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Thursday, October 31st, 2024
the Week of Proper 25 / Ordinary 30
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Read the Bible

Tyndale New Testament

Acts 27:28

and sounded and founde it .xx. feddoms. And when they had gone a lytell further they sounded agayne and founde .xv. feddoms.

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

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.
Revised Standard Version
So they sounded and found twenty fathoms; a little farther on they sounded again and found fifteen fathoms.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
English Revised Version
and they sounded, and found twenty fathoms: and after a little space, they sounded again, and found 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.
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).
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.
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;
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.
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.
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.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And sounded, & found it twentie fathoms: and when they had gone a litle further, they sounded againe, and found fifteene fathoms.
George Lamsa Translation
So they cast the sounding lead, and found twenty fathoms; and again, they sailed a little farther, and took soundings 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.
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.
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.
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
And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms.
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.
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:
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.
Simplified Cowboy Version
They measured the water depth and is was about 120 feet deep. A short time later, it was thirty feet shallower.
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.

Contextual Overview

21 Then after longe abstinence Paul stode forth in the myddes of them and sayde: Syrs ye shulde have harkened to me and not have lowsed from Candy nether to have brought vnto vs this harme and losse. 22 And nowe I exhorte you to be of good chere. For ther shalbe no losse of eny mas lyfe amonge you save of the ship only. 23 For ther stode by me this nyght the angell of God whose I am and whom I serve 24 sayinge: feare not Paul for thou must be brought before Cesar. And lo God hath geven vnto the all that sayle with ye. 25 Wherfore Syrs be of good chere: for I beleve God that so it shalbe even as it was tolde me. 26 How be it we must be cast into a certayne ylonde. 27 But when ye fourtethe nyght was come as we were caryed in Adria about mydnyght the shipmen demed that ther appered some countre vnto the: 28 and sounded and founde it .xx. feddoms. And when they had gone a lytell further they sounded agayne and founde .xv. feddoms. 29 Then fearinge lest they shuld have fallen on some Rocke they cast .iiii. ancres out of the sterne and wysshed for ye daye. 30 As the shipmen were about to fle out of the ship and had let doune the bote into the see vnder a coloure as though they wolde have cast ancres out of the forshippe:

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

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

Cross-References

Romans 11:17
Though some of the brauuches be broken of and thou beynge a wylde olyue tree arte graft in amonge them and made parttaker of ye rote and fatnes of the olyve tree
Hebrews 11:20
In fayth Isaac blessed Iacob and Esau concerninge thinges to come.

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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