Acts 27:31-35
 
Acts 27:31 (KJB)
Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.
 
Paul then intervenes with the centurion and tells him that if they leave the ship, then there will be loss of life and he states it to them by saying “ye” which means he was specifically stating that the centurion and the soldiers would all die, even though they were close to the shoreline but they were still in 90 feet of water and the storm was still raging, which means drowning would not have been an impossible thing. I am sure the centurion listened to Paul this time and would not easily dismiss his words.
 
Acts 27:32 (KJB)
Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.
 
In response to the words of Paul, the soldiers were not taking any chances this time. So they cut the ropes and allowed the boat to fall off into the water. Since it was still dark outside, they did not want to chance somebody else doing the same thing and trying to escape the boat. So the easiest way was to get rid of the temptation by cutting the ropes.
 
Acts 27:33 (KJB)
And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing.
 
While Paul seemed to be in command of the situation, he had encouraged those on board to eat some food since it has been fourteen days of being in the grips of the storm and they had fasted to prevent sea sickness. Apparently not all the food was tossed overboard because they did not know when the storm would end, so the food was kept in case the storm let up and they could once again eat without getting sick. They had fasted because they thought all was lost and the ship would be destroyed. Their main focus was trying to stay alive in the midst of the storm.
 
Acts 27:34 (KJB)
Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.
 
Paul then reconfirms what the angel told him that they should eat because it will help them regain their strength and the all of them would be safe from this journey through the storm. He was not only guaranteeing the fact that no loss of life would occur but there would not even be the slightest injury to any of them. Paul wanted them to trust and believe the promise of God which was given to him through the angel.
 
Acts 27:35 (KJB)
And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat.
 
Paul just didn’t encourage the people to eat, instead he took the lead by giving thanks to God for the bread and started eating it. By breaking it, he may have given some to someone else and hopefully that started everyone eating. Once someone who is hungry sees someone else eating, then they too will want to join in the blessings. His prayer probably touched a lot of the people on board seeing that they just came through a fourteen day ordeal and yet Paul takes time to thank God for the bread.

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