27:1
We now have the account of the journey to Rome, and an eventful one it was too. The descriptions of the weather conditions fit the geography extremely well, another small detail that adds to the veracity of the account. There were several other prisoners on the boat. Some, maybe most, of these would have been condemned men, sent to Rome to provide entertainment for the people by public deaths. The Roman Empire was very orderly but also very cruel. The term “Augustan Regiment” was used to refer to several legions and cohorts, and there was a cohort in this region and time.
27:2
The ship would have been relatively small. They were designed primarily for carrying cargo, mostly grain. Passengers were an afterthought. As Paul was a Roman citizen and not guilty of anything it seems he was allowed to take a friend, Aristarchus, with him.
27:3
This verse shows how lightly Paul’s status as a “prisoner” was taken. They had found nothing wrong with him and Paul was being sent to Rome purely because he had claimed the right to be referred to Caesar. Sidon was about seventy miles north of Caesarea. It would be in Justus’ interests to let Paul go to his friends as this would mean he would have less supplies to requisition.
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