60 Bible Verses about Seafaring

Zebulun will dwell at the shore of the seas; Yea, he will be at the shore of the ships, And his side toucheth upon Sidon.

Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan; and Dan, why did he abide with the ships? Asher sat still at the coast of the sea, settling down by his landings.

and say unto Tyre: O thou that art situate at the entries of the sea, and traffickest with the peoples in many isles, thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Thou, Tyre, hast said, I am perfect in beauty. Thy borders are in the heart of the seas, thy builders have perfected thy beauty. They made all thy double boards of cypress-trees of Senir; they took cedars from Lebanon to make masts for thee.read more.
Of the oaks of Bashan did they make thine oars; they made thy benches of ivory, inlaid in box-wood, out of the isles of Chittim. Byssus with broidered work from Egypt was thy sail, to serve thee for a banner; blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was thine awning. The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy rowers; thy wise men, O Tyre, who were in thee, were thy pilots. The elders of Gebal and the wise men thereof were in thee repairing thy leaks; all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee, to barter with thee.

And it came to pass when mankind began to multiply on the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair, and took themselves wives of all that they chose. And Jehovah said, My Spirit shall not always plead with Man; for he indeed is flesh; but his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.read more.
In those days were the giants on the earth, and also afterwards, when the sons of God had come in to the daughters of men, and they had borne children to them; these were the heroes, who of old were men of renown. And Jehovah saw that the wickedness of Man was great on the earth, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart only evil continually. And Jehovah repented that he had made Man on the earth, and it grieved him in his heart. And Jehovah said, I will destroy Man, whom I have created, from the earth from man to cattle, to creeping things, and to fowl of the heavens; for I repent that I have made them. But Noah found favour in the eyes of Jehovah. This is the history of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect amongst his generations: Noah walked with God.

And Hiram sent in the fleet his servants, shipmen that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon; and they went to Ophir, and fetched thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to king Solomon.

And Huram sent him by his servants ships, and servants that had knowledge of the sea; and they went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and fetched thence four hundred and fifty talents of gold, and brought them to king Solomon.

The ships of Tarshish were thy caravans for thy traffic; and thou wast replenished, and highly honoured, in the heart of the seas.

(And the fleet also of Hiram, which carried gold from Ophir, brought from Ophir sandal-wood in very great abundance, and precious stones.

For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: once in three years came the ships of Tarshish, bringing gold and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.

Jehoshaphat made Tarshish-ships to go to Ophir for gold; but they went not, for the ships were broken at Ezion-geber. Then said Ahaziah the son of Ahab to Jehoshaphat, Let my servants go with thy servants in the ships. But Jehoshaphat would not.

And after this Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly. And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish; and they made the ships in Ezion-geber. And Eliezer the son of Dodavah, of Mareshah, prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, Jehovah has broken thy works. And the ships were broken, and could not go to Tarshish.

And Jehovah will bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I said unto thee, Thou shalt see it again no more; and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and there shall be no man to buy you.

And the merchants of the earth weep and grieve over her, because no one buys their lading any more; lading of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and pearl, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet dye, and all thyine wood, and every article in ivory, and every article in most precious wood, and in brass, and in iron, and in marble, and cinnamon, and amomum, and incense, and unguent, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and cattle, and sheep, and of horses, and of chariots, and of bodies, and souls of men.

And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and afflict Asshur, and afflict Eber, and he also shall be for destruction.

In that day shall messengers go forth from me in ships, to make careless Ethiopia afraid; and anguish shall come upon them, as in the day of Egypt: for behold, it cometh!

for ships of Chittim shall come against him; and he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant; and will practise; and he shall return and direct his attention to those that forsake the holy covenant.

For the isles shall await me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from afar, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of Jehovah thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, for he hath glorified thee.

But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah; and he went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish, from the presence of Jehovah.

And going on board the ship, he passed over and came to his own city.

They therefore, having been sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia, and thence sailed away to Cyprus.

And Jesus, having heard it, went away thence by ship to a desert place apart. And the crowds having heard of it followed him on foot from the cities.

And, having dismissed the crowds, he went on board ship and came to the borders of Magadan.

And he spoke to his disciples, in order that a little ship should wait upon him on account of the crowd, that they might not press upon him.

And having sailed from Paphos, Paul and his company came to Perga of Pamphylia; and John separated from them and returned to Jerusalem.

and thence they sailed away to Antioch, whence they had been committed to the grace of God for the work which they had fulfilled.

