31 Bible Verses about Seafaring

The businessmen of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because no one can buy their cargoes anymore -- cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones, fine linen, silk, and scarlet, all kinds of citron wood, all kinds of goods in ivory and costly woods, bronze, iron, and marble, cinnamon, spices, incense, perfume, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, carriages, slaves, and the lives of human beings.

And He got into a boat and crossed to the other side, and went into His home town.

So, as they were sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from that port sailed away to Cyprus.

When Jesus heard it, He left there in a boat for a quiet place, to be alone. And when the crowds heard of it, they followed Him on foot from the towns.

Then He sent the crowds away, got into the boat, and went to the district of Magadan.

So He told His disciples to keep a little boat ready for Him all the time, to prevent the crowds from crushing Him.

Then Paul and his party set sail from Paphos and crossed over to Perga in Pamphylia. Here John quit them and returned to Jerusalem,

and from there they sailed back to Antioch, where they had first been committed to God's favor for the work which they had finished.

The disagreement was so sharp that they separated, and Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus.

So we sailed away from Troy and struck a bee line for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis.

Now Paul stayed a considerable time longer in Corinth, and then bade the brothers goodbye and set sail for Syria, accompanied by Aquila and Priscilla. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut, for he was under a vow.

But as he bade them goodbye, he promised, "I will come back to you again, if it is God's will." Then he set sail from Ephesus.

where he stayed three months. Just as he was about to sail for Syria, he changed his mind and returned by way of Macedonia, because a plot against him had been laid by the Jews.

When we had torn ourselves away from them, we struck a bee line for Cos, and the next day on to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. There we found a ship bound for Phoenicia, and so we went aboard and sailed away. After sighting Cyprus and leaving it on our left, we sailed on for Syria, and put in at Tyre, for the ship was to unload her cargo there.

When it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they turned over Paul and some other prisoners to a colonel of the imperial regiment, named Julius. After going on board an Adramyttian ship bound for the ports of Asia, we set sail. On board with us was Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. The next day we landed at Sidon, and Julius kindly permitted Paul to visit his friends and enjoy their attentions.read more.
After setting sail from there, we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the wind was against us, and after sailing the whole length of the sea off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we reached Myra in Lycia. There the colonel found an Alexandrian ship bound for Italy, and put us on board her. For a number of days we sailed on slowly and with difficulty arrived off Cnidus. Then, because the wind did not permit us to go on, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Cape Salmone, and with difficulty coasted along it and finally reached a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.

Three months later, we set sail in an Alexandrian ship named The Twin Brothers, which had wintered at the island. We landed at Syracuse and stayed there three days. After weighing anchor and leaving there, we arrived at Rhegium. The next day, a south wind began to blow, and the following day we got to Puteoli.

three times I have been beaten by the Romans, once I was pelted with stones; three times I have been shipwrecked, and once I have spent a day and a night adrift at sea.

And He got into a boat, and His disciples went with Him. And suddenly a furious storm came up, so that the boat was being covered over by the bursting billows, but He kept on sleeping. So they went to Him and woke Him up, and said, "Lord, save us; we are going down!"read more.
And He said to them, "Why are you afraid, O you with little faith?" Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men were dumbfounded, and said, "What sort of man is this, for even the winds and the sea obey Him!"

That same day when it was evening, He said to them, "Let us go over to the other Side." So they left the crowd and took Him in the boat in which he was sitting. And there were other boats with Him. But a furious squall of wind came up, and the waves were dashing over into the boat, so that it was fast filling.read more.
He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. So they woke Him up and said to Him, "Teacher, is it no concern to you that we are going down?" Then He aroused Himself and reproved the wind, and said to the sea, "Hush! Be still." And the wind lulled, and there was a great calm. Then He asked them, "Why are you afraid? Have you no faith yet?" They were very much frightened, and said to one another, "Who can He be that even the wind and the sea obey Him?"

One day He got into a boat with His disciples, and He said to them, "Let us cross to the other side of the lake." So they set sail. Now as they were sailing along, He fell off to sleep. But a furious squall of wind rushed down upon the lake, and they were filling up and were in impending peril. So they came to Him and woke Him up, and said, "Master, Master, we are perishing? Then He aroused Himself and reproved the wind and the surge of the water, and they stopped at once and instantly there came a calm.read more.
Then He said to them, "Where is your faith?" But they were frightened and astounded, and continued to say to one another, "Who can He be? For He gives orders even to the winds and the water, and they obey Him." They landed in the neighborhood of Gerasa, which is just across the lake from Galilee.

And He at once had the disciples get into the boat and cross to the other side ahead of Him, while He dismissed the crowds. After He had dismissed the crowds, He went up the hill alone to pray. And after the evening came on, He was there alone, but the boat was already a long way from shore, and was being tossed by the waves, for the wind was against them.read more.
Just before day He went out to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, "It is a ghost!" And they screamed with fright. Then Jesus at once spoke to them, "Be men of courage! It is I; stop being afraid." Peter answered Him, "Lord, if it is you, let me come to you on the water." And He said, "Come." And Peter got down out of the boat and walked on the water, and he went toward Jesus. But when he felt the wind, he was frightened, and as he began to go down, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Jesus at once put out His hand and caught hold of him, and said to him, "O you of little faith! Why did you waver so?" And when they got into the boat, the wind lulled, And the men in the boat worshiped Him, and said, "You are certainly God's Son."

