60 Bible Verses about Seafaring

Zebulun shall settle by the shore of the sea. He [shall become] a haven for ships, and his border [shall be] at Sidon.

Gilead has remained beyond the Jordan. Why did Dan dwell as a foreigner [with] ships? Asher sat at [the] coast of [the] waters, and by his coves he has been settling down.

And you must say to Tyre, the one who sits at [the] entrance of the sea [as] the merchant of the peoples to the many coastlands, 'Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Tyre, {you yourself said} "I [am] perfect {in beauty}!" In [the] heart of [the] seas [are] your boundaries; your builders perfected your beauty. They built [with] pine trees from Senir all of your boards for you; they took cedars from Lebanon to make a sailing mast {for you}.read more.
They made your oars [with] oaks from Bashan; your deck they made [with] inlaid ivory, with cypress trees from the coastlands of Cyprus. Your sail was fine linen with colorful weaving from Egypt {to serve as a banner for you}; blue and purple cloth from the coastlands of Cyprus was your awning. The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvan were your rowers; your {skilled men}, O Tyre, were {from your own people}, [and] they [were] your seamen. The elders of Gebal and its {skilled men} were {among you} [as] the repairers of [the] seam of your boat; all of the ships of the sea and their mariners were {among you} to barter your wares.

And it happened [that], when humankind began to multiply on the face of the ground, daughters were born to them. Then the sons of God saw the daughters of humankind, that they [were] beautiful. And they took for themselves wives from all that they chose. And Yahweh said, "My Spirit shall not abide with humankind forever in that he [is] also flesh. And his days [shall be] one hundred and twenty years."read more.
The Nephilim [were] upon the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God went into the daughters of humankind, and they bore children to them. And Yahweh saw that the evil of humankind [was] great upon the earth, and every inclination of the thoughts of his heart [was] always only evil. And Yahweh regretted that he had made humankind on the earth, and {he was grieved in his heart}. And Yahweh said, "I will destroy humankind whom I created from upon the face of the earth, from humankind, to animals, to creeping things, and to the birds of heaven, for I regret that I have made them." But Noah found favor in the eyes of Yahweh. These [are] the generations of Noah. Noah [was] a righteous man, without defect in his generations. Noah walked with God.

Hiram sent his servants with the fleet of ships, {sailors} who knew the sea, with the servants of Solomon. They went to Ophir and imported from there four hundred and twenty talents of gold, and they brought it to King Solomon.

And Huram sent to him, by the hand of his servants, ships and servants knowledgeable of the sea. And they went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and from there they collected four hundred and fifty talents of gold and brought it to King Solomon.

The ships of Tarshish [were] carrying [for] you your wares, and you were filled, and you became very heavy in [the] heart of [the] seas.

Moreover, the fleet of ships of Hiram which carried the gold from Ophir [also] brought from Ophir abundant amounts of almug wood and precious stones.

For the ships of the king went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram. Once {every three years} the ships of Tarshish came carrying gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

Jehoshaphat built ships of the Tarshish [type] to go to Ophir for the gold; but he did not go because the ships were destroyed at Ezion-Geber. Then Ahaziah son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "Let my servants go with your servants in the ships," but Jehoshaphat was not willing.

And afterward Jehoshaphat the king of Judah joined with Ahaziah the king of Israel, who acted wickedly. He joined with him to build ships to go to Tarshish. And they built the ships in Ezion Geber. Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, "Because of your joining with Ahaziah, Yahweh will break down your works." And the ships were destroyed and were not able to go to Tarshish.

And Yahweh shall bring you back [to] Egypt in ships by the route that I {promised} to you [that] '{You shall not see it again}!' And you shall sell yourself there to your enemies as slaves and as female slaves, but there will not be a buyer."

And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo any more-- cargo of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple cloth and silk and scarlet cloth and all kinds of scented wood and all kinds of ivory goods and all kinds of goods of precious wood and bronze and iron and marble and cinnamon and amomum and incense and ointment and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine wheat flour and wheat and domesticated animals and sheep and horses and carriages and {slaves} and human lives.