There arose therefore very warm feeling, so that they separated from one another; and Barnabas taking Mark sailed away to Cyprus;

Having sailed therefore away from Troas, we went in a straight course to Samothracia, and on the morrow to Neapolis,

And Paul, having yet stayed there many days, took leave of the brethren and sailed thence to Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila, having shorn his head in Cenchrea, for he had a vow;

but bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep the coming feast at Jerusalem; I will return to you again, if God will: and he sailed away from Ephesus.

And having spent three months there, a treacherous plot against him having been set on foot by the Jews, as he was going to sail to Syria, the resolution was adopted of returning through Macedonia.

And when, having got away from them, we at last sailed away, we came by a direct course to Cos, and on the morrow to Rhodes, and thence to Patara. And having found a ship passing over into Phoenicia, we went on board and sailed; and having sighted Cyprus, and left it on the left hand, we sailed to Syria, and made the land at Tyre, for there the ship was to discharge her cargo.

But when it had been determined that we should sail to Italy, they delivered up Paul and certain other prisoners to a centurion, by name Julius, of Augustus' company. And going on board a ship of Adramyttium about to navigate by the places along Asia, we set sail, Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us. And the next day we arrived at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and suffered him to go to his friends and refresh himself.read more.
And setting sail thence we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were contrary. And having sailed over the waters of Cilicia and Pamphylia we came to Myra in Lycia: and there the centurion having found a ship of Alexandria sailing to Italy, he made us go on board her. And sailing slowly for many days, and having with difficulty got abreast of Cnidus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under the lee of Crete abreast of Salmone; and coasting it with difficulty we came to a certain place called Fair Havens, near to which was the city of Lasaea.

And after three months we sailed in a ship which had wintered in the island, an Alexandrian, with the Dioscuri for its ensign. And having come to Syracuse we remained three days. Whence, going in a circuitous course, we arrived at Rhegium; and after one day, the wind having changed to south, on the second day we came to Puteoli,

They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters, These see the works of Jehovah, and his wonders in the deep. For he speaketh, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof:read more.
They mount up to the heavens, they go down to the depths; their soul is melted because of trouble; They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and they are at their wits' end: Then they cry unto Jehovah in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses; He maketh the storm a calm, and the waves thereof are still: And they rejoice because they are quiet; and he bringeth them unto their desired haven.

Thrice have I been scourged, once I have been stoned, three times I have suffered shipwreck, a night and day I passed in the deep:

Jehoshaphat made Tarshish-ships to go to Ophir for gold; but they went not, for the ships were broken at Ezion-geber.

And Eliezer the son of Dodavah, of Mareshah, prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, Jehovah has broken thy works. And the ships were broken, and could not go to Tarshish.

But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah; and he went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish, from the presence of Jehovah. But Jehovah sent out a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest upon the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. And the mariners were afraid, and cried every one unto his god; and they cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to be lightened of them. But Jonah had gone down into the lower part of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.read more.
And the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, sleeper? arise, call upon thy God; perhaps God will think upon us, that we perish not. And they said each one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. And they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. And they said unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us: what is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou? And he said unto them, I am a Hebrew, and I fear Jehovah, the God of the heavens, who hath made the sea and the dry land. Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, What is this thou hast done? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of Jehovah: for he had told them. And they said unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea grew more and more tempestuous. And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that because of me this great tempest is upon you. But the men rowed hard to regain the land; but they could not; for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. And they cried unto Jehovah and said, Ah, Jehovah, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, Jehovah, hast done as it pleased thee. And they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from its raging.

And he went on board ship and his disciples followed him; and behold, the water became very agitated on the sea, so that the ship was covered by the waves; but he slept. And the disciples came and awoke him, saying, Lord save: we perish.read more.
And he says to them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then, having arisen, he rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. But the men were astonished, saying, What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?