Then He insisted that the disciples at once get into their boat and cross ahead of Him toward Bethsaida, while He was sending the crowd away. After He had told them "Goodbye," He went up the hill to pray. Now when evening had come, the boat was in the middle of the sea, while He was alone on land.read more.
And because He saw that they were struggling at the oars, for the wind was against them, a while before daybreak He started toward them walking on the sea, and He meant to go right up beside them. But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they thought that it was a ghost and screamed aloud, for they all saw Him and were terrified. But He at once spoke to them and said, "Keep up courage! It is I; stop being afraid." Then He went up to them and got into the boat, and the wind lulled. They were completely dumbfounded, for they did not understand the lesson of the loaves; their minds were dull. They crossed over to the other side and came to Gennesaret and anchored the boat.

When evening came, His disciples went down to the sea and got into a boat and started across the sea to Capernaum. Now it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. The sea was getting rough, because a strong wind was blowing.read more.
When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terror-stricken. But He said to them, "It is I; stop being afraid!" Then they were willing to take Him on board, and at once the boat came to the shore it was making for.

After considerable time had gone by, and navigation had become dangerous, and the fast was now over, Paul began to warn them by saying, "Men, I see that this voyage is likely to be attended by disaster and heavy loss, not only to the cargo and the ship, but also to our lives." But the colonel was influenced by the pilot and the captain of the ship rather than by what Paul said.read more.
And as the harbor was not fit to winter in, the majority favored the plan to set sail from there and see if they could reach Phoenix and winter there, this being a harbor in Crete facing west-southwest and west-north-west. When a light breeze from the south began to blow, thinking their purpose was about to be realized, they weighed anchor and coasted along by Crete, hugging the shore, But it was not long before a violent wind, which is called a Northeaster, swept down from it. The ship was snatched along by it and since she could not face the wind, we gave up and let her drive. As we passed under the lee of a small island called Cauda, with great difficulty we were able to secure the ship's boat. After hoisting it on board, they used ropes to brace the ship, and since they were afraid of being stranded on the Syrtis quicksands, they lowered the sail and let her drift. The next day, because we were so violently beaten by the storm, they began to throw the cargo overboard, and on the next day with their own hands they threw the ship's tackle overboard. For a number of days neither the sun nor the stars were to be seen, and the storm continued to rage, until at last all hope of being saved was now vanishing, After they had gone a long time without any food, then Paul got up among them and said: "Men, you ought to have listened to me and not to have sailed from Crete, and you would have escaped this disaster and loss. Even now I beg you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life, but only of the ship. For just last night an angel of God, to whom I belong and whom I serve, stood by my side and said, "Stop being afraid, Paul. You must stand before the Emperor; and listen! God has graciously given to you the lives of all who are sailing with you.' So keep up your courage, men, for I have confidence in my God that it will all come out just as I was told. And yet we must be stranded on some island." It was now the fourteenth night and we were drifting on the Adriatic sea, when at midnight the sailors suspected that land was near. On taking soundings they found a depth of twenty fathoms; and a little later again taking soundings, they found it was fifteen. Since they were afraid of our going on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern, and kept wishing for daylight to come. Although the sailors were trying to escape from the ship and had actually lowered the boat into the sea, pretending that they were going to run out anchors from the bow, Paul said to the colonel and his soldiers, "Unless these sailors remain on the ship, you cannot be saved." Then the soldiers cut the ropes that held the boat and let it drift away. Until day was about to break Paul kept begging them all to take something to eat. He said, "For fourteen days today you have been constantly waiting and going without food, not even taking a bite. So I beg you to eat something, for it is necessary for your safety. For not a hair will be lost from the head of a single one of you." After saying this he took some bread and thanked God for it before them all; then he broke it in pieces and began to eat it. Then they all were cheered and took something to eat themselves. There were 276 of us on the ship. When they had eaten enough, they began to lighten the ship by throwing the wheat into the sea. When day broke, they could not recognize the land, but they spied a bay that had a beach, and determined, if possible, to run the ship ashore. So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea; at the same time they undid the ropes of the rudders, and hoisting the foresail to the breeze they headed for the beach. But they struck a shoal and ran the ship aground; the bow stuck and remained unmoved, while the stern began to break to pieces under the beating of the waves. The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners, to keep any of them from swimming ashore and escaping, but the colonel wanted to save Paul, and so he prevented them from carrying out this plan, and ordered all who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land, and the rest to follow, some on planks and others on various bits of the ship. And thus they all got safely to land.

because in a single hour a wealth so vast has been destroyed!' All ship pilots and all who travel by sea, sailors and seafaring men, stood a long way off and cried out when they saw the smoke from her burning, 'What city was like the great city?' They threw dust on their heads and wept and mourned, crying out, 'Alas! Alas for the great city where all who had ships on the sea grew rich from her great wealth! For in a single hour she has been destroyed.'

so that we may not be babies any longer, or like sailors tossed about and driven around by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men through their cunning in inventing new methods of error.

by keeping your hold on faith and a good conscience; for some have thrust the latter aside and so have made shipwreck of their faith.

This hope we have as an anchor for our souls, secure and safe, which reaches up behind the heavenly veil,

Look at ships, too; though great and driven by violent winds, they are steered with a tiny rudder wherever the pilot pleases. So the tongue, too, is a little organ but can boast of great achievements. See how a spark, ever so tiny, can set a vast forest on fire!

But he must ask in faith, without a doubt, for the man who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is whirled and swayed by the wind.

who had once been disobedient, while God's patience was awaiting in the days when Noah was preparing an ark, in which a few people-- eight, to be exact -- were brought safely through the water.