Contextual Overview

21 And as no man among them had eaten anything, Paul stood up in the midst of them, and said, Men, if you had listened to me, we would not have sailed from Crete, and we would have been spared this loss and suffering. 22 Now let me counsel you not to be depressed: for not a single life among you will be lost, but only the ship. 23 For there has appeared to me this night the angel of God to whom I belong and whom I serve, 24 And he said to me, Fear not, Paul; you must stand before Csar: and behold, God has given to you all of them who sail with you. 25 Therefore, men, be of good cheer: for I have confidence in God, that it shall be just as it was told me. 26 However, we will be cast upon an island. 27 And after fourteen days of being lost and weary in the sea of A''dri-a, about midnight the sailors thought they were drawing near to land. 28 So they cast the sounding lead, and found twenty fathoms; and again, they sailed a little farther, and took soundings and found fifteen fathoms. 29 Then, fearing lest we find ourselves caught between the rocks, they cast four anchors from the stern of the ship, and prayed for the dawning of day. 30 The sailors sought to desert the ship; so they lowered the ship''s boat into the sea, under pretense that they were going in it to make fast the ship to the land.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Reciprocal: Ezekiel 3:6 - of a strange speech and of an hard language

Cross-References

Genesis 27:5
And Rebekah heard when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. So Esau went to the field to hunt game and to bring it.
Genesis 27:7
Bring me game, and make me stewed meat, that I may eat and bless you in the presence of the LORD before I die.
Genesis 27:9
Go now to the flock, and bring me from there two kids of the goats; and I will make from them stew for your father, such as he likes;
Genesis 27:11
And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man and I am a smooth man;
Genesis 27:12
Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a mocker; and I Shall bring a curse upon myself, and not a blessing.
Genesis 27:13
And his mother said to him, Let your curses be upon me, my son; only listen to me, and go and fetch them to me.
Genesis 27:39
And Isaac his father answered and said to him, Behold, your dwelling shall be in the fertile places of the earth, and the dew of heaven shall fall upon you from above;
Genesis 45:18
And take your father and your households, and come to me; and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat of the fat of the land.
Genesis 49:20
As for Asher, his land is good, and he shall supply kings with food.
Numbers 13:20
Be of good courage, and bring some of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And sounded,.... Or let down their plummet, or sounding line; which was a line with a piece of lead at the end of it, which they let down into the water, and by that means found what depth it was, by which they could judge whether they were near land or not. The sounding line, with the ancients, was called by different names; sometimes bolis, and this is the name it has here,

βολισαντες, "they let down the bolis": and the bolis is, by some, described thus; it is a brazen or leaden vessel, with a chain, which mariners fill with grease, and let down into the sea, to try whether the places are rocky where a ship may stand, or sandy where the ship is in danger of being lost: it is also called "catapirates", which is thus described by Isidore; "catapirates" is a line with a piece of lead, by which the depth of the sea is tried. Herodotus makes mention of it under this name, and observes, that when persons are within a day's voyage of Egypt, if they let down the "catapirates", or sounding line, they will bring up clay, even when in eleven fathom deep r According to modern accounts, there are two kinds of lines, occasionally used in sounding the sea, the sounding line, and the deep sea line: the sounding line is the thickest and shortest, as not exceeding 20 fathoms in length, and is marked at two, three, and four fathoms with a piece of black leather between the strands, and at five with a piece of white leather: the sounding line may be used when the ship is under sail, which the deep sea line cannot. --The plummet is usually in form of a nine pin, and weighs 18 pounds; the end is frequently greased, to try whether the ground be sandy or rocky, c. s. The deep sea line is used in deep water, and both lead and line are larger than the other at the end of it is a piece of lead, called deep sea lead, has a hole at the bottom, in which is put a piece of "tallow", to bring up the colour of the sand at the bottom, to learn the differences of the ground, and know what coasts they are on.

And found it twenty fathoms; or "orgyas"; a fathom is a measure which contains six feet, and is the utmost extent of both arms, when stretched into a right line: the fathom, it seems, differs according to the different sorts of vessels; the fathom of a man of war is six feet, that of merchant ships five feet and a half, and that of fly boats and fishing vessels five feet: if the fathom here used was the first of these, the sounding was an hundred and twenty feet; the Ethiopic version renders it, "twenty statues of a man".

And when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms; or ninety feet; by which they imagined that they were near the continent, or some island: in some places, as the coasts of Virginia, for instance, by the use of the deep sea line, it is known how far it is from land; for as many fathoms of water as are found, it is reckoned so many leagues from land.

r Scheffer. de Militia Navali Veterum, l. 2. c. 5. p. 150. s Chambers's Cyclopaedia in the word "Sounding".

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And sounded - To sound is to make use of a line and lead to ascertain the depth of water.

Twenty fathoms - A fathom is six feet, or the distance from the extremity of the middle finger on one hand to the extremity of the other, when the arms are extended. The depth, therefore, was about 120 feet.

Fifteen fathoms - They knew, therefore, that they were drawing near to shore.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Acts 27:28. And sounded — βολισαντες, Heaving the lead.

Twenty fathoms — οργυιας εικοσι, About forty yards in depth. The οργυια is thus defined by the Etymologicon: Σημαινει την εκτασιν των χειρων, συν τῳ πλατει του Ϛηθους· It signifies the extent of the arms, together with the breadth of the breast. This is exactly the quantum of our fathom.


 
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