And on that day, when evening was come, he says to them, Let us go over to the other side: and having sent away the crowd, they take him with them, as he was, in the ship. But other ships also were with him. And there comes a violent gust of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it already filled.read more.
And he was in the stern sleeping on the cushion. And they awake him up and say to him, Teacher, dost thou not care that we are perishing? And awaking up he rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, Silence; be mute. And the wind fell, and there was a great calm. And he said to them, Why are ye thus fearful? how is it ye have not faith? And they feared with great fear, and said one to another, Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

And it came to pass on one of the days, that he entered into a ship, himself and his disciples; and he said to them, Let us pass over to the other side of the lake; and they set off from shore. And as they sailed, he fell asleep; and a sudden squall of wind came down on the lake, and they were filled with water, and were in danger; and coming to him they woke him up, saying, Master, master, we perish. But he, rising up, rebuked the wind and the raging of the water; and they ceased, and there was a calm.read more.
And he said to them, Where is your faith? And, being afraid, they were astonished, saying to one another, Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him? And they arrived in the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee.

And immediately he compelled the disciples to go on board ship, and to go on before him to the other side, until he should have dismissed the crowds. And having dismissed the crowds, he went up into the mountain apart to pray. And when even was come, he was alone there, but the ship was already in the middle of the sea tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.read more.
But in the fourth watch of the night he went off to them, walking on the sea. And the disciples, seeing him walking on the sea, were troubled, saying, It is an apparition. And they cried out through fear. But Jesus immediately spoke to them, saying, Take courage; it is I: be not afraid. And Peter answering him said, Lord, if it be thou, command me to come to thee upon the waters. And he said, Come. And Peter, having descended from the ship, walked upon the waters to go to Jesus. But seeing the wind strong he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught hold of him, and says to him, O thou of little faith, why didst thou doubt? And when they had gone up into the ship, the wind fell. But those in the ship came and did homage to him, saying, Truly thou art God's Son.

And immediately he compelled his disciples to go on board ship, and to go on before to the other side to Bethsaida, while he sends the crowd away. And, having dismissed them, he departed into the mountain to pray. And when evening was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone upon the land.read more.
And seeing them labouring in rowing, for the wind was contrary to them, about the fourth watch of the night he comes to them walking on the sea, and would have passed them by. But they, seeing him walking on the sea, thought that it was an apparition, and cried out. For all saw him and were troubled. And immediately he spoke with them, and says to them, Be of good courage: it is I; be not afraid. And he went up to them into the ship, and the wind fell. And they were exceedingly beyond measure astonished in themselves and wondered; for they understood not through the loaves: for their heart was hardened. And having passed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and made the shore.

But when evening was come, his disciples went down to the sea, and having gone on board ship, they went over the sea to Capernaum. And it had already become dark, and Jesus had not come to them, and the sea was agitated by a strong wind blowing.read more.
Having rowed then about twenty-five or thirty stadia, they see Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the ship; and they were frightened. But he says to them, It is I: be not afraid. They were willing therefore to receive him into the ship; and immediately the ship was at the land to which they went.

And much time having now been spent, and navigation being already dangerous, because the fast also was already past, Paul counselled them, saying, Men, I perceive that the navigation will be with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives. But the centurion believed rather the helmsman and the shipowner than what was said by Paul.read more.
And the harbour being ill adapted to winter in, the most counselled to set sail thence, if perhaps they might reach Phoenice to winter in, a port of Crete looking north-east and south-east. And the south wind blowing gently, supposing that they had gained their object, having weighed anchor they sailed close in shore along Crete. But not long after there came down it a hurricane called Euroclydon. And the ship being caught and driven, and not able to bring her head to the wind, letting her go we were driven before it. But running under the lee of a certain island called Clauda, we were with difficulty able to make ourselves masters of the boat; which having hoisted up, they used helps, frapping the ship; and fearing lest they should run into Syrtis and run aground, and having lowered the gear they were so driven. But the storm being extremely violent on us, on the next day they threw cargo overboard, and on the third day with their own hands they cast away the ship furniture. And neither sun nor stars appearing for many days, and no small storm lying on us, in the end all hope of our being saved was taken away. And when they had been a long while without taking food, Paul then standing up in the midst of them said, Ye ought, O men, to have hearkened to me, and not have made sail from Crete and have gained this disaster and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good courage, for there shall be no loss at all of life of any of you, only of the ship. For an angel of the God, whose I am and whom I serve, stood by me this night, saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted to thee all those that sail with thee. Wherefore be of good courage, men, for I believe God that thus it shall be, as it has been said to me. But we must be cast ashore on a certain island. And when the fourteenth night was come, we being driven about in Adria, towards the middle of the night the sailors supposed that some land neared them, and having sounded found twenty fathoms, and having gone a little farther and having again sounded they found fifteen fathoms; and fearing lest we should be cast on rocky places, casting four anchors out of the stern, they wished that day were come. But the sailors wishing to flee out of the ship, and having let down the boat into the sea under pretext of being about to carry out anchors from the prow, Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, Unless these abide in the ship ye cannot be saved. Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the boat and let her fall. And while it was drawing on to daylight, Paul exhorted them all to partake of food, saying, Ye have passed the fourteenth day watching in expectation without taking food. Wherefore I exhort you to partake of food, for this has to do with your safety; for not a hair from the head of any one of you shall perish. And, having said these things and taken a loaf, he gave thanks to God before all, and having broken it began to eat. And all taking courage, themselves also took food. And we were in the ship, all the souls, two hundred and seventy-six. And having satisfied themselves with food, they lightened the ship, casting out the wheat into the sea. And when it was day they did not recognise the land; but they perceived a certain bay having a strand, on which they were minded, if they should be able, to run the ship ashore; and, having cast off the anchors, they left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the lashings of the rudders, and hoisting the foresail to the wind, they made for the strand. And falling into a place where two seas met they ran the ship aground, and the prow having stuck itself fast remained unmoved, but the stern was broken by the force of the waves. And the counsel of the soldiers was that they should kill the prisoners, lest any one should swim off and escape. But the centurion, desirous of saving Paul, hindered them of their purpose, and commanded those who were able to swim, casting themselves first into the sea, to get out on land; and the rest, some on boards, some on some of the things that came from the ship; and thus it came to pass that all got safe to land.