The ships [will come] from the hand of the Kittim, and they will afflict Asshur and will afflict Eber; also he [will be] forever ruin."

On that day messengers will go down from {before me} in the ships to terrify unsuspecting Cush, and anguish will be in them on the day of Egypt; for look, [it is] coming!"

And [the] ships of Kittim will come against him, and he will lose heart, and he will turn back, and he will be enraged {against the holy covenant}, and he will take action, and he will turn back, and he will pay attention to [those who] forsake {the holy covenant}.

Because [the] coastlands wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish [are] first to bring your children from afar, their silver and gold with them, for the name of Yahweh your God, and for the holy one of Israel, because he has glorified you.

But Jonah set out to flee toward Tarshish from {the presence of} Yahweh. And he went down [to] Joppa and found a merchant ship going [to] Tarshish, and paid her fare, and went on board her to go with them toward Tarshish from {the presence of} Yahweh.

And getting into a boat, he crossed over and came to his own town.

Therefore, sent out by the Holy Spirit, they came down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed away to Cyprus.

Now [when] Jesus heard [it], he withdrew from there in a boat to an isolated place by himself. And [when] the crowds heard [it], they followed him by land from the towns.

And [after he] sent away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.

And he told his disciples that a small boat should stand ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not press upon him.

Now {Paul and his companions} put out to sea from Paphos [and] came to Perga in Pamphylia, but John departed from them [and] returned to Jerusalem.

and from there they sailed away to Antioch where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had completed.

And a sharp disagreement took place, so that they separated from one another. And Barnabas took along Mark [and] sailed away to Cyprus,

So putting out to sea from Troas, we sailed a straight course to Samothrace, and on the following [day] to Neapolis,

So Paul, [after] remaining many days longer, said farewell to the brothers [and] sailed away to Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. He shaved [his] head at Cenchrea, because he had [taken] a vow.

but saying farewell and telling [them], "I will return to you again [if] God wills," he set sail from Ephesus.

and stayed three months. [Because] a plot was made against him by the Jews [as he] was about to set sail for Syria, he came to a decision to return through Macedonia.

And it happened that after we tore ourselves away from them, we put out to sea, [and] running a straight course we came to Cos and on the next [day] to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. And finding a ship that was crossing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard [and] put out to sea. And [after we] sighted Cyprus and left it behind {on the port side}, we sailed to Syria and arrived at Tyre, because the ship was to unload [its] cargo there.

And when it was decided [that] we would sail away to Italy, they handed over Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion {named} Julius of the Augustan Cohort. And we went aboard a ship from Adramyttium that was about to sail to the places along the [coast] of Asia [and] put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us. And on the next [day], we put in at Sidon. And Julius, treating Paul kindly, allowed [him] to go to [his] friends {to be cared for}.read more.
And from there we put out to sea [and] sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against [us]. And [after we] had sailed across the open sea along Cilicia and Pamphylia, we put in at Myra in Lycia. And there the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy [and] put us {on board} it. And sailing slowly, in many days and with difficulty we came to Cnidus. [Because] the wind did not permit us to go further, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. And sailing along its coast with difficulty, we came to a certain place called Fair Havens, near which was the town [of] Lasea.

Now after three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered at the island, an Alexandrian [one] {with the twin gods Castor and Pollux as its insignia}. And putting in at Syracuse, we stayed [there] three days. From there we got underway [and] arrived at Rhegium, and after one day a south wind came up [and] on the second day we came to Puteoli,

[Those who] went down to the sea into ships, doing business on [the] {high seas}, they saw the works of Yahweh, and his wonderful deeds in [the] deep. For he spoke and raised up a stormy wind, and it whipped up its waves.read more.
They rose to the heavens; they plunged to [the] depths. Their soul melted in their calamity. They reeled and staggered like a drunkard, and {they were at their wits' end}. Then they cried out to Yahweh in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distresses. He made [the] storm be still and their waves became calm. Then they were glad because they grew silent, so he guided them to their desired harbor.

Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked. A day and a night I have spent in the deep water.

