σκάφη

a boat

Definition

The Greek word σκάφη (skaphē) refers to a small boat or skiff, distinct from larger sailing vessels. In its three New Testament occurrences, it consistently denotes a smaller craft used for auxiliary purposes, such as a lifeboat or tender carried by a larger ship. In Acts 27:16, it is the 'small boat' the sailors struggled to secure during the storm. In Acts 27:30 and 32, it is the same 'lifeboat' that the sailors attempted to use to abandon ship, which Paul's centurion then ordered to be cut away. The term can also broadly mean any hollowed-out vessel or trough in classical Greek, but the biblical usage is specific to maritime contexts.

Biblical Usage

Σκάφη is used exclusively in the narrative of Paul's shipwreck in Acts 27 (verses 16, 30, 32). Its usage is technical and nautical, describing a specific piece of equipment on a larger grain ship. The pattern shows it was a vital safety vessel but also a potential means of desertion, playing a key role in the drama of the storm and the preservation of all aboard on God's authority.

Etymology

Derived from the Greek verb σκάπτω (skaptō), meaning 'to dig' or 'to hollow out.' Thus, σκάφη literally means a 'hollowed-out thing,' originally referring to a trough, tub, or basin. This root meaning evolved to include boats, which were often made by hollowing out logs. The connection to digging is also seen in related words like σκάφη could mean a 'trench' or 'grave' in other contexts.

Semantic Range

While σκάφη itself is a mundane object, its role in Acts 27 is theologically significant. The lifeboat represents human precaution and the sailors' instinct for self-preservation. Paul's intervention and the centurion's decision to cut it away (Acts 27:31-32) become a pivotal act of trust in God's promise of deliverance (Acts 27:24). The event underscores that salvation comes through faith in God's word, not through clinging to human means of escape, enriching the reading of this narrative as a lesson in divine providence and obedience.

In the 1st-century Mediterranean, large merchant ships like the one in Acts 27 routinely carried a smaller σκάφη. This was not a rowboat for leisure but an essential piece of equipment for ferrying people and supplies to shore in shallow harbors, as an emergency lifeboat, and for maintenance like applying pitch to the hull. Understanding this clarifies the sailors' actions: abandoning the large, foundering ship for the small boat was a standard, though in this case faithless, survival procedure.

πλοῖον (ploion, G4143) — The general Greek word for a ship or large vessel, used for the main ship in Acts 27. σκάφη is a smaller boat carried by a πλοῖον.

Word Details

Scripture References