Acts of the Apostles 28:
Once safely ashore, we then learned that the island was called Malta.
Two hundred seventy-six men in the hand of God tossed about in an autumn storm of the Mediterranean Sea survive — some on planks and some on debris from the ship on a remote beach of Malta — far from their destination of Rome.
And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold.
Acts of the Apostles 28:2 KJV
Melita or Malta history
3 inhabited islands & 18 uninhabited
Ancient Greeks in 700 BC, then the Phoenician traders who were followed by the Romans.
the Phoenicians referred to Mdina as Maleth, which means “shelter”. The Phoenicians were highly civilized people, with many great sailors and traders, who used the Maltese islands as a stop on their trade routes. Carthage (now known as Tunisia) was a city founded by the Phoenicians on the north coast of Africa and the Carthaginians ruled Malta from about 400 BC.
The Carthaginians ruled the Maltese islands for ~250 years, until the Romans seized Malta in 218 BC at the second Punic War. Twisting the island’s Phoenician name, the Romans called Malta “Melita”.
Source: Malta.com/en/
Maltese Barbarians
βάρβαρος - the barbourous people
The KJV contrasts the culture of these resident natives along the shore calling them barbarians simply because like all the rest of the Roman world and an inland city on Malta, they didn’t speak Greek.
As Paul gathered an armful of sticks and was laying them on the fire, a poisonous snake, driven out by the heat, bit him on the hand. But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed.
Acts 28:3,5 NLT
And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.
Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly:
but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.
Acts 28:4,6 KJV
Was it not a miracle that this man among more than 200 men had survived the raging sea?
Acts 28: moving inland on Malta
Near the shore where we landed was an estate belonging to Publius, the chief official of the island.
(Note the Roman name of the man in charge of the island, as Julius had been in charge of Paul's ship wrecked on its shore.)
He welcomed us and treated us kindly for three days.
As it happened, Publius’s father was ill with fever and dysentery. Paul went in and prayed for him, and laying his hands on him, he healed him.
Then all the other sick people on the island came and were healed.
As a result we were showered with honors…
Acts of the Apostles 28:7-10a NLT
Safe and Blessed for the Winter
DON’T MISS THIS:
The Centurion Julius, the Apostle Paul and now more than 300 men witness the power of God in Christ’s Apostle to the gentiles delayed in a violent storm on his way to Rome.
In these few verses THREE MONTHS PASS.
Once the dangers of winter will no longer threaten Paul and his Roman companions and the Centurion Julian finds a new ship for their voyage, God-willing, we will sail on to Rome.
NEXT
In the meantime, we will take a brief overview of ALL of Acts of the Apostles and timely connections of LETTERS written by Paul and other Apostles during these same years.
I pray that you will join us as we continue our journey into all the world with the Gospel.
But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
Acts of the Apostles 20:24 ESV
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