What Does Acts 27:22 Mean?
Two renderings of the same sentence, the verses it belongs to, and what the passage is doing — so you can decide what it means rather than take someone's word for it.
"And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship." Acts 27:22, King James Version
The same verse in modern English
"But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because you will not experience any loss of life, but only of the ship." Acts 27:22, Berean Standard Bible
What it sits inside
A verse quoted on its own is the commonest way one gets misread. Here it is with what comes immediately before and after, in the King James Version.
Acts 27:20 And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.
Acts 27:21 But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.
Acts 27:22 And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship.
Acts 27:23 For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,
Acts 27:24 Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Cesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.
A conversation built on it
When everything is coming apart it is hard to hear a promise as anything but a platitude. Paul made a precise one on that deck: the ship would be lost, the people would not. He did not pretend the cargo was safe. Some of it does break. You are not the cargo.
Questions people ask
What does Acts 27:22 mean?
In modern English (Berean Standard Bible) it reads: “But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because you will not experience any loss of life, but only of the ship.” The King James rendering most people know is: “And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship.”
What is the context of Acts 27:22?
The verses immediately around it read: (Acts 27:20) And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away. (Acts 27:21) But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. (Acts 27:22) And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship. (Acts 27:23) For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, (Acts 27:24) Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Cesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.
How is Acts 27:22 used in a conversation about this?
When everything is coming apart it is hard to hear a promise as anything but a platitude. Paul made a precise one on that deck: the ship would be lost, the people would not. He did not pretend the cargo was safe. Some of it does break. You are not the cargo.
Reading it is one thing. Saying what it stirs up is another.
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