Jehoshaphat built ships of the Tarshish [type] to go to Ophir for the gold; but he did not go because the ships were destroyed at Ezion-Geber.

Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, "Because of your joining with Ahaziah, Yahweh will break down your works." And the ships were destroyed and were not able to go to Tarshish.

But Jonah set out to flee toward Tarshish from {the presence of} Yahweh. And he went down [to] Joppa and found a merchant ship going [to] Tarshish, and paid her fare, and went on board her to go with them toward Tarshish from {the presence of} Yahweh. And Yahweh hurled a great wind upon the sea, and it was a great storm on the sea, and the merchant ship {was in danger of breaking up}. And the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they threw the {contents} that were in the merchant ship into the sea to lighten it for them. And [meanwhile] Jonah went down into the hold of the vessel and lay down and fell asleep.read more.
And the captain of the ship approached him and said to him, "Why are you {sound asleep}? Get up! Call on your god! Perhaps [your] god will take notice of us and we won't perish!" And they said {to one another}, "Come, let us cast lots so that we may know on whose account this disaster [has come] on us!" And they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. So they said to him, "Please tell us whoever [is responsible that] this disaster [has come] upon us! What [is] your occupation? And from where do you come? What [is] your country? And from which people [are] you?" And he said to them, "I [am] a Hebrew, and I fear Yahweh, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land." Then the men {were greatly afraid}, and they said to him, "What [is] this you have done?" because they knew that he [was] fleeing {from the presence of} Yahweh (because he had told them). So they said to him, "What shall we do to you so that the sea may quiet down for us?" because the sea {was growing more and more tempestuous}. And he said to them, "Pick me up and hurl me into the sea so that the sea may quiet down for you, because I know that on account of me this great storm [has come] upon you all." But the men rowed [hard] to bring [the ship] back to the dry land, and they could not [do so] because the sea {was growing more and more tempestuous} against them. So they cried out to Yahweh, and they said, "O Yahweh! Please do not let us perish because of this man's life, and {do not make us guilty of innocent blood}, because you, O Yahweh, did what you wanted." And they picked Jonah up and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.

And [as] he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, a great storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being inundated by the waves, but he himself was asleep. And they came [and] woke him, saying, "Lord, save [us]! We are perishing!"read more.
And he said to them, "Why are you fearful, [you] of little faith?" Then he got up [and] rebuked the winds and the sea and there was a great calm. And 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 it] was evening, he said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side." And leaving the crowd, they took him along, as he was, in the boat. And other boats were with him. And a great storm of wind developed, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already being filled [with water].read more.
And he was in the stern sleeping on the cushion, and they woke him up and said to him, "Teacher, is it not a concern to you that we are perishing?" And he woke up [and] rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Be quiet! Be silent!" And the wind abated and there was a great calm. And he said to them, "Why are you fearful? Do you not yet have faith?" And {they were terribly frightened} and began to say to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

Now it happened that on one of the days both he and his disciples got into a boat, and he said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake." And they set sail, and [as] they were sailing, he fell asleep. And a storm of wind came down on the lake, and they were being swamped and were in danger. And they came [and] woke him up, saying, "Master, master! We are perishing!" So he got up [and] rebuked the wind and the billowing waves of water and they ceased, and it became calm.read more.
And he said to them, "Where [is] your faith?" But they were afraid [and] 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 sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee.

And immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while he sent away the crowds. And [after he] sent away the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. So [when] evening came, he was there alone. But the boat was already many stadia distant from the land, being beaten by the waves, because the wind was against [it].read more.
And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But the disciples, [when they] saw him walking on the sea, were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Have courage, I am [he]! Do not be afraid!" And Peter answered him [and] said, "Lord, if {it is you}, command me to come to you on the water!" So he said, "Come!" And getting out of the boat, Peter walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But [when he] saw the strong wind, he was afraid. And beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" And immediately Jesus extended his hand [and] caught him and said to him, "[You] of little faith! Why did you doubt?" And [when] they got into the boat, the wind abated. So those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God!"

And immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he himself dismissed the crowd. And [after he] had said farewell to them, he went away to the mountain to pray. And [when] evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea and he [was] alone on the land.read more.
And he saw them being beaten in their rowing because the wind was against them. Around the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea, and he was wanting to pass by them. But [when] they saw him walking on the sea, they thought that it was a ghost, and they cried out. For they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke with them and said to them, "Have courage, I am [he]! Do not be afraid!" And he went up with them into the boat, and the wind abated. And {they were extraordinarily} astounded within themselves, because they did not understand concerning the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. And [after they] had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and anchored [there].

Now when evening came, his disciples went down to the sea. And getting into a boat, they began to go to the other side of the sea, to Capernaum. And it had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. And the sea began to be stirred up [because] a strong wind was blowing.read more.
Then [when they] had rowed about twenty-five or thirty stadia, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were afraid. But he said to them, "[It] is I! Do not be afraid!" So they were wanting to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat came to the land to which they were going.

And [because] considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast was already over, Paul strongly recommended, saying to them, "Men, I perceive that the voyage is going {to end} with disaster and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives!" But the centurion was convinced even more by the shipmaster and the shipowner than by what was said by Paul.read more.
And [because] the harbor was unsuitable for spending the winter in, the majority decided on a plan to put out to sea from there, if somehow they could arrive at Phoenix, a harbor of Crete facing toward the southwest and toward the northwest, to spend the winter [there]. And [when] a southwest wind began to blow gently, [because they] thought [they] could accomplish their purpose, they weighed anchor [and] sailed close along Crete. But not long afterward a wind like a hurricane, called the northeaster, rushed down from it. And [when] the ship was caught and [was] not able to head into the wind, we gave way [and] were driven [along]. And running under the lee of a certain small island called Cauda, we were able with difficulty to get the ship's boat under control. [After] hoisting {it up}, they made use of supports to undergird the ship. And [because they] were afraid lest they run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor [and] thus were driven [along]. And [because] we were violently battered by the storm, on the next [day] {they began} jettisoning [the cargo], and on the third [day] they threw overboard the gear of the ship with their own hands. But [when] neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and [with] not a little bad weather confronting [us], finally all hope was abandoned [that] we would be saved. And [because] many were experiencing lack of appetite, at that time Paul stood up in their midst [and] said, "Men, [you] ought to have followed my [advice] not to put out to sea from Crete, and [thus] avoided this damage and loss! And now I urge you to cheer up, for there will be no loss of life from among you, but only of the ship. For this night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve came to me, saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul! It is necessary [for] you to stand before Caesar, and behold, God has graciously granted you all who are sailing with you.' Therefore keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will be like this--according to {the} way it was told to me. But it is necessary [that] we run aground on some island." And when the fourteenth night had come, [as] we were being driven in the Adriatic Sea about the middle of the night, the sailors suspected {they were approaching some land}. And taking soundings, they found twenty fathoms. So going on a little [further] and taking soundings again, they found fifteen fathoms. And [because they] were afraid lest somewhere we run aground against rough places, they threw down four anchors from the stern [and] prayed for day to come. And [when] the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship and were lowering the ship's boat into the sea, pretending as if they were going to lay out anchors from the bow, Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, "Unless these [men] remain with the ship, you cannot be saved!" Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship's boat and let it fall away. And until the day was about to come, Paul was urging [them] all to take [some] food, saying, "Today [is the] fourteenth day you have waited [anxiously], [and] you have continued without eating, having taken nothing. Therefore I urge you to take [some] food, for this is necessary for your preservation. For not a hair from your head will be lost." And [after he] said these [things] and took bread, he gave thanks to God in front of [them] all, and [after] breaking [it], he began to eat. So they all were encouraged and partook of food themselves. (Now we were [in] all two hundred seventy six persons on the ship.) And [when they] had eaten their fill of food, they lightened the ship [by] throwing the wheat into the sea. Now when day came, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a certain bay having a beach, onto which they decided to run the ship ashore if they could. And slipping the anchors, they left [them] in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes of the steering oars. And hoisting the foresail to the [wind] that was blowing, they held course for the beach. But falling into a place of crosscurrents, they ran the ship aground. And the bow stuck fast [and] stayed immovable, but the stern was being broken up by the violence. Now the plan of the soldiers was that they would kill the prisoners lest any escape [by] swimming away, but the centurion, [because he] wanted to save Paul, prevented them {from doing what they intended}, and gave orders [that] those who were able to swim should jump in first to get to the land, and [then] the rest, [some] of whom [floated] on planks and [some] of whom on anything [that was] from the ship. And in this way all were brought safely to the land.

The oracle of Tyre: Wail, ships of Tarshish, for {the house is destroyed so that no one can enter}; it is announced to them from the land of Cyprus.

and against all the ships of Tarshish, and against all the ships of desire.

Wail, ships of Tarshish! For your fortress is destroyed

Rather, there Yahweh [will be] mighty for us, a place of rivers [and] {broad streams}, a galley ship with oars cannot go in it, and a mighty ship cannot pass through it. For Yahweh [is] our judge; Yahweh [is] our lawgiver. Yahweh [is] our king; he [is the one who] will save us. Your riggings hang slack; they do not hold the base of their mast firm, they do not spread out [the] sail. Then [the] prey of spoil [in] abundance will be divided; [the] lame will take plunder.

Thus says Yahweh, your redeemer, the holy one of Israel: "For your sake I will send [to] Babylon, and I will cause all of them to fall down [as] fugitives, and {the Chaldeans}, their rejoicing on the ships.

" 'Into many waters the rowers brought you; [but] {the east wind} wrecked you in [the] heart of [the] seas. Your wealth and your merchandise, your wares, your mariners, and your seamen, your shipwrights and the barterers of your wares and all of {your soldiers} who [are] in you, along with all of your crew who are in the midst of you, they will fall in [the] heart of [the] seas on the day of your downfall. At the sound of the shout of your seamen, [the] pasturelands will shake.read more.
And they will go down from their ships, all of [those] holding an oar, mariners, all of the seamen of the sea will stand on the land, and they will lament over you with their voice, and they will cry out bitterly, and they will throw dust on their heads, [and] they will roll in the dust. {They will shave themselves bald for your sake}, and they will dress themselves [in] sackcloth, and they will weep over you with bitterness of soul [and] with bitter wailing. And they will raise over you with their wailing a lament, and they will chant a lament over you: 'Who is like Tyre, like [this] destruction in the midst of the sea?' When your merchandise went out from [the] seas, you satisfied many peoples with the abundance of your wealth, and [by] your wares you made rich [the] kings of [the] world. Now you are broken by seas in [the] depths of waters; your wares and all of your crew in the midst of you have sunk. All of the inhabitants of the coastlands are appalled over you, and their kings {shudder} [in] horror; {they distort their faces}! The traders among the peoples hiss over you; you have become horror, and {you shall be no more forever}!'"

because in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!" And every shipmaster and {every seafarer} and sailors and all those who labor on the sea stood {far off} and began to cry out [when they] saw the smoke of her burning, saying, "Who [is] like the great city?" And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, "Woe, woe, the great city, in which all those who had ships on the sea became rich from her prosperity, because in one hour she has been laid waste!"

so that we may no longer be infants, tossed about by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching, by the trickery of people, by craftiness with reference to the scheming of deceit.

having faith and a good conscience, which some, [because they] have rejected [these], have suffered shipwreck concerning their faith,

which we have like an anchor of the soul, both firm and steadfast, and entering into the inside of the curtain,

Behold also ships: [although they] are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot wishes. So also the tongue is a small member [of the body] and boasts great [things]. Behold how small a fire sets ablaze how great a forest!

With an east wind you shatter the ships of Tarshish.

She is like the ships of a merchant; from far off she brings her food;

But let him ask for [it] in faith, without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed about.

who were formerly disobedient, when the patience of God waited in the days of Noah, [while] an ark was being constructed, in which a few--that is, eight souls--were rescued through water.