The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish! for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, none entering in. From the land of Chittim it is revealed to them.

and upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant works of art.

Howl, ships of Tarshish! for your fortress is laid waste.

but there Jehovah is unto us glorious, a place of rivers, of broad streams: no galley with oars shall go there, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby. For Jehovah is our judge, Jehovah, our lawgiver, Jehovah, our king: he will save us. Thy tacklings are loosed; they strengthen not the socket of their mast, they cannot spread the sail: then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey.

Thus saith Jehovah, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought all of them down as fugitives, even the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships.

Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters; the east wind hath broken thee in the heart of the seas. Thy substance, and thy markets, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, they that repair thy leaks, and they that barter with thee, and all thy men of war that are in thee, along with all thine assemblage which is in the midst of thee, shall fall into the heart of the seas in the day of thy fall. The open places shall shake at the sound of the cry of thy pilots.read more.
And all that handle the oar, the mariners, all the pilots of the sea, shall come down from their ships; they shall stand upon the land, and shall cause their voice to be heard over thee, and shall cry bitterly; and they shall cast up dust upon their heads; they shall wallow themselves in ashes. And they shall make themselves utterly bald for thee, and gird themselves with sackcloth; and they shall weep for thee in bitterness of soul with bitter mourning. And in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and lament over thee, saying, Who is like Tyre, like her that is destroyed in the midst of the sea? When thy wares went forth over the seas, thou filledst many peoples; thou didst enrich the kings of the earth with the abundance of thy substance and of thy merchandise. In the time when thou art broken by the seas, in the depths of the waters, thy merchandise and all thine assemblage in the midst of thee have fallen. All the inhabitants of the isles are amazed at thee, and their kings are horribly afraid, their countenance is troubled. The merchants among the peoples hiss at thee; thou art become a terror, and thou shalt never be any more.

for in one hour so great riches has been made desolate. And every steersman, and every one who sailed to any place, and sailors, and all who exercise their calling on the sea, stood afar off, and cried, seeing the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like to the great city? and cast dust upon their heads, and cried, weeping and grieving, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, in which all that had ships in the sea were enriched through her costliness! for in one hour she has been made desolate.

in order that we may be no longer babes, tossed and carried about by every wind of that teaching which is in the sleight of men, in unprincipled cunning with a view to systematized error;

maintaining faith and a good conscience; which last some, having put away, have made shipwreck as to faith;

which we have as anchor of the soul, both secure and firm, and entering into that within the veil,

Behold also the ships, which are so great, and driven by violent winds, are turned about by a very small rudder, wherever the pleasure of the helmsman will. Thus also the tongue is a little member, and boasts great things. See how little a fire, how large a wood it kindles!

With an east wind thou hast broken the ships of Tarshish.

She is like the merchants' ships: she bringeth her food from afar;

but let him ask in faith, nothing doubting. For he that doubts is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and tossed about;

heretofore disobedient, when the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah while the ark was preparing, into which few